By Matters India Reporter

Indore, July 26, 2022: One of the popular religious channels of northern India is organizing a Gospel Singing Reality show to recognize choir members of the region.

“It was my dream to give a bigger platform for the choir members of North India. Some of them are at the service of the Church for some 25 years. Their role in the liturgy is as important as the priest minister,” says Father Anand Chirayath, the founder director of Atmadarshan (inner vision), which is organizing the show.

Online and offline auditions were held April 23 to May 5 where 250 Christian musicians from ten states and 30 dioceses in northern India attended. Among them, 50 singers were selected for the first round that was held July 13-14 at Atmadarshan Studio in Indore, the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh.

After evaluation by the panelists and online voting, 30 will be selected for the second round scheduled for August 13-14.

The semi-final and final will also be held at Atmadarshan. Around 20 people will be selected for the semi-final and 10 from them for the final.

The oldest participant of the show is 67-year-old Ravindra Gupta from Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh. He has been into the parish choir for more than 40 years.

Father Chirayath says the reality will give the choir members to be known beyond their parish churches and dioceses.

Father Chirayath says he and Father Selvin Ignatius, assistant director of Atmadarshan, traveled almost 6,000 km and conducted auditions in 15 cities of eight north Indian states in twelve days.

The first round also felicitated some renowned Catholic, non-Catholic and non-Christian musicians who have enriched the North Indian Christianity.

Holy Spirit Sister Pushpanjali, who has written and composed more than 180 songs for the Catholic liturgy, was the guest of honor in the show.

Dilip Bose, who has contributed his voice as well as music to more than 700 Christian devotional songs, was also awarded.

Others were Divine Word Father Deepkal Suliya, one of the first native missionary priests from Madhya Pradesh’s Neemad region who is a writer-musician.

Also felicitated were Father Maria Stephan, a musician and public relations officer of the Madhya Pradesh Church and Peter Jamra, one of the pioneers of Christian Studios in central India.

The jury comprised Vaishali Bakode, a leading vocalist from Indore, Pradeep, Banaras Ratna awardee and a vocalist from Varanasi, and Deepak Francis from Ajmer.