Playback singer Sanjeevani Bhelande is known for her songs from the Hindi film Kareeb, like Chori Chori Jab Nazrein Mili and Churalo Na Dil Mera Sanam. Her other major hits are Nikamma Kiya and Yara Rab Rus Jaane De.
Sanjeevani was the first winner of Sa Re Ga Ma. She won the reality singing television show back in 1995 and has been around in the Indian music industry for the last three decades.
She was recently awarded the prestigious Lata Didi Puraskar by Pt Hridaynath Mangeshkar himself.
Sanjeevani has conceptualised and is the lead singer for Sur-Sangam, a musical fundraiser by the Light Of Life Trust, which will take place this Friday evening, September 19, 2025, at 7:00 pm at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai.
The concert celebrates the 100th birth anniversary of Raj Kapoor, Hindi cinema's 'greatest showman'. Also performing at the event are Padmashri awardee Suresh Wadkar and Mukhtar Shah. 25 musicians will be conducted by Chirag Panchal.
In an interview with the Free Press Journal, Sanjeevani speaks about her association with Sur-Sangam, being the first winner of Sa Re Ga Ma and her love songs on Meera that she is extremely proud of.
What does it feel like to be a part of Sur-Sangam, a music concert with a cause of sending rural children back to school?
The Light Of Life Trust has been doing excellent work by bringing school dropouts back on the educational path. The Trust provides them academic and vocational training.
Without education, dropout kids will turn into child labourers. There is also the danger of them taking the wrong path. They can also turn into criminals.
Lack of education is darkness, and the light of education that the Trust is spreading is exemplary.
You were the first winner of Sa Re Ga Ma. How different were things back then?
I won the first season of Sa Re Ga Ma. Back then, we were dressed very simply, and we won for our singing talent only. That era was different. No melodrama and tear shedding. Since then, I have worked with Anu Malik, Himesh Reshammiya and A R Rehman ji.
What is the most satisfying part of your job as a singer?
In India, there's a lot of demand for old songs, and people still want to go to live concerts to hear real singing that is not lip-syncing or AI. For me, that's very satisfying to do. I have also done a lot of non-film work and spiritual tracks. Just last week, Talat Aziz and I released Ranjish Hi Sahi, which is doing really well.
A creation that you're really proud of.
In India, all 12 months are spiritual! My chants, mantras, aartis, have millions of hits. However, I would like to talk more about my Meera album and book. I have translated and recorded Meerabai's songs in English. That is something I'm very proud of.
This is Meera out of the religious garb; out of her jogan roop. These love songs of Meera are in a contemporary idiom that has a universal feel. For example, an American girl can express her love in Meerabai's words.
How have you been preparing for Sur-Sangam?
I'm just out of a rehearsal. We started at 9 am and wrapped up at 3:30 pm. When the original instruments are played (on a stage), the effect is very authentic. We try to stay as true as possible to the original. We don't mess with the melodies or tunes in the name of 'recreating songs'.
There are song-specific preparations, like working on songs for my solo or duets. I write them down and don't use ready-made lyrics from the internet. I usually write in Devanagari script and avoid writing Hindi in English.
I have my own notation patterns and make notes. Then, I have sessions with my music arranger where we decide the scales and stanzas and create medleys. It is very interesting.
Many of the musicians performing at Sur-Sangam have played in the original recordings of the Raj Kapoor songs, especially the violinists. It is very authentic stuff that we're going to dish out on stage.
On average, how many hours do you put in for riyaz in a day?
My vocal gym or classical riyaz takes an hour daily. It is like doing your workouts.
As a musician, how do you take care of your voice?
There are two aspects to this. One is voice, which is the vocal cords. The other is your throat. We, singers, need to take care of our vocal cords as they cannot be strained or overused. For that, we use an in-ear monitor while singing. On stage, we only hear our voice in the battery-packed device and that protects our voice from getting strained. At a concert, there are so many musicians performing, and there is so much sound. In such a case, the in-ear monitor becomes a lifesaver for us.
As for the throat, it can get inflamed or congested with a common cold or cough. When we get a sinus, it becomes a problem. I avoid consuming cold things as I don't like them. I also have a lot of mirchi, jisse gala khulta hain.
Singers have been using social media to promote their songs. What is your take on that?
If this is one medium that helps artists reach their audience, then I am happy about it. In that case, a singer is no longer dependent on a television channel or a film to get popularity. That is a very heartening thing for independent artists, and I am pleased to see it.
However, there is a flipside where there are non-singers and non-artists who are just social media figures. The people who want to hear good music will weed these people out and get to the real honey.
Advice for aspiring musicians
There is no option to Indian classical music, whether you are an instrumentalist or a singer. You must learn Indian classical music and pursue it till you die. That is the only thing that will keep you afloat.
Sur-Sangam
When: September 19, 2025, at 7:00 pm
Where: Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai
