Tell me about your childhood. Where and how did you spend your childhood?

I was born and brought up in Lake Gardens (Calcutta). We have a house there. Schooling, music, sports activities,friendship--all began there.My father is in a medical profession. He is a psychologist and my mother is a housewife. We belong to a joint family. The family have all kinds of professionals like a doctor, engineer, scientist etc. Since my childhood, I have yearned for music. While my mother sang, I used to listen to her. In fact, my mother started to train me with harmonium as I was growing up. It was somewhat a regular and formal training. At that time my family was facing some problems. Still, I would like to say that I struggled a lot to establish myself as a singer. Truly speaking I started singing from childhood. To get the training I used to meet many people. I learnt Rabindra Sangeet from Mr Pramit Sen, the son of late Sagar Sen, an eminent singer of Rabindra Sangeet. In our locality, Mr Sudeep Roy, a disciple of late Manabendra Mukherjee( great singer of yesteryear) stays. He loves me very much and trained me with the songs of late Manabendra Mukherjee, Late Shyamal Mitra and Manna De(all great singers) Mr Sen trained me also in Mr.Manna De's Classical Songs. At present, I am getting training from Mr.Jayanta Sarkar. From him, I am learning classical music. When I get chance I meet Mr Ajay Chakraborty to get a few tips.He also loves very much. I call him uncle. Just I wish to meet Ostad Rashid Khan for once.

You've not met him yet!

 It has not happened yet. I have met all the people I love except Ustad Rashid Khan. Anyway, I attended different competitions. I was a student of Nava Nalanda. The school used to organize Nalandasree Competition. I always joined that and I used to achieve the top position every year and got Nalandrasree Award. Besides these, I used to participate in the competitions organised by Tollywood and TV Channels. I used to be among top three positions.Sometimes I got eliminated too. One such competition was presented by Zee Bangla and produced by Prime Music.It was named Zee Bangla Golden Voice. Mr Mithun Chakraborty was the anchor. There I could not proceed much. I was eliminated out of the top eight. My parents were hurt very much.Naturally grandparents also got hurt. But I was not upset at all and hoped and waited for better. Actually many incidents may happen in your life. Just one and a half month passed away and I saw the advertisement of Zee Bangla Sa-re-ga-ma-pa. This is a great event. You know among all the competitions its vastness surpasses others. Its name implies its creativity. The brand of the singers too is the reason for its vastness. At once I applied to join and gave audition. Competition started. You saw Debajitda was anchor and with the blessings of Almighty I was among top three competitors. And at last I became the champion. After that I was told, for Sa-re-ga-ma-pa you are directly promoted to "Vishvayudha" --(the name of the show as participants across the world joined it.)  Still I remember the affection of Mr. Rajeeb Chatterjee,the Business Manager of Zee. He had told me I must win. I assured him that I would try my level best. It was a time of my life. I was called to Mumbai for the competition.In Calcutta I have to appear for My HS(+2) final examination. I requested my father to let me go to Mumbai.I promised him that I would be the champion and I would secure 60% in the examination. For, I did not hope to better than this in the examination which was very tough. But my father was a bit pessimist.He said that a small fry like me would be lost in the vast ocean. I again requested my father to allow me to go to Mumbai to take a chance and try. Besides these I knew that I was one year ahead agewise to appear for HS Final Examination. Taking everything into consideration I thought that if anything went wrong it could be adjusted.(with a smile). You can say thus I made myself tension-free. Then I bought three two-way tickets for Calcutta-Mumbai flight. Thus I planned to appear for  Physics,Chemistry and Mathematics examination papers. Went to Mumbai and would return to Calcutta.on the eve of the exam. day and I would fly back in the next afternoon. However I had to stay at Mumbai for two months. One day I was just taken to Brahmashastra(name of a round in the competition). But was greeted by Ismailji in a sarcastic way. He wondered how come I got chance in this Vishwayudha! Anyway,thank God, got a chance to sing.After that I progressed gradually to top four, then to top three. The Zee management took the decision to choose the champion among top three, not between top two.According to them we three: Amanat,Aneek and Raja are all good singers but of different style. With everybody's blessings I became....

How are you doing in St.Xaviers' College? Are you still carrying on?

I could not continue as I had a problem with my attendance. I could not attend a single class. Just attended a fest there.

How do you get the inspiration to compete in the reality show? Hope it is from your family.

 You know the support from the family is most important. To establish and succeed the support of one's family is essential.I think myself zero without my family support. I belong to a joint family. In fact, my uncle, parent and aunt all gave me the support. My uncle bought me a synthesizer and a sound system so that I can improve in Music. This kind of gesture from the family make you feel lucky.

The inclusion of and Avijit Kosambee and you in the "Brhmashastra Round" raised a huge controversy. leave alone Mr.Darbar, even your mentor Himesh too questioned your inclusion. Feel you were afraid of not getting a chance.

Look Mr.Ismail Darbar is a legend.It was my first entry and it was an awesome feeling to meet personalities like Himesh Reshmiya, Vishal-Shekhar, Bappida. I was afraid that there might be a possibility, say one in hundred; not to get a chance to enter. I told my fellow competitor Adi to take care of me. He told me not to be tense and everything would be okay.At that time we were on the stage. At last Himeshji requested Ismailji to let me sing. I sang "in Dino.." and the journey started.

Maadhukari: Afterwards we observed that Himesh became a great fan of your songs. You too told him "I love You" ecstatically. Is this the magic of your songs or the credit of the organizers?

Fine, you have raised the issue. I would like to tell you that not only I am the student of Himeshji but also I am a great fan of him. Still, I remember an incident. I was in Golden Voice and I was not as famous as I am now. Then he came to Nicco Park to perform and we mean the Golden Voice was to perform there. We were ten. In the program the last big name was Himeshji. He would come early and leave after his performance. But I came to learn that Himeshji had come and found him in the green room. Still, it made me laugh. I found Himeshji was moving here and there and two of his security guards were shadowing him with arms in their hands.

Perhaps at that time, he was under some threat.

 Celebrities always face some kind of danger. As I went to meet him his security person threatened me with dire consequence.I was hurt. But on that day itself, I promised myself that one day I would embrace him in front of his guard. On the day of the final Akshaykumar declared my name as Champion and instantly I embraced him and said: "I love you, sir." And I felt a peace of mind. The viewers did not know these and thought that Aneek did not thank them. But now you know that situation had an old story behind.

In fact, I meet you for this. Do you think that could the good singers like you get this much popularity if there were not the reality show? I feel you owe your achievement to these organizers.

Definitely reality show will not make one a star. Only one's hard work and luck can make one a star. For amateur talents like us, they give a background. I am Aneek and a singer. You think I sing well. They have created a passion in the world. The credit goes to them as they made it possible to project us among the viewers of 132 countries. All the viewers know us. In fact, USA, UK and Canada all are related to India. But, I was really shocked when went to Israel and Kuwait and found that people there also watched our shows. Truly speaking they are literally crying when we're leaving the country. I am very much grateful to Zee for giving me a beautiful platform. Now it depends upon one's own effort. I mean to say to improve the enrichment of my voice and to place myself. I have to keep the public relations. I think all these are primary criteria for success.

May I ask you when you were singing "Jaane keya chaahe man" of "Pyar ke side effect, "you told actor Diya Mirza flirtingly "I love you Diya. Do you love me?" Is this required to exist in the race?

In fact, I was not taught these sort of things. Not even taught by Sa-re-ga-ma-pa people. In fact, Himeshji once aids me that he had not trained me with these sort of stuff. I said him I had seen you, Vineet to make masti in the show of 2005. Then I thought given a chance I would also make some sort of masti. So always made some masti after finishing my song. It may be Diya, Shahrukh or Salman.

Were these pre-planned?

 Not at all. It was mere spontaneous. People among the audience and the members of the staff of Zee would love me because of this. So I said those to Diya directly without thinking about the circumstances.

You sang "O, O Jane Na". While I was singing all of a sudden Salman Khan took off your shirt. People say Salman is used to this sort of craziness. Weren't you stunned? How did you control the situation?

It was Salman Khan. If now he took off my shirt, it does not matter. But during the live show this kind of action would make a hype, I thought. for, Salman took off my shirt, He is a bigshot and for him I am nobody. So, I like the attitude of Salman Khan. I like him very much. I also like his angry man attitude.He has got something rather a macho-like thing. For this, I am a fan of Salman Khan.

That embarrassed you were a bit Found that you had tackled the situation nicely. But initially.

At first, I was shocked. Thank God and thanks to my parents.Their blessings made it possible to carry on singing.Hardly anybody can sing in that situation. In front of all the audience, I was half-nude. There were women as well men among the audience. I controlled myself and told myself to think that I was dressed. I told myself not to be nervous and weak. I gained these experiences which had built my mental strength. In my tender days when I attended functions, any adverse comment would make me sad. Became nervous and weak. There, I decided not to be nervous and weak in any situation. I had this sort of determination within me and I controlled myself and began to sing again.

You got 5 million rupees in cash and a Chevy Spark! Anything more?

Besides these (with a pause), look I did not achieve these things. Because anybody can make money and cars. My ambition was the popularity among people.  I would tell my mother to note how much I had to slog to reach here. Since my tender age I have been singing and that results in getting the chance to participate in this competition like Sa-re-ga=ma-pa. I know money, cars etc are essential. Money is very much essential in life. To live in metros like Mumbai or Calcutta car is very much essential. To establish oneself these things are required. Above all the fame is more important. People will know me as "Aneek Dhar" and love me---it was my aspiration. I had a dream that people would meet me and take my interview. To me, the album of mine is a great achievement. I meant to say the album, the exposure to the industry was my aim. I have made it possible with the blessings of God. I must be very much grateful to God.

How did you prepare yourself for the competition? What you did when you were into that? how did you spend the whole day?

 I had to put in much labour. I worked hard. I kept my all my labour and hard work within myself as I did not want any sympathetic opinion about my performance. I feel I was the most hard-working challenger in the competition. In fact, I can prove it. I knew nine of us: Raja Aamanat, Mauli, Sumedha, Harpreet, Juned, Musharraf and Punam are know to the viewers. We would check the tracks. Track means minus one.(one has to sing with the recorded music) On that, we would sing on the stage. In the beginning, I would check the tracks to listen to my tracks. Nobody else would do that. I visited the place where the tracks were made. I would sit with Mr Sanjay Vidyarthi who was monitoring the tracks. If required I would say to him to change the tone guitar or the string or the tone of the bass guitar. My fellows followed it and they began to check the tracks. I won't disturb anybody. Everybody used to work till four in the morning. Just imagine we had to go to the studio at eight in the morning for the shooting and everybody was working on the tracks. At four o'clock in the morning, everybody except me left the place by car. I would still sit with Sanjayji and that was about six in the morning. I made the track whole night.

Did you do so?

I was preparing the track with Sanjayji. At about six in the morning, I would go the flat where I stayed. Then I won't be helped with a car for I was a mere participant. Within seven I would go the studio.  No food, no sleep or rest within last 24 hours. You viewed the show in two episodes; Friday and Saturday. But the shooting was done in a single day. The shooting of Friday's' episode was done in the morning and we remained a bit fresh. But the night shooting was tedious. I tried my best to store my energy for that. For these, I claim myself the most hardworking participant.

Actually, People were not aware of these... 

 Yea, how could they know!

Once I got the chance to speak to Karunia, the finalist of Indian Idol. He said that he had to slog. He could sleep for four to five hours in a day. Didn't you face such sort of stress situation?

The stress was a great factor. If you can't sleep your voice, mindset, the mood will be affected. Lots of things matter. Under the situation the rest and sleep become secondary.