India's longest-running non-fiction franchise, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa completes 25 Years

While humanity strives to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic challenge, we need a strong force to bind us as a collective and inspire us, as a community, to rally and support the front-line care-givers and workers who have toiled selflessly for the greater good.  And there is nothing better than Music which holds the amazing power to unite, heal and uplift the mood of the nation. Ever since its inception 25 years ago, India’s longest-running non-fiction franchise – Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has leveraged the power of music in uplifting the common man – giving him the country’s most definitive platform to showcase his singing talent. It is only befitting, then, that with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa crossing its 25-year milestone in 2020, ZEE is all set to leverage its network strength by way of a truly unique initiative that endeavours to help humanity rise above the gloom of the pandemic through the power of music.

This industry-first phenomenon ‘Ek Desh Ek Raag’ will start on 23rd May with a 25-hour Music Marathon on digital with over 350 performances by popular singers across 11 ZEE Social Pages that capture the vibrancy of the sur, taal and spirit of every Indian sub-culture. Viewers will have the opportunity to do their bit for the underprivileged by contributing to GIVEINDIA- India’s largest and most trusted giving platform through an active ‘Donate’ Link during the LIVE-athon. The 25 Year milestone will culminate in a grand concert on 24th May, 7 PM onwards in 10 national languages across 19 ZEE channels with the most iconic faces of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - Udit Narayan, Shaan, Richa Sharma, Himesh Reshammiya, Javed Ali, Sourav Ganguly, Kamal Khan, Vijay Prakash and Debojit amongst many others singing from the confines of their homes. The concert will feature some of the biggest singers, composers, musicians and contestants from across the length and breadth of the nation, true to its promise of – ‘Ek Desh, Ek Raag’.

In times of social distancing and no shoots, this digital and televised concert shot from the homes of every popular Sa Re Ga Ma Pa face is a format breakthrough and content innovation bound to bring joy to every music aficionado who has followed the franchise over the years. Speaking about the thought behind this initiative, Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Consumer Officer - Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited said, “Having served as an extraordinary platform opening up opportunities for countless singers, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa holds a special place in every Indian’s heart and has created several music icons across the many Bharats.  What better way to mark this glorious occasion and take this legacy forward than standing with the nation to rise above this tough time. With some of the best music talent across the country choosing to be on this platform, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has managed to attract a massive follower base reaching over 760 Mn TV audiences and over 1.2 Bn Reach on social in 2019. Music has the power to touch hearts, strike the right chords and give strength to people during the toughest of times. With ‘Ek desh, Ek Raag’, we have curated 2 events. A digital event on Facebook - The Live-A-Thon is a 25-hour singing Marathon, LIVE on Facebook across the network social assets culminating in a pan-India music concert on television featuring the most notable talent from Sa Re Ga Ma Pa across 19 ZEE channels. The idea is to harness the strong equity of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa that transcends regional boundaries for the greater good and urge people to donate with all their hearts.”

Atul Satija, CEO, GiveIndia, said, “Music breaks barriers and brings people together. Today, it is imperative that we unite as one nation and rebuild a safe and better India. GiveIndia is running one of the largest people’s fundraisers- India COVID Response Fund.  We are proud to partner with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa- one of the most popular and loved music reality shows in India. We look forward to combining our efforts, hoping to bring relief to those in need.”

Stay logged into the official Facebook pages of ZEE’s general entertainment channels for the 25 Hour special LIVE-athon on 23rd May and the musical concert ‘Ek Desh, Ek Raag’ on 24th May across 19 ZEE channels including Zee TV, Zee Keralam, Zee Punjabi, Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva, Zee Bangla, Zee Sarthak, Ganga, Zee Tamil, Zee Telugu and Zee Kannada.