BHUBANESWAR: Odia sensation Ananya Sritam Nanda has won the Indian Idol Junior 2015. The 14-year-old girl from Bhubaneswar was declared winner in the grand finale which was watched by millions across the country.
Ananya, who pocketed Rs 10 lakh as prize money besides a host of other rewards including a contract, beat co-contestants Nahid Afrin and Nithyashree Venkataraman in a gala finale which was telecast by Sony TV. A Standard IX student of city based DAV school, Pokhariput, Ananya garnered maximum audience votes throughout the contest and stood first among four grand-finalists. She also was among the favourites of the judges.
“I am feeling blessed and happy. Thanks to great support I received from the people of my State, my parents and schoolmates all through the contest. The finals were tough as all contestants were very competent,” said Amrita conveying Ananya's message to The Express.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the teen sensation describing her victory as fantastic and amazing. “Ananya’s performance was unique which has made every Odia proud. I wish her a bright future,” Naveen said in a statement.
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted his congratulations to Ananya.
The grand finale saw dazzling performances by Bollywood heartthrob Sonakshi Sinha, composer Vishal Dadhlani and comedy show host Kapil Sharma. Sonakshi's father Shatrughan Sinha was a surprise guest at the show.
Trained in Hindustani Classical, Ananya started her musical journey at a tender age of five and was trained under Hindustani exponents Guru Nilamani Ojha and Chitta Ranjan Pani. She is a big fan of Shreya Ghoshal.