Abhijeet Sawant has moved on
By:
Subhash
K.
Jha,
IndiaFM
Monday,
September
11,
2006
You've
had
an
eventful
phase,
including
a
biography.
Yes,
it
does
seem
a
little
too
much.
But
the
book
was
planned
as
a
bio-sketch
of
how
I
became
the
first
Indian
Idol.
Usually
success
stories
are
visible
to
the
public.
Not
me.
Main
achaanak
limelight
mein
aa
gaya.
Somewhere
we
felt,
why
not
let
people
know
who
Abhijeet
Sawant
is,
what
his
life
and
success
has
been
like?
The
book
is
largely
about
my
childhood
and
my
experience
on
the
Indian
Idol
contest.
Even
if
two
youngsters
are
inspired
by
this
Hindi-Marathi-English
book
I'd
be
happy.
The
author
Shweta
Pradhan
had
to
really
pursue
me.
I
had
no
time
to
sit
down
with
her.
She
stole
moments
with
me
in
the
car
or
hurried
moments
while
I
got
ready
to
go
home.
The
book
got
delayed.
How
has
Indian
Idol
changed
your
life?
Completely!
I
used
to
be
common
normal
boy
from
a
middleclass
family
in
Maharashtra.
Suddenly....I
admit
there're
lots
of
external
changes.
But
I
don't
want
my
basic
nature
and
values
to
change.
I'm
making
a
conscious
effort
to
remain
unspoilt.
Yes,
outwardly
my
hair
and
clothes
have
changed.
But
the
entire
experience
of
'stardom'
was
a
culture
shock
to
me.
It
was
quite
an
eye-opener.
I
know
one
thing...
you
shouldn't
allow
success
or
failure
to
go
your
head.
You
should
just
continue
doing
what
you
are
meant
to
in
life
and
leave
the
rest
to
destiny.
I've
adopted
that
formula.
Do
you
feel
you've
a
responsibility
as
a
role
model
for
middleclass
dreamers?
Ek
terah
se
bahut
badi
responsibility
hai.
Earlier
I
had
people
supporting
me
in
my
ambitions.
Now
there's
a
new
group
of
people
wondering
how
long
I'm
going
to
be
where
I
am
today.
All
I
can
say
to
these
speculations
is...stardom
fame
and
all
the
other
trappings
are
not
taken
seriously
by
me.
My
aim
is
to
make
a
name
for
myself
as
a
playback
singer
in
the
next
five
years.
People
say
you've
become
arrogant.
It's
better
to
ignore
such
negative
talk.
I
don't
allow
such
talk
to
hurt
me.
No
one
in
my
family
has
seen
stardom.
Suddenly
we're
under
public
scrutiny.
It's
a
bit
daunting.
I'd
rather
do
what
I've
come
to
do.
I've
already
sung
in
Aashiq
Banaya
Aapne
and
Jawani
Diwani.
I'm
a
little
busier
with
my
live
concerts.
I
admit
it's
becoming
slightly
repetitive.
After
a
while
I'd
do
less
stage
shows.
Is
the
money
the
incentive
to
do
stage
shows?
I
can't
deny
it's
a
big
incentive.
But
also,
the
thrill
of
interacting
with
audiences
is
also
there.
Meeting
and
performing
for
people
in
various
cities
is
my
way
of
repaying
them
for
the
success
they've
given
me.
It's
also
good
publicity.
But
in
India
playback
singing
is
the
biggest
platform
for
any
aspiring
singer.
How
do
you
deal
with
gossip
about
you?
Kabhi
kabhi
bahut
bura
lagta
hai
when
misinformation
is
published.
No
matter
how
much
I
protest
against
'news'
like
the
one
about
my
girlfriend,
engagement
and
marriage,
people
will
believe
what
they
want.
If
you
protest
too
loudly
it
seems
insincere.
The
journalists
are
doing
their
jobs,
I'll
do
mine.
How
do
you
deal
with
fans?
I'm
lucky
to
not
let
the
popularity
go
to
my
head.
When
I
encounter
the
more
insistent
fans
I
try
to
give
them
time,
shake
their
hands,
get
a
picture
snapped.
I've
fans
who
tell
me
to
change
back
my
hairstyle
to
the
way
it
used
to
be...I
take
their
advice
seriously.
It
makes
me
happy
to
see
them
so
involved
with
my
career.
What
do
you
think
of
contestants
who
came
after
you
on
Indian
Idol
2?
They're
very
good
and
confident.
When
we
were
on
Indian
Idol
we
knew
nothing
about
how
to
conduct
ourselves.
We
hadn't
seen
American
Idol.
We
were
encouraged
by
the
judges
and
by
the
public
which
voted
for
our
singing.
On
Indian
Idol
2
the
public
supported
everything
except
the
quality
of
the
singing.
This
is
truly
unfortunate.
Votes
were
given
for
clothes
and
hairstyle.
And
for
contestants
belonging
to
the
voter's
village.
In
our
times
the
voting
pattern
was
more
sincere
and
voluminous.
Nowadays
the
number
of
sincere
voters
has
decreased.
People
vote
for
kicks
not
for
merit.
Good
singers
are
being
voted
out.
And
these
singers
are
to
some
extent
responsible
for
their
plight.
Do
music
contestants
seek
your
advice?
Yes,
they
all
came
to
my
book
launch.
I
advised
all
of
them.
I
told
them
they
don't
seem
to
be
rising
to
their
required
potential,
though
they
are
capable
of
excelling.
I'm
disappointed
by
their
performance.
They
are
focusing
on
things
other
than
singing.
The
sincerity
and
purity
is
missing
in
their
performances.
Sometimes
in
life
when
you
know
the
way
your
eyes
shut
too
quickly.
The
fact
that
we
on
Indian
Idol
1
showed
them
the
way
has
made
the
subsequent
contestants
over-confident.
They're
behaving
more
like
stage
performers
than
singers.
I
remember
I
had
very
long
hair
during
Indian
Idol.
Someone
suggested
a
conditioner.
I
didn't
even
know
what
that
was!
We
were
briefed
to
focus
on
our
singing
rather
than
clothes
and
hairstyle.
Whatever
clothes
I
was
given
I'd
blindly
wear
and
face
the
camera.
When
the
undeserving
get
selected,
there's
naturally
a
question
mark
against
the
names
of
candidates
from
earlier
on,
like
me.