Bhubaneswar boy wins talent hunt

BHUBANESWAR: Seconds after Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan announced M Sumanth as winner of a popular reality show in Mumbai on Saturday evening, the Odisha capital erupted in joy. City-based Sumanth (13) and his diminutive dance partner Sonali (7) from Kolkata left the jury and star-studded guest panel (SRK, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma of Jab Tak Hai Jaan fame) spellbound with their stunning acrobats and gyrations before clinching the title at the grand finale.
After Prince Dance Group from Odisha’s Ganjam district, this is the second time another dancer from the state won the national talent hunt. Prince Dance Group, mostly comprising daily labourers, had bagged the first edition of the show in 2009.
“It is a red-letter day for us and Odisha as well. Our son has made us proud,” said Sumanth’s beaming parents M Jagdish Rao and M Radha. The dance couple, which represented Bibhash Academy of Dance of Kolkata, bagged the maximum votes among 12 other finalists. The duo received Rs 50 lakh and a car.
The Railway Colony (Rail Vihar) in Chandrasekharpur here, where Sumanth’s family resides, slipped into celebration mode late in the night. Sumanth’s family, friends and neighbours poured onto the street and burst crackers. Greetings came pouring in from the East Coast Railway, where Sumanth’s father works as a junior clerk. “We are thankful to God and fans of Sumanth for their blessings. His hard work won him the crown,” said Bobin Mohanty, general secretary of East Coast Railway Engineers Association. Earlier, Rao’s colleagues had launched a campaign seeking votes for Sumanth.