Queen of Dandiya for Auckland

Lovers of music who dance to the Dandiya (a popular folk dance in Gujarat) will be delighted to participate as Falguni Pathak performs in Auckland this weekend.

Known as the ‘Queen of Dandiya,’ her concert is being organised by ‘Blue Waves Event’ at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre of the Auckland Indian Association (145 New North Road) in Eden Terrace on Saturday, September 7, 2014.

Umesh Sharma of UA International (NZ) Limited, who is the Event Manager of the programme, promised that it would be ‘the biggest Dandiya and Garbha show ever witnessed in New Zealand.’

Tickets priced at $25 (children less than ten years old will be admitted free) are now available. Please contact Umesh Sharma on 021-1111055.

“Entry tickets for seniors aged 65 and above are priced at $15 but they should present their ID as proof of age at the entrance,” Mr Sharma said.

Good combination

Since her professional debut in 1998 at the age of 27, Falguni has presented a combination of traditional music forms of Gujarat and Indian film songs, developing in the process a huge fan-following throughout the world.

“My singing career began as a default,” she said in an interview, referring to her family ties with music and the encouragement that she received from her parents and peers during her formative years.

Her debut album was released in 1998, following which she recorded numerous songs for movies made in Hindi and other Indian languages.

Love theme

With love as the theme of her most songs, her concerts were backed by a musical group called, ‘Tha Thaiyaa.’ She is also credited with a number of television shows including ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah,’ ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and ‘Star Dandiya Dhoom.’

According to critics, “Falguni’s albums are famous not only for melody but also for the cute love stories depicted with them. She is very popular with the Gujarati community where she is called to perform for popular festivals like Navaratri.”

Some of her popular songs include ‘Chudi Jo Khanki Haath Ma,’ ‘Maine Payal Hai Chhankai,’ ‘Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye,’ and ‘Ayi Pardesh Se Pariyon Ki Rani.’