Fijis Bhajan Sensation

[Guest guest]

Fijis Bhajan Sensation

 

IT'S all silent as he looks out at the sea of faces. There is the

occasional cough or faint whisper from the 80,000 plus audience but

the Fiji lad Sumeet Tappoo does not hear.

 

The only sound he hears is the loud beating of his heart as the

adrenaline rushes through his body.

 

Then, finally, the moment comes and all he can do is sing the lyrics

of the holy sacred Bhajan number with practised ease and with such

charisma that his audience sits transfixed in the entire performance.

 

The occasion is the open-air bhajan (spiritual song) concert of Anup

Jalota, (Sumeet's mentor) in Pune, India earlier this year.

 

That night, the youth from Fiji drew rave applause from a tough

audience that only commends the best.

 

This was the beginning of Sumeet's journey into fame.

 

The performance was at the Sur Singaar Music Festival, a prestigious

annual festival designed as a platform for introducing young artists.

 

The festival has critical audience participation: stars are made and

unmade at this annual event of the semi-classical music industry.

 

Sumeet is the only entrant to receive a standing ovation for his

rendition of his ghazals.

 

A standing ovation at a prestigious music festival can certainly do

wonders for any artist. Sumeet's star is soaring.

 

At the end of his song, as he was standing up to leave, the audience

called for the young island singer to sing a few more numbers.

 

Captivated and touched by the crowd's reaction, the young artist sat

down slowly and began his song to which the crowd responds with loud

enthusiasm.

 

Like a professional singer, Sumeet soaks up the attention from the

audience with total grace and continues with his singing until three

songs later the organisers call it a night.

 

The experience stands as a milestone in the musical career of this

young man as he struggles to leave an indelible mark in India begins

to make it big in India.

 

Sumeet has come a long way from his young days in Fiji when, by 11

years, produced his first CD titled Sumeet Tappoo Sings Mukesh.

 

He is now in the company of one of the most respected musical circles

in India, including his teacher, the legendary and seasoned musician

renowned in India and all over the world as the Emperor of Bhajans,

Anup Jalota.

 

It was a far cry, indeed, from his suburban home in Suva, Fiji.

 

At home, Sumeet's world is often surrounded by music in the comforts

of the home of his music-loving family.

 

"I have always had a passion for music since I was about three, four

years-old and have never really let go of it through the years," he

said.

 

"I had music at home because my father also loved singing and also

because I had the blessings of my parents for music, I had a dream

that one day I would venture into Bombay, the land of dreams, to

pursue a career in that."

 

And that was exactly what Sumeet did and coming this far at the age

of 26 is indeed an achievement in itself.

 

However, while growing up Sumeet's commitment was mostly towards

being a good son to his parents and tried to do his best to excel in

his school work.

 

"I attended Nadi Airport School in Nadi and came then to

International Primary and International Secondary School here in

Suva," he said.

 

He then completed his final years of high school at Sydney Tech High

School, where he received distinction awards.

 

Sumeet finished studying after he achieved a degree and masters in

Business Administration (MBA) from Sydney's University of Technology,

where he finishedwith distinction.

 

He returned home to assist in the family business, joining up as

Executive Director, Marketing with the Tappoo Group of Companies.

 

"It was one afternoon while dad and I were walking along the Nasese

seawall and I just told him that I still had this dream and wanted to

pursue it in India," he said.

 

"And that was it. He supported me all the way and told me to go for

it. There was no turning back from then on."

 

So as soon as he received the blessings from his parents, Sumeet

contacted the legendary Anup Jalota in India.

 

"He was delighted with the decision," recalled Sumeet.

 

"He said he had been waiting for three years for me to make the move."

 

Anup Jalota took Sumeet under his wings for several years.

 

This is something many young Indian children in India dream about and

something, which this young island boy was bestowed the opportunity

with.

 

"With his (Anup Jalota's) help we produced my second album, Bhajan

Sheetal, which is a collection of Ram, Krishna, Ganesh, Devi and Sai

Bhajans," said Sumeet.

 

This CD was released by Double M Music Company in 2001 and the third,

Sai Charanam (an album dedicated totally to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba) released by one of India's largest and most prominent music

companies, Times Music.

 

This was a huge stepping-stone in achieving his dream in India.

 

Sumeet reminisced about his passion for music from a very young age.

 

"I used to sing Mukesh songs when I was little because these were the

songs my dad used to love singing and I soon caught on and sang these

songs too," he said.

 

With his music-oriented background, it was no wonder that young

Sumeet Tappoo developed a love for music so deep that he could dream

of venturing out into the world of Indian music in Bollywood.

 

That dream is unfolding and has so far surpassed anything Sumeet had

imagined.

 

Less than a year ago, Sumeet left our humble shores for the land of

dreams and opportunities in India to pursue his passion for the art.

 

Meeting him there to nurture his talent was his teacher and guru Anup

Jalota himself.

 

>From there Sumeet's musical career has soared dramatically and is now

ready once again to launch another CD in September.

 

The singer has big plans for the future and one, which includes where

he was brought up from and that is Fiji.

 

"I plan to come back here in a month or so to officially launch my CD

with Anup Jalota and also plan to organise some concerts around the

country," he said.

 

But so far Sumeet has performed more than 140 concerts in several

countries, including Australia and the USA.

 

He has been performing a lot with Anup Jalota in India recently.

 

His message is one and universal with many holy teachings and that is

to spread a message of the hope, harmony, love and unity amongst all

races and religions.

 

"My aim is to promote good music, through which I could also promote

classical music, promote positive human values, and preach the word

of God," he said.

 

"The message is the same the world over and I would also love to

influence people spiritually, but mostly my generation.

 

"I love music because it brings me happiness and although it required

a lot of sacrifice on my part, it is now my bread and butter and

something I would engage in for the long term."

 

There is no looking back for this blossoming musician, who was

described by his mentor as a 'musician of high calibre'.

 

Sumeet attributes his success to four people who had great positive

influences in his life and they are mata (Mother), pita (Father),

guru (mentor) and devam (God).

 

"These are to whom all thanks are owed and I value each of them with

all the same respect," he said.