Winner Jhalak Roy and (below) Richa Rashmi sing during the grand finale of the music competition at SK Memorial Hall in Patna on Sunday. Pictures by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Aug. 28: Young participants from Bihar and Jharkhand were in for a musical battle tonight as they contested in the grand finale of a singing competition at SK Memorial Hall.

Five participants — four from Bihar and one from Jharkhand — reached the final stage at the competition organised by Mumbai-based company Magadh Movie House today, after leaving behind thousand participants at auditions. They were judged by none other than Bihar Kokila and Padma Shri Sharda Sinha. Bhojpuri singers Ashok Ghayal and Rupam Kishore assisted her. Participant from Ranchi, Jhalak Roy took away the crown with his rendition of Sonu Nigam’s Bijuriya.

The participants were required to sing one Hindi and one regional song and Bhojpuri artiste Pawan Singh’s Fashion Sajake Bhauji, again performed by Jhalak, was a hit with the audience.

Jhalak’s booty after the win includes a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and an album that will be recorded in Mumbai, said Amit Ranjan of Magadh Movie House.

Although Sinha praised the talent of the participants, she also took the opportunity to rectify their mistakes. She also mesmerised the audience with her performance of a Bhojpuri folk song.

Sonu Nigam, however, seemed to be a favourite with the participants. The performance of Patna-based Mrinal on Sonu’s Deewana got the full support of the audience, while Jhalak’s performance to Bijuriya received a standing ovation.

The judges were also impressed with the lad from Ranchi’s rendition. While the audience whistled along, the judges appreciated his body language during the performance.

First-year student of Commerce College in Patna Sumit Bhatt also won the audience’s approval with Kailash Kher’s Teri Deewani.

Sharing his future plans, Bhatt, an aspiring singer, said: “I want to pursue a career in singing and such kind of shows will be my stepping stone. I have also started training under a music teacher in Patna. But as I have just entered the profession, I have to struggle a lot to achieve my goal.”

Richa Rashmi, a student of Magadh Mahila College, however, fell short of the contest as the audience failed to appreciate her performance. Later, she told The Telegraph: “I will work harder the next time. I think I need more practice but it is still not late for me to become a good singer.”

Sinha said: “Today’s generation is more into Bollywood songs and very few are serious about regional songs. But I am happy that a few participants today tried to sing regional songs. But it’s not a one-day job and it takes years to become a good singer. I would be happy if we can create more singers who can give respect to their language and culture.

“More such competitions should be organised so that the younger generation, who want to take up singing as a profession, can get more opportunities and a better platform to showcase their talent. This is just the beginning and I am hopeful that the day is not far when more good singers will come forward,” Sinha added.