Dubai: Music has no boundaries. That is true for Suchetha Satish, 12, who has set the record in most languages sung in one concert on the eve of the Indian Republic Day.
Suchetha Satish, a Grade 7 student of The Indian High School in Dubai, sang one song each in 102 languages in a concert titled ‘Music Beyond Boundaries,” at the Indian Consulate in Dubai on Thursday night.
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Dr. Kesiraju Srinivas a.k.a Ghazal Srinivas holds the current Guinness World Record for singing in 76 languages at the Gandhi Hills, Andhra Pradesh, India from June 2-3 in 2008.
Suchetha’s record was certified by the US-based World Records Academy, which was represented at the concert by a Dubai-based legal counsel.
In the concert that lasted for six hours and 15 minutes, the child prodigy sang song after song in 102 languages, stunning the audience including Indian diplomats, her friends, teachers and well-wishers, including singers and doctors.
Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul congratulated her on the stage.
“It is a great feat! I am completely spellbound! You have made our Republic Day this year very very special,” he told Suchetha, thanking her on behalf of the consulate and community.
Ahead of her concert, a jubilant Suchetha told Gulf News that she was confident of setting the new record.
“I have done rehearsals many times. I am fine…I am confident,” said the child prodigy, who hit headlines across India after her ability to sing in 80 languages was first published by Gulf News in November.
In two months, she learned songs in 30 more languages. However, in the record attempt she targeted scoring a century and then dedicating two songs –in Hindi and Arabic—for India and the UAE.
Suchetha began the live concert by singing a prayer song in Maithili, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in some parts of the state of Bihar of India, and Nepal. It was followed by songs in various languages, familiar and unfamiliar to the audience.
The songs were chosen according to the alphabetical order. She kept her 14 favourite songs, including those in Armenian and Slovakian languages, for the last part of the event.
At 10:10pm, she hit the century with a song in her mother tongue Malayalam—Kannaam Thumbi Poraamo—sung by her favourite singer K.S. Chithra.
The 101st song was an Arabic song –Kun Anta—by Humood Alkhudher. She dedicated the song to the UAE, and all the nationalities living here.
“The song she has chosen as the record setting song is a special one in Hindi as it is India’s Republic Day tomorrow,” her mother Sumitha, who compered the event announced.
Waving the flags of India and the UAE, Suchetha sang the song Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein…Kal Ki Baat Purani by Mukesh from the 1960 movie Hum Hindustani.
Though her voice choked and she sipped water during the last song, Suchetha completed it exactly at 10:30pm.
Several guests congratulated the little singer, her mother Sumitha and father, Dr. T.C. Satish, a dermatologist with Axon Medica. They lauded Suchetha’s expertise in music and her parents’ perseverance.
“This is not a small thing. She is a wonder kid… The ease with which she sang the songs today…it was a treat for all the people sitting here,” said one of the guests.
“She is really a wonderful student. She is too good. I’m very proud of her. I bless her,” said one of her teachers.
Speaking to Gulf News, the record-holder said she wished to pass a message to the youngsters through her feat.
“I have been actively involved in campaigning against the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. So I use this opportunity to tell my young friends to stay away from these three vices, and, instead, take up music or sport to attain a high.”
A recipient of Shaikh Hamdan Award for Academic Excellence, Suchetha is also an excellent dancer and a spell bee champion.
Though she wishes to scale new heights in music, her ambition is to pursue a career in medicine like her father.
Singing in other tongues
Already known languages in which she used to sing: English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil.
First few new languages she learned to sing in (2017): Japanese, Arabic, Tagalog
Most difficult languages for her to sing in: French, Hungarian, and German
Some of her favourite languages to sing in: Armenian, Slovakian and Māori (New Zealand's tribal language also known as Te Reo)
