After auditioning thousands of kids across the length and breadth of the country and posing a slew of challenges at them, Zee TV’s singing talent hunt show – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs announced its winner at a star-studded night in Mumbai. From standing in long queues to audition for the show, to striving and outshining others week after week, the power-packed performer from Karnataka’s Udipi  - Gagan Gaonkar, popularly known as 3G emerged as the winner. Keshav Tyohar from Patna and Aishwarya Saha from Kolkata were the first and the second runners up respectively.

Gagan constantly won accolades and all-round applause for his stellar performances not only from the Captains– Shaan, Monali Thakur and Mahaguru Alka Yagnik, but also won the hearts of millions watching him on television. Week on week he surpassed the singing challenges posed at him and displayed his prowess over various genres of singing.  He was jubilant to have won the highest number of votes in the grand finale.

Commenting on his win, an ecstatic Gagan Gaonkar said, “I still can’t believe I am holding this coveted trophy in my hand and this truly is the best moment of my life! Singing is my passion and winning Li’l Champs is a dream come true. The show has given me a chance to meet and perform in front of legendary singers and musicians like Asha Tai and Sonu Niigam and I am really thankful to ZEE TV for giving me this opportunity. I am grateful to the audiences for voting for me and showering me with so much love. Other Li’l Champs on the show were also very good and it was a tough competition but it wouldn’t have been possible without the support and guidance of our mentors and Mahaguru”.

The winner of the season walked away with the coveted trophy and was presented a brand new Nissan Sunny at the hands of Mr. Arun Malhotra, Managing Director – Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd. The first runner up took home a cash prize of Rs. 3 Lakhs while the second runner up received Rs 2 Lakhs. What’s more .. Zee Music will soon launch an album with the Top 5 finalists - Arunita Kanjilal, Keshav Tyohar, Ridham Kalyan, Aishwarya Saha and Gagan Gaonkar who made it to the Grand finale and any one finalist will also get a Bollywood break.  

This season, the Li’l Champs underwent an experience that has equipped them with the skill sets required for a career in singing and also trained them to perform in front of thousands at a young age. Apart from having such an experienced panel of mentors and the Mahaguru, the contestants were trained by some of the most renowned music composers and singers like Asha Bhosale, Anu Malik, Pritam, Sajid-Wajid and Salim-Suleiman amongst others. They jammed along with the country’s most sought after playback singer Sonu Niigam at the Grand Finale. These stalwarts with their knowledge praise and encouragement enriched the musical journey of the Li’l Champs. Besides giving the contestants a chance to perform on the show with ace singers and musicians, an extensive mentorship programme was also undertaken for them. Wherein young musicians like Raghav Sachar and Amal Malik jammed with the Li’l Champs and trained them. To give them a holistic training in music, Ashutosh Pathak, the co-founder of one of the most recognized music schools in the city took a distinct workshop on composing and recording jingles.

While the show ends, here’s wishing the winner and all the Li’l Champs well on their journey that has just begun…