It was a double treat for Berbicians on Friday evening when one of their very own, Gail Ann ‘Priya’ Singh was announced winner of the Bollywood segment of the GT&T Jingle & Song competition.
At the Grand Finale held at the Albion Community Centre Ground, Singh, who could not contain her excitement, walked away with the top prize of a Toyota IST motorcar.
There was loud screaming from the audience when her name was announced with persons commenting that she did a fantastic job and deserved to win.
Singh, a nurse with private practitioner, Dr Ramesh Sugrim said she had been singing since she was a child and was proud to be the winner. She deemed the competition a “crucial part of my life.”
The final aspect of the competition was held at the National Cultural Centre on December 16 and the winners were decided through a voting process.
Joel Pharous, 22, a singer with the Shakti Strings band and an accounts clerk clinched the second position and walked away with a prize of $500,000.
Pharous who thought he would have won the competition, said he was still satisfied with the second spot.
Although “a bit disappointed” he said contentedly, “achieving the top 10 was a great job so I can work with second place…” He knew that it was the votes that counted.
He told this newspaper that the competition was great and he “built a great friendship and gained a lot of exposure; I can continue from here to progress.”
Placing third and earning a prize of $250,000 was Gowradai Puran, 25, a teacher at Soesdyke Primary.
Prakash Sadaram who was awarded $100,000 and Kamal Rattan, 18, who earned $50,000, took the fourth and fifth spots respectively.
Slight rain and the late start of the show did not dampen the spirits of the large crowd; they were entertained in the meantime with music from the Shakti Strings band.
The show was hosted by actor/comedian, Rajan Tiwari who had performed several times in Berbice. And although he declared he was there in a different capacity, he did not fail to keep the crowd lively and entertained.
The show started with live performances by members of the band, including Pharous. The 11 contestants, colourfully dressed, then treated the audience to a medley of Indian songs, which clearly showcased their talents.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Yog Mahadeo, said ever since he started at GT&T he had been challenged by fellow Berbicians to bring some of the events and promotions to Berbice. He felt proud that he was able to honour their requests.
Over the past couple of months more than 1,000 Guyanese had signed up for the competitions. Mahadeo told the audience that if they did not use GT&T service, the competition would not have been possible.
“Every minute you talk on GT&T service… this is how we spend, this is how we reinvest in Guyana’s development and we are very proud to do so.”
Patrons were entertained by dances by a dance troupe from Shieldstown and the Ishara Dance Troupe.
The contestants, dressed in full black pants and blue ‘curta’ tops were back on stage again, this time to show off their skills with a dance.
At the end of the dance, each contestant was presented with a Blackberry cell phone, compliments of GT&T and then it was time for the elimination.
Tiwari announced the names of six persons that should leave the stage, with Leilawattie Budram, Kamal Rattan, Pandit Balram Persaud, Gail Ann Singh and Pandit Balram Persaud Budhu remaining. But that was not the final pick and Budram and Persaud were further eliminated.
Before the names of Pharous and Gowradai Puran were announced to be in the final five, all of the contestants graced the stage again together to entertain the audience with a smashing performance of a song, “Boys vs Girls”. The crowd truly loved it.
Singh had earlier appeared on a live call-in television programme in Berbice, hosted by her employer Dr Sugrim to solicit support and from the response it was clear from then that she was a favourite. Many fans had called in and complimented her on her outstanding performances in the competition. There were also requests for her to sing and her melodious voice, which was not backed by any musical instrument, captivated the viewers.
After winning she advised persons; “If you know you have a talent you should give it [competition] a shot because you never know what the future has in store for you.”
The petite and soft-spoken Singh told the media, “I did my best; I put a lot into this competition”, which she described as “challenging.” She recalled that while she was on stage waiting for the results she was not sure who it was going to be.
Gracing the stage too, was the winner of the English Segment of the competition, Brandon Harding who sent the crowd wild with his stirring entertainment.
Brandon did not forget to call on the ladies to join him on stage, warning that if no lady was willing to dance with him he would go out in the audience to get one.
He was about to leave the stage when he returned and sang, “Don’t Let Me Cheat on My Girlfriend” and even jumped off to sing with persons in the audience.
Some persons left after the winners were announced but many remained for further entertainment by Ravi B and his sister, Nisha B of the Karma Crossover Band.
