by Subhash K Jha

Himani: (Already a hot favourite for the winner's crown for the grand finale on 21 Jan )—"How do I do those little-little things to the original songs? I don't know. You tell me. Actually my mother has a good voice. But my grand-parents never encouraged her to be a singer. My mother wanted to live her dreams through me. Of course she never knew I'd come so far. First I learnt light classical singing, then classical... How do I sing so effortlessly? I don't know. It's God's gift. I've worked hard.

I don't think I'd go up on stage with so much confidence if I didn't practice hard...I'm a big fan of Lataji and Ashaji...But I don't copy them. On stage meri apni hi awaaz nikalti hai.

I'm from Faridabad in Haryana. ...I plan to become a playback singer. Struggle to karna hi padega. My father has truly encouraged me. Now when they see me on Sa Re Ga Ma folks back home are very happy with what I've achieved. When Sanjay Leela Bhansali came on stage to hug me after I sang Ni main yaar manana ni (Daag ) I was ecstatic.

I'm just 17. I want to go as far as destiny lets me. I don't get time to do anything but sing right now. We at Sa Re Ga Ma aren't allowed to go out on our own. But I'm very friendly with all the other contestants. We're always joking and having fun. I don't know about the boys. But we girls really get along. I've never been jealous. But yes I'm competitive.

Twinkle: "I'm most comfortable singing songs with a classical touch. But we've been told to sing peppy songs for Sa Re Ga Ma. The competition is really tough. I never assume I'd be the winner. I just want to perform to the best of my abilities. I'm from Lucknow. My parents have been very supportive.

I 've been learning music from a guru in Lucknow. But in Mumbai my guru is Ismail Durbar. He's like my father here. I can go to him with any problem. But of course I miss Mummy and Papa....

Besides playback singer I want to do stage shows. My guru Ismail Durbarji has promised me and all his shishya songs in his films. For me he has promised to compose a tune that blends thumri with the western style ..

Ujjaini: "Am I nervous about the grand finale? I always get nervous when I get on stage. I recently sang Rock me baby from Aitraaz on the show. I burst into tears because I didn't get ample marks for that. Maybe it was the selection , too many people didn't like it.

Actually my colleague Himani had also sung the same song. Himesh Reshammiyaji told me to sing it....I started learning how to sing in my hown town Kolkata when I was 2 ½ years old . My mother is a singer and so is my Bua.

I'm told when I was 9 months old I had repeated a snatch of a raga that I had overheard. That's when my mother decided that music had to be my life. Let's see where Sa Re Ga Ma takes me. I need to complete my studies. But if I win the grand finale that would be impossible.

Nihira: "I'm quite nervous. I'm the only Mumbaiyite among all the 8 finalists.All of us are sailing in the same boat. There're no professional singers in home, though everyone is fond of music. I started learning classical music from the age of 9.

My guru is Smt Vidya Zail. I also learnt light-classical singing from composer Kalyanji. I idolize Lataji and Ashaji... Kishoreda...And from the present lot I like Kavitaji, Shankar Mahadevan and A.R . Rahman. ...On Sa Re Ga Ma I don't think about the competition. I just want to perform well. The rest is up to God.

Vineet: " I'm 16 years and 11 months and the baby of the Sa Re Ga Ma family...I'm from Lucknow ,alone in Mumbai. Han miss karta hoon family ko...Lekin career banana hai. I'm known as the guy with the cap. Cap mere liye bahut lucky hai . I always wear it while singing. My father used to be a singer. Before going to sleep as a child , he taught me his songs.

I started singing at 5. I'd also sing at shows. Then my family realized I was good at singing. My studies suffered and my mother put her foot down. But I was adamant about pursuing music. My parents decided to let me pursue my goal.. I also want a car to drive around my parents.

Debojit: "Do I sound like Hemant Kumar to you? That's fine. Though I'm Assamese,all Bengali singers sound like either Hemant Kumar or Kishore Kumar. Gaane ki chalan ek hoti hai. I don't think they make musicians like him any more.Hemantda had once said he had composed 250-300 tunes for one particular lyric. I'm 29. Paresh and I are of the same age group. I was an engineer doing a government job.

For the middleclass it's just like bhagwan mil jaate hain. It was my mother's dream to make me a singer and not look after the family business.After my mother fell ill and died I met a fashion designer from Kolkata. Vandana and I fell in love and got married. She changed my life. We both left our jobs and came to Mumbai in July 2002 so I could struggle to be a singer, without telling our respective families.

I can't tell you how we went through the first six months in Mumbai. We knew nobody. We started from scratch...I've also sung a lot of tv and jingles....

Paresh: "I'm from London...So in a way the odd way out. Zee TV organized auditions in the UK. And I won...I do have an accent. That has its advantages. The public votes for me for my 'cute' British accent. But a lot of people find my Hindi funny. (Speaks in Hindi) Main kya bolun? Theek hi bolta hoon. Jitna bolna chahiye bol leta hoon. Pehle jab yahan aaya tha bilkul nahin bolne aata tha.

But I grew up listening to Hindi songs. My mom is a very good kitchen singer. Am I a trained or amateur singer? I'm not going to call myself amateur, ha ha. People say I've changed, I'm a lot more confident...To make a career in Mumbai I'll have to move from London. I used to work at a bank. But I had to resign for Sa Re Ga Ma ...I'm pretty confident I'll win.

Hemachanda: I'm Chandu from Hyderabad...For some strange reason they call me Hemu at Sa Re Ga Ma. ...I started singing from the age of 5. I released my first album at that age... Mere(sic) Hindi achcha hai...I trained with my cousin for a month to get a hang of the language....I know when I sing the accent disappears.

Of course I'd like to settle in Mumbai if I win Sa Re Ga Ma...Abhi bahut miss kar raha hoon home ko, though all of us are comfortable. Incidentally my sister Hemabindu was also a contestant on Sa Re Ga Ma. My mother is also a professional singer. But she never participated on Sa Re Ga Ma .

She's proud of me....A lot of people tell me I resemble Madhavan...Yes ,Diya Mirza called me sexy when she came as a guest judge...I was dumbfounded. I had never been called that before...My dreams? To be the happiest person in the word...to spread happiness.