'Indian IdoI': Neha Kakkar gifts Rs. 2 lakh to firefighter
What's the story
Singer Neha Kakkar, who is one of the judges in the ongoing 11th season of popular singing reality show Indian Idol, has gifted a sum of Rs. 2 lakh to a firefighter during an episode of the show.
Neha's gesture came during a special episode of Indian Idol, shot for the occasion of the 71st Republic Day (January 26).
Here are more details.
Details
Army officers, police personnel, firefighters invited as guests on episode
In the said episode, wherein several army officers, police personnel, life guards and firefighters were invited as guests, Neha promised to gift Rs. 2 lakh to Bipin Ganatra as a token of gratitude for his firefighting services.
Ganatra is a Kolkata-based electrician, who has been serving as a volunteer firefighter for over 40 years now. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2017.
Quote
Cannot express how happy I'm to meet you, Neha said
"The way you've been protecting us without thinking about yourself is such a selfless deed. I cannot express how happy I am to meet you. I'd like to gift you Rs. 2 lakh as a gesture for years you've spent in protecting us," Neha said.
Show
Vishal Dadlani, Himesh Reshammiya also judges in 'Indian Idol 11'
The 11th season of Indian Idol started airing on Sony TV in October 2019, with Neha, composer Anu Malik, and singer/composer Vishal Dadlani as the judges.
However, Malik later had to step down as judge, after Sony TV faced backlash over his appointment due to sexual harassment allegations against him. He was replaced by singer/actor Himesh Reshammiya.
The show is hosted by Aditya Narayan.
Rumors
Separately, there are rumors about Neha, Aditya's wedding
Separately, there are widespread rumors about Neha and Aditya Narayan's plausible wedding.
Reacting to the rumors, Aditya's father and noted singer Udit Narayan said, "Neha Kakkar is a very sweet girl. Both of them (Neha-Aditya) are also pairing up, but the rest is unknown to me...but if they get married, I would love to see a female singer joining my family."
Neha Kakkar
Neha has long been associated with 'Indian Idol'
Notably, Neha has long been associated with Indian Idol. She was a judge on the show's last season as well. In fact, she was one of the contestants on the second season of the show, but was eventually voted out.
Neha is best known for singing peppy songs like Sunny Sunny, Dilbar redux, Manali Trance, Kala Chashma, Aankh Maare, among others.