Chandigarh girl wins devotional song competition in J&K’s Katra

Jammu, Oct 24 (PTI) Laisal Roy, a teenage girl from Chandigarh, won the All India Devotional Song Competition held at Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir.Anmol Raja and Sukhjinder, both from Punjab, got the second and third position, respectively. The event was organised as part of the nine-day Navratri festival and concluded on Monday evening, chairman of the devotional song competition, Rakesh Wazir told PTI.Roy received gold worth Rs three lakhs and a recording contract with Venus Worldwide Entertainment, while Raja and Sukhjinder got gold worth Rs one lakh and Rs 50,000, respectively, he said.Wazir said over 2000 budding singers from across the country turned up for auditions during the event which was jointly organised by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), tourism department and others with “active support” of the district administration and the local community.Wazir, who is also the president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Katra, said 21 participants competed in the quarter-final and five of them were shortlisted for the final by the judges who included Bollywood singers.Bollywood singers Shanker Sawhney, Amrinder Bobby and former winners of the competition Sonali Dogra , Mool Raj and Ravi Kumar presented live performances.