Pre-finals of the talent hunt to begin

Contestants take part at the preliminary rounds of the talent hunt

A total of 239 aspiring singers selected from the previous rounds will participate in the pre-finals. Of these, 49 contestants will take part in the Tagore songs category on April 22. Likewise, 42 participants will compete in the Nazrul songs category on April 24. The round on 'Songs of Three Poets' (DL Roy, Atul Prasad and Rajnikant Sen) will be held the following day; 31 contestants will take part in the round. 40 artistes will take part in the folk songs round on April 26 and 27. On the other hand, 74 singers will compete in the Adhunik songs round on April 28 and 29. The pre-finals will be held at Bengal Shilpalaya, Dhanmondi.

About 100 contestants are expected to move to the finals. However, the number of finalists may change depending on the number of deserving participants. These contestants will compete in the finals and 15 singers, three from each of the five categories, will become winners.

The trend of 'talent hunts' has gained sway over the nation but the issues regarding molding the winners of these contests, helping them make good career choices and more remain. Bengal Foundation is ready to take up that responsibility as well. The organisation will offer scholarships to the contestants and the scholarships will provide extensive training in classical music in prestigious music schools in India.