13-04-08

Piya Haji Ali

OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH MY GGGGGGOOOOODDDDDDD!!!!! 

Raja delivers a heart stopping rendition of 'Piya Haji Ali' to a crowd of spectators and judges, who could do nothing but, shower him with love and praise!!!

OK, so I am writing about Sony TV's 'Ustaadon Ka Ustaad' and I must admit that I was a little nervous when Raja got onstage, because I wasn't too sure if he was going to fair well after Toshi gave such a mind-blowing performance of 'Piya Re,' (even though I much rather preferred the soul stirring version of 'Piya Re!' that Raja had showcased on Saregamapa 2007), but, it was a really heart-warming moment to see that Toshi had such a nice and profound brotherly love for Raja - he declared that they have been really good friends since waaaaay back.   He showered Raja with much love and praise, which Raja acknowledged by publicly getting onstage and giving him a HUGE hug!  The love, warmth and sincerity between them was so incredibly sweet.

Anyway, swiftly moving on - Raja got onstage and I am serious when I am saying that....it was simply magic, the audience were speechless, it sounded like a pin could drop in that auditorium because everyone was silent, just enjoying that magical moment...There is something amazing about Raja's voice which just stops you in your tracks, you have to listen, even my mum was frozen in her tracks, listening to his phenomenal voice.  Rajasthani singers tend to have really rich vocal textures and when they sing, they just move you deeply.  Obviously Raja's sweet, melodious voice isn't the only reason to his success, it is the way he carries himself with such class and dignity, which I really respect and coupled with his humility - he is destined for greatness!

Raja was spotted by the host Sajid Khan, becoming emotional at the end of his performance, his eyes welled up and Sajid asked him why he was crying, and Raja (being the sweet Raja that he is,) seemed to be overwhelmed at the worldwide love and attention that he has received and he stated something along the lines of, 'he really wants to live up to people's expectations.'  (One word of advice for you Raja is that, please do not try to live up to anyone's expectations, just sing from your heart, and leave the rest in God's hands!)

So...after Raja's performance I was awaiting the judges comments and this is roughly how it went down...

Javed Akhtar was found eating his words since last week's show where he had declared that 'Raja would never be a playback singer,' to stating that he had 'no words to express' what he was feeling, he also added that his respect had really grown for all of the singers in this competition because they are all pure on the inside, and that regardless of what pollution they are facing in the world, that their souls on the inside, should remain pure and he hopes that they stay this way.

Saroj Khan also had no words to express what she was feeling.

However, Shekhar said it all when he got up and gave Raja a standing ovation.  He basically said one of the best comments that an artist could EVER be complimented with, stating along the lines of, Raja's voice to him, was like a 'direct reflection of God.'  Raja was honoured to receive such a compliment and seemed to be visibly moved.

In total he received 29 out of 30 points for his performance, (which was judged by the audience,) which is not bad at all!

Well done Raja and remember, jo bhi ho - We will always be here to support you!