Anjana Padmanabhan: I Want To Be A Pilot And A Playback Singer Too!
News
oi-IANS
By Ians English
Anjana
Padmanabhan,
the
10-year-old
talent
who
has
won
the
first
Indian
Idol
Junior
title,
aspires
to
fly
higher,
literally!
She
wants
to
become
a
pilot
but
she
would
also
like
to
establish
herself
as
a
playback
singer.
"I
want
to
become
a
pilot
but
I
have
always
wanted
to
become
a
playback
singer
too," Padmanabhan
told
over
phone
from
Mumbai.
Will
she
be
able
to
balance
both
worlds?
"Yes,
I'll
manage,"
she
said
in
an
innocent
tone,
a
day
after
she
was
announced
the
winner
of
the
"Indian
Idol
Junior"
finale
Sunday.
There's
something
else
also
that
she
wants
to
balance.
Unsure
of
how
she
will
handle
the
limelight,
she
said:
"As
of
now
I
will
try
to
balance
both
my
studies
and
my
passion
for
singing."
The
young
talent,
who
is
based
in
Bangalore,
sang
Hindi
songs
on
the
show
without
knowing
the
language.
Her
powerful
renditions
won
her
several
fans.
Children's
reality
shows
are
often
under
the
scanner
for
putting
kids
under
unnecessary
stress
and
pressure.
But
Padmanabhan
says
her
parents
have
been
more
than
supportive
throughout
her
journey.
"There
was
no
pressure
from
my
parents.
They
just
said
'Whatever
you
do
is
good.
You
have
already
made
us
proud',"
she
said.
IANS
Constant
Praise
Padmanabhan
also
drew
constant
praise
from
the
show's
judges
-
singer
Shreya
Ghoshal
and
composer
duo
Vishal
Dadlani
and
Shekhar
Ravjiani.
Episode
after
episode,
she
continued
to
enthrall
viewers
and
judges
alike
with
her
range
and
versatility.
Language
Barrier
What
also
worked
in
her
favour
was
the
way
in
which
she
never
let
language
become
a
barrier.
Asked
how
she
managed
to
overcome
the
language
handicap,
she
said:
"I
used
to
mug
up
the
lines
and
then
practice
over
and
over
again.
There
were
people
who
used
to
explain
the
meaning
of
the
lyrics
as
well.
And
since
I
used
to
learn
the
lines,
it
made
it
easy."
Confident
Now
Now
Padmanabhan
is
confident
about
her
Hindi
and
she
admits
that
the
show
definitely
taught
her
a
thing
or
two.
"I
know
Hindi
now.
Because
of
the
show
and
my
friends
there
I
have
managed
to
get
a
grip
on
the
language,"
she
said.
Bangalore
Connection
After
winning
the
show,
the
'junior'
also
gave
a
sample
of
her
improved
Hindi
skills
through
a
short
acceptance
speech.
A
student
of
Delhi
Public
School
in
Bangalore,
Padmanabhan's
favourite
subjects
are
social
science
and
mathematics.
Indian
Idol
Trophy
As
part
of
her
victory
bouquet,
she
received
an
Indian
Idol
Junior
trophy,
a
cash
prize
of
Rs.25
lakh
and
a
Nissan
Micra
car.
She
also
received
a
Rs.5
lakh
cheque
from
Kotak
Mahindra
and
another
cheque
of
Rs.2
lakh
from
Horlicks.