Bollywood’s latest playback sensation Arijit Singh enthralled the audience with his soulful voice and chartbusting numbers at ‘Xpressions,’ the annual cultural festival of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), on Sunday.
Arijit, who rose to popularity in the last one year, started off with his hit romantic number “Tum Hi Ho” from “Ashiqui 2.” He followed it up with another hit song “Kabira” from “Yeh Jawani Deewani” and left the crowd, which waited for more than an hour and a half for the show to start, swooning.
The event was scheduled to start at 6 pm and there was a huge gathering outside XIMB to catch a glimpse of the singer. A massive traffic jam was one of the first signs of the event but the audience comprising the young and old alike waited for Arijit with patient anticipation.
After a few false alarms of his arrival, eventually when he did, the crowd erupted with excitement. To make up for the wait, the 26-year-old singer made it a point to interact with the crowd, asking the organisers to focus the stage lights on the audience so that he can see them straight.
Other than his own, Arijit also sang a few numbers such as “Naadan Parindey” from “Rockstar” and “Beintehaan” from “Race 2.” The audience cried itself hoarse while singing in chorus to the songs he sang. There were moments when the singer himself stopped singing and the audience completed the song.
Even as the Arijit regaled the crowd with his songs, the Student Executive Council (SEC) of XIMB, which was at the helm of the annual cultural extravaganza, had its hands full throughout the event. Most of their efforts went into controlling the crowd whose number was estimated to be more than 12,000.
In fact, after the Arijit’s performance began, a crowd of more than 3,000 gathered outside the gates of XIMB. A stampede-like situation ensued but Commissionerate Police mobilised additional force to manage the affairs.