SINGER AND DANDIYA KING, NEELESH THAKKAR SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE DURING NAVRATRI

“I’VE LEARNT EVERYTHING FROM FALGUNI”

SINGER AND DANDIYA KING, NEELESH THAKKAR SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE DURING NAVRATRI THIS YEAR, AND THE BOND HE SHARES WITH HIS IDOL FALGUNI PATHAK

SINGER AND DANDIYA KING, NEELESH THAKKAR

    Upping the thrill and experience of Navratri’s pulsating dandiya nights is a challenge for every singer. Kandivali resident and a well-known Navratri singer, Neelesh Thakkar, lives up to this challenge every year.
    “It’s definitely a big responsibility to entertain a crowd for three hours at a stretch, without letting them get bored. But, when you get on stage and see the huge crowd, it takes you to another world. You tend to give your best performance,” says Thakkar, who has been performing for the Naidu Club at Kora Kendra ground in Borivali for the last four years. Navratri 2012 is extra special for Thakkar as he launched his first bhajan album, Radha Ka Shyam Deewana.
    Thakkar’s journey to his platform has been equally challenging. He started to perform during Navratri 20 years ago with an orchestra called Young Melody. Then, his orchestra used to perform at Majhetia Nagar in Kandivali.
    The breakthrough point in his career came when he started to sing with the renowned singer Falguni Pathak. “I feel proud to have worked with Falguni. Whatever I am today, it’s thanks to her. From the selection of songs, to performing on stage, I’ve learnt everything from her,” says Thakkar. Though the singer remained associated with the dandiya queen for 15 years, he has now successfully managed to create his own brand in the city.
    His troupe of 15 musicians and a few singers, started rehearsals 20 days prior to Navratri. “If you want to make each night special for the audience, practice sessions have to last for long hours,” he smiles. The efforts bore fruit when they saw crowds of over 15,000 sway enthusiastically to their tunes. 

 
NO BOLLYWOOD NUMBERS THIS YEAR This year, Thakkar didn’t sing any Hindi or Bollywood songs. “I believe the essence of playing garba or dandiya is with Gujarati folk songs,” says the singer. So, on the menu this year were Gujarati traditional songs and Marathi folk songs. “We also introduced a few funny songs and I am sure they enjoyed dancing to those tunes,” says Thakkar.