Zubeen Garg performs for children in Jorhat on Thursday. A Telegraph picture

Jorhat, Feb. 17: He draws inspiration from the pristine innocence of children to churn out chartbusting songs, so much so that one of his albums is titled Sishu (child). Today, it was time for star singer Zubeen Garg to give something back to them.

Several thousand young Zubeen fans thronged Jorhat Stadium this afternoon in school uniform to interact with their role model and hear him sing some of his evergreen numbers. The presence of another popular singer, Manas Robin, was the icing on the cake.

Mumbai-based sound engineer Gautam Chakraborty and his model-singer wife Parinita, too, interacted with the children during the programme organised by the Jorhat Sangeet Silpi Santha.

The event was in memory of Zubeen?s sister Jonki, who died in a road accident a couple of years ago. The singer-composer, who has also done the playback for several Hindi films, hails from this very Upper Assam town.

For 11-year-old Protik Baruah, a student of Jorhat Govt. Boys? Higher Secondary School, it was a dream come true to see Zubeen on stage. ?Although he hails from Jorhat, I had never seen him from close,? the excited boy said, swaying to the music.

Pallavi Sharma, a class IX student of the Girls? Govt High Secondary School, admitted to being ?dazzled? by the glamour. ?I always wanted to be a model. I am inspired by Parinita. She is a girl like me from Assam. Look how well she is doing in Mumbai,? Pallavi said, rushing for an autograph.

Samiran Bordoloi, a senior functionary of the Jorhat Sangeet Silpi Santha, said the objective of the programme was to give schoolchildren an opportunity to ?closely interact with new-generation artistes of Assam and be inspired by them?.

Bordoloi said the concert was held in daylight because most children never get to see top artistes performing live at functions that run late into the night. ?The programme today proved it is possible to hold successful functions during the day.?

The eager children lobbed several questions at Zubeen and the singer did not disappoint them. On what made him successful, he said dedication was the prime factor. ?One has to love his/her work and be dedicated. Success will come on its own.?

Gautam, another Jorhatian, told the students how he had been helping students from Assam get admission to music institutions in Bombay. ?If anyone has interest in music and goes to Mumbai after college, I will help you get admission to music colleges,? he said.

His wife, who hails from Duliajan and was the 2nd runner-up in the 2005 Limca Face of the Year contest in Mumbai on January 17, sang two songs.