5th Global Indian Music Awards Held In Mumbai: Highlights

It was a proud moment for A.R. Rahman, also known as the Mozart of Madras, as his band NAFS debuted on the stage in front of the who’s who of Indian music industry.

The occasion was the fifth Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA), presented by Gionee and Star in Mumbai yesterday. The awards ceremony was anchored by Mika Singh and Manish Paul, and had performances from Atif Aslam, Arijit Singh, Pritam, Shraddha Kapoor, Benny Dayal, Sonu Nigam, Ankit Tewari, and Shankar Mahadevan among others.

"It has been my privilege to showcase NAFS at GiMA for the first time ever," said Rahman after the sensational debut performance of his band. "For me, to give a platform to the next generation is my mission and this is one of the first initiatives to represent India internationally. The inspiration behind was Stevie Wonder," he added.

Another performance that kept the audience entertained was done by 'The S7- Super 7', which was an act comprising some of the most talented singers of the Indian music industry.

"It has been an absolute honour to bring together some of the world's finest musicians on a platform like GiMA. We've had the privilege of seeing greats like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj, Usaat Zakir Hussain and A.R. Rahman on the same stage today," said Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

Following is the list of major wins during the ceremony:

· Lifetime Achievement Award – Classical: Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia
· Global Musician Award: Ustad Zakir Hussain
· Wizcraft Honour for Best Live Performer: Daler Mehndi
· Best Fusion Album in the Non-film Category: A.R. Rahman (Coke Studio MTV Season 3)
· Special Award for Best Music: Red Bull Tour Bus
· Best Film Album: A.R. Rahman (Highway)
· Best Music Director: Pritam
· Best Music Debut (Film): Armaan Malik
· Best Film Album: Yaariyaan
· Best Playback Singer Male – Arijit Singh (Muskrane, CityLights)
· Best Playback Singer Female – Kanika Kapoor (Baby Doll, Ragini MMS2)
· Best Music Debut (Non-Film category): Armaan Malik
· Best Celebrity Singer: Shraddha Kapoor (Ek Villain)
· Best Devotional Music: Shankar Mahadevan (My Devotional Favourites)

The awards were powered by Hungama.com and Kellogg’s Chocos, and would be telecast on Star Plus on March 15.