Challenge straight from the UK!

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa challenge seems to be a competition that is attracting participants from as far as London, UK. Meet Swananda, who has flown all the way from London to be part of the SRGMP Challenge. "My husband is in London, and he saw the advertisement and then I went for the auditions. When I was selected, I came to Mumbai," says this 21-year old housewife. Swananda, who has been chosen in the Jatin-Lalit gharana is very happy to be with her mentors and says that it is her dream to sing in front of them. Swananda, like the contestants of Sony's Indian Idol, wants to settle down in Mumbai and try her luck in playback singing. "My husband has promised me that we will settle down in the city, if I win the competition," says Swananda, who has received very little formal training. She believes that training is as important as actually listening to good music --her favorites being Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. So why did she choose SRGMP and not Indian Idol or Fame Gurukul for showcasing her talent, we ask-- "Here, talent is tested in all its aspects. Perfomance is important but not essential. You have to have a classical base and that is finetuned here. When I was in India, I had auditioned twice, but this time I was lucky!" laughs Swananda. In Thursday's episode Swananda will sing the song Kabhi Neem Neem, Kabhi Shahed Shahed from the movie Yuva and we hope that she gets her gren card to the next level!