Pakistani talent is growing up in SRGMP

Pakistani talent is growing up in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa

Five Pakistani contestants taking part in India's music talent-hunt show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 are fed up with the vegetarian food being served to them at their temporary residence in Mumbai. Culinary setbacks notwithstanding, the Pakistanis are having a blast in India. "They are hardcore non-vegetarians and have to settle for green veggies since the cook is a Brahmin who refuses to cook any non-vegetarian. Such is the frustration that they smuggled some eggs and cooked them when the cook was away," a source from the show's team said.

The Pakistanis — Wasi Effendi, Junaid Sheikh, Mussarrat Abbas, Sikander Ali and Amanat Ali — had even conjured up a prank to get non-vegetarian food on their dinner table. "They got really innovative," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. "They made up a story of how the channel had asked for a cookery competition and that the best person to cook non-vegetarian will win! Every day is a struggle to think up of ways to eat the greens they have come to dislike!" "The whole idea of the 'vishwa-yudh' (as the talent hunt is called) started with the idea that the sargam and gayaki is the same in India and Pakistan," the show's creative head Payaol Patel said. "While there are a lot of opportunities in India for talent to be showcased, in Pakistan, not many shows are available for participation." Now, when a few of the Pakistani contestants stand a good chance of making it to the top, is there a chance of Indians getting hostile about outsiders stealing the show? No, says Patel. In fact the cookery competition was a team effort!" The five Pakistani team members have been touring Mumbai in their free time. They have visited the Gateway of India, Haji Ali, Siddhivinayak Temple, Juhu beach, Esselworld and a made special trip to savour Mumbai's very own vada pav.

"We had taken them on a special request by one of the Pakistanis, Wasi, who called it Aloo bandh," laughs Patel.