Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Shanker-Jaikishan, Kalyanji-Anandji, Anand-Milind, Sonil-Omi, Sapan-Jagmohan and Vishal-Shekhar- all these dynamic duos have captivated you through their musical expertise. At the press conference of Sony Entertainment Television’s Indian Idol Junior (Fremantle Media) we met Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani, who along with Shreya Ghoshal are judging Indian Idol Junior. We present to you Shekhar’s interview. He went down memory lane, reminiscing about the time when he was a participant in Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. “I was 18 when I participated in the show. I told dad that I had got selected. Winning or losing wasn’t important for me but participating was. I lost in the first round. As I said it was participating which mattered to me.” Stepping into the shoes of a judge, he says, “It is difficult to judge kids. At this point, you need to guide people and not judge them. We are here to teach them the correct way of singing. We will teach them how to do riyaz daily. Lata Mangeshkar still does riyaz everyday. We guide them both off camera and on camera. Instead of judging kids we have to show them the way. We should be light with kids.” Shekhar feels that the junior version of his singing reality show will have higher TRP than the adult version. “I think that Indian Idol Junior will have more TRP than the original series as people love to see and hear kids singing compared to adults. These kids hail from various parts of India including far flung areas like remote villages. They are working very hard. The parents are a great support to them too. Many of the kids have just picked up songs by listening to songs on TV and radio. They should have a good time. We want to see a smile on their faces when they are eliminated. They should have sportsmanship.” He added that he didn’t want to put pressure on the kids by citing the example of his own family. “I have a piano in the house. I play it very well. My daughter wanted to learn the piano. She learnt it for six months. She came to me and said that she wanted to paint instead. She said that she didn’t want to learn the piano anymore as it is very boring. Then we appointed a painting teacher. She has enjoyed painting. She has made the most amazing painting which we have framed in our house. She does charcoal painting. Parents should let their kids do what they are interested in. Yesterday she told me that she wants to learn the guitar. So, she had renewed interest in music again. She is just ten years old.” Regarding his partnership with Vishal Dadlani he says, “It was God’s wish that we collaborate. We have our individual profiles. Nevertheless, we enjoy jamming and composing music together. There is always a difference of opinion when we work together. We often fight. That always helps the product. In the process our product just keeps getting better. Our contribution to any song is fifty-fifty percent.” We wish this dynamic duo all the best. For more updates on the show keep watching this space.