The concert was held at Shilpakala Vedika – a rather beautifully maintained concert hall amidst towering hubs of IT Parks at the famed Hi-Tech City area of Hyderabad. Parking was surprisingly hassle-free and the crowd was well behaved and that added to making the high-energy performance of the talented youngsters a memorable evening.

Swaroop Khan kicked off with his trademark folk number that was an instant hit with the audience. The shy youngster strode off the stage as soon as he was done singing his number prompting the host of the show to comically remark – “If a girl were to say ‘I Love You’ to Swaroop, he would bow with utter humility and say ‘Thank You, Madam’ and go his way”. He was followed by runner up Bhumi Trivedi who performed a mix of Hindustani and the rap version of Spice Girls’ Wannabe.

Eventually the audience was treated to the man of the moment they were all waiting for and Sreeram Chandra did not disappoint. From a hip shaking movie song, to a Telugu classical to a Bhangra mix where Swaroop and Bhumi joined him – he only reinstated his talent that got him to be the Indian Idol.

It was also my first attempt at a full-fledged Concert Photography, ending up watching pretty much the whole show through my Viewfinder. I’d devote a separate post on the unique technicalities of shooting under tricky and unpredictable lighting of concerts, but here is a collection of photographs summing up the event.

Swaroop starts off with a folk number.

Bhumi Trivedi – Indian Idol 5 Runner-up.

Audience was on its toes for the percussion-filled rap of Spice Girls Wannabe.

Sreeram Chandra – Indian Idol 5 Winner.

Play of lights.

Bhumi joins Sreeram with the Bhangra approaching.

Using the Zoom Abstraction technique.

Slow Shutter speed to express the sense of motion.