ISLAMABAD: Serena Hotels under its Cultural Diplomacy initiative hosted Sarangi Season 6 finale on Tuesday. The initiative provided young talent the platform to showcase their singing skills with a wider audience and become the nation’s rising stars.

Retired Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan was the chief guest on the occasion.

Sarangi, a music initiative, had been encouraging young talented singers and bands to celebrate their cultural heritage through their music.

For Season 6, a total of 360 contestants participated in the competition, of which five were selected by professional jury members.

The five shortlisted contestants - Asma Aslam from Karachi, Muqaddas Younas from Lahore, Minhas Khan from Islamabad, Sajjad Ali Hussain from Faisalabad and Rahat Francis from Quetta -provided an intriguing mix of musical talent. Their experiences and training reflected in their vocal styles as they performed in front of over 300 guests, which included diplomats, government functionaries, corporate heads, businessmen and music lovers and proved their flair before an acclaimed jury of musical professionals such as Sarmad Ghafoor, whose well-known works include Atif Aslam’s two platinum albums, one of them beingJal Pari.

Sarmad Ghafoor was credited with the music of last year’s cinematic hitThe legend of Maula Jatt.

The other members of the jury comprised Qawwal Asif Ali Santoo, who was in the tutelage of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and the melodious Aima Baig, who rose to fame with the 2017 songs from the movieLahore se Aagey.

The jury unanimously decided on Sajjad Ali Hussain as the winner of Sarangi Season 6, whose first album would be produced by a professional production studio with the support of Serena Hotel. Asma Aslam was declared the runner-up.

Aziz Boolani, who is the CEO Serena Hotels, lauded the talented performers and encouraged others to participate in the next season of Sarangi. He also appreciated the three jury members for their voluntary services for this wonderful community initiative and presented them with mementos.

Muqadas Younas, 22, was the youngest of the finalists and had been in the tutelage of the Sur-Taal Academy for the past year and a half. Her forte was classical and she prepared classical tunes for the judges.

Minhas Khan was a 27 year-old self-taught musician and had been practicing and learning music for the past 13 years. Sajjad Ali Hussain hailed from Punjab and had participated in musical competitions in Faisalabad, his hometown. He had been struggling in the music industry for the past 10 years and aspired to win hearts through the Sarangi platform and be able to finally receive the opportunity that he had been hoping for.

The fourth contestant Rahat Francis, 24, had been part of the church choir where his choirmaster was his main source of learning and inspiration.

Asma Aslam, an asset manager, was a self-taught passionate singer, whose love for music made her pursue it as a hobby.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2023