Sonu Nigam and son enthrall Trinidad audience

Port-of-Spain: Indian playback singer Sonu Nigam, along with his five-year-old son Nevaan, enthralled the audience at an overflowing Centre of Excellence here.

Several thousand people packed the centre Saturday night to see and hear him as he belted out several of his famous tunes from his well-established repertoire which included ‘Main hoon na’, ‘Main agar kahoon’, ‘Salaam-e-ishq’ and ‘Saathiya’. Nigam held up his five-year-old son, Nevaan, who joined in the chorus. "This is the first time I ever presented my son to any audience. This is my gift to you, Trinidad. You are the best audience ever," he told the enthusiastic crowd. "I feel so much at home. The people here are passionate. This is why my songs are so popular here," he added. All seats were sold out and scores of patrons had to stand but they did not mind as they waited to hear Nigam. He utilised every ounce of his stage skills and capability so as not to betray the confidence the Trinidad audience had in him. Nigam and his band of 24 musicians are currently on a world tour entitled `Klose to the Heart`. Indian entertainers and musicians ensure that Trinidad is always on their travel agenda because of the high proportion of members of the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean island -- amounting to over 44 percent of a population of 1.3 million people. Their forefathers were originally sourced from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917. Ironically, this country celebrated the 167th anniversary of the arrival of the first set of East Indians May 30, 2012. Two of this country`s top entertainers Indar Kanhai and Ravi B were also on the card, and they too caused a stir as they mixed on stage with one of India`s music greats. According to Kiran Maharaj, managing director of 90.5 Radio which focuses exclusively on Indian programming, the show was part of her organisation`s contribution to Trinidad and Tobago`s 50th anniversary of Independence Aug 31, 2012. "Nigam is well-loved, respected and admired here," she added. IANS