Bengaluru, Aug 24: Mangaluru has emerged as the big winner of this season of Zee Kannada’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs, with the coastal city’s young musical talents Ashmith and Achinthya Rai finishing first and second respectively in the grand finale.

Ashmith, a Class VIII student of St Aloysius Gonzaga School, Mangaluru, was crowned the season’s winner at the finale, taking home the coveted trophy and ₹20 lakh in prize money. Achinthya Rai, who pushed him strongly through the final stages of the competition, secured the first runner-up position and received ₹15 lakh.

The result turned the finale into a particularly memorable one for Mangaluru, with the coastal city claiming both of the top positions in one of Kannada television’s prominent singing competitions for young performers.

Ashmith’s victory came after a season in which he repeatedly stood out not only for his vocal ability but also for his command of the violin. His ability to move between singing and instrumental performance became one of the distinctive features of his appearances on the show. Reports on the finale said his consistent performances helped him build a strong following among viewers.

Music, however, has been part of Ashmith’s life well before his television breakthrough. His school says he developed an interest in music at an early age and received formal training in classical music under Sandhya S Bhat, besides learning violin from Vidwan Venugopal Shanbhog. He is also proficient in instruments including tabla, chende, mridangam and guitar.

His record at a young age already included several notable achievements. He won first place in a patriotic singing competition organised by the Bharat Scouts and Guides at the taluk and district levels in 2022 and later secured second place at the state-level competition in 2023. He was also among the winners in the singing category at the Yenzyme 2021 grand finale.

The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs journey nevertheless represented a much bigger platform for the young singer. Over several months, contestants from across Karnataka competed through successive rounds before the field was narrowed down to six finalists — Ashmith, Achinthya, Mahanya, Harrush, Jayalakshmi and Avyukth.

The two-part finale, held on August 22 and 23, brought the six finalists together for their final performances before the season’s winner was announced. Ashmith eventually came through the closely contested finale, while Achinthya secured the runner-up honour.

Achinthya’s second-place finish added another layer to Mangaluru’s achievement. His performances alongside Ashmith had already made the pair a notable presence on the show, and their eventual first-and-second finish gave the coastal city a rare clean sweep of the top two positions.

For Mangaluru, the result is more than just another reality-show victory. It puts the spotlight on the depth of young musical talent emerging from the city and adds another significant achievement to Ashmith’s rapidly developing musical journey.

With Ashmith lifting the winner’s trophy and Achinthya standing beside him as first runner-up, the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs finale ended with a distinctly Mangaluru flavour — and two young voices from the coastal city at the very top of the leaderboard.