"I love the city and the people here. Surat is my birth place, so, it has always been close to my heart," said Darbar who was booked by the city-based Destiny Fun Club group for this Navratri celebration. Reminiscing his childhood days, Darbar said, "I still remember playing in the streets of Sangrampur. I was a mischievious child and used to bunk my classes for playing cricket and flying kites. I left Surat when I was 13 and still remember crying profusely as I parted from my mother and two sisters."

A dream of making it as an actor took him to Mumbai. But his father Hussain, who was a saxophone player, got him admitted to Kalyanji Anandji's musical classes. "I stayed in a rented house in a slum of Borivalli and did all the household chores myself, right from making tea to washing clothes. That was the time when I really worked hard," said Darbar.

This music director, who gave us some lilting numbers in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, says that he has come up with a new concept of Gujarati folk collection for Navratri celebration and is in fact the director of the whole concert.

Sharing his views on emerging talents in the music industry, he said, "The industry needs good singers and such competitions like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa can help get quality singers." Darbar was all praise for Amanat when he said, " His performance was extra ordinary, even Jagjit Singh said he is above all singers and even this competition. Anik and Raja also has tremendous potential as good singers.