Video: Grand finale of musical talent hunt for migrant workers in Oman held

More sports Tuesday 03/April/2018 20:14 PM
By: Times News Service

The first edition of Dil Ki Awaaz, a unique musical talent hunt from among migrant workers in Oman, recently concluded with a grand finale at Qurum Amphitheatre to a packed audience.
The winners were awarded prizes by the Indian ambassador — the first prize of OMR1,000 was bagged by Raju Rasila, Rahul PK was the first runner-up and won prize money of OMR750 and the second runner-up was Santu Mondal who picked up OMR500. All the 17 other finalists were also awarded OMR50 each.
Dil Ki Awaaz or voice of the heart is a first-of-its-kind multi-lingual singing competition, launched with the objective of looking for hidden singing talent from across labour camps in Oman. The Dil Ki Awaaz grand finale presented a rare opportunity for many migrant labourers in Oman from diverse ethnic and geographic backgrounds to test their musical mettle, adjudged by celebrity judges who were tasked with picking the winners.
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Supported by Xpress Money’s CSR platform H.O.P.E., the competition reached out to 45 labour camps, connecting with 90,000 people over the last two months. The grand finale was conducted in the presence of Indian Ambassador to Oman Indramani Pandey, Murad Ali Hooti from Majlis Al Shura Council, Sudhesh Giriyan, COO of Xpress Money, and other dignitaries.
Talking about how this unique programme was conceived, Ashwin Gedam, Vice President – Global Marketing & Communications, Xpress Money, said, “Over the years, interacting with migrant workers, we realised they have limited avenues to socialise with people and even lesser ways to channelise their talents.
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Dil Ki Awaaz was therefore conceived as a platform of leisure, entertainment, and self-discovery for these migrant workers — something completely different from their everyday routine life. Dil Ki Awaaz gave them the opportunity to connect with people and encouraged them to showcase their talents, which generally go unnoticed or are untapped.”
Main objective
Gedam further emphasised that Dil Ki Awaaz had a larger purpose — financial inclusion — which is one of the main objectives
of H.O.P.E.
“We are not just looking for hidden talent, we are also looking to offer livelihood options. When you deal in migrant remittances, beyond the money, you also come into the sphere of hope, aspirations, and dreams.”
Dil Ki Awaaz was spread over two months starting from January 15, 2018, across three phases. The initial round of the selection process was completed by inviting contestants to send their voice samples through WhatsApp, which was later followed by auditions and competitions at labour camps for those shortlisted.