With all things gold being the theme of the evening, ‘A Golden Evening with the Golden Voice of Sonu Nigam’ was an evening of nostalgia, celebration, and musical bliss. Set in the jewellery-lined halls of Vogue Flagship Store in Colombo 03 – the biggest of its kind in Sri Lanka – the event was held to introduce Sonu’s rendition of the country’s oldest jingle, the ‘Mangala mudu, mala, valalu...’ Scripted and directed by two legends; Karunaratne Abeysekera and T.F. Latiff, respectively, the melody has been covered over the years by a number of musical veterans. With the renowned Rupa Indumathi responsible for the original version, subsequent renditions courtesy of Kasthuri Latha Walpola and Visharada Neela Wickramasinghe were produced, thereafter. Running for 56 years since its premiere in 1962, its lyrics still remain relevant to the present day and age. Drawing the attendance of the media, social media personalities, and select invitees on Sunday, 6 October, the press event featured heartfelt speeches from Vogue Jewellers Managing Director Anura Hemachandra and Sonu himself. Introducing the rich history of the store – Sri Lanka’s most awarded jeweller – the proud MD recounted the power move made by the company in its infancy, to set up shop in 1st Cross Street. With the radio jingle airing during the heyday of Radio Ceylon – the oldest radio station in Asia – Vogue was positioned as the go-to jeweller for ravishing brides. Over time, however, the company noticed that the song failed to magnetise its most valued customers; the youth. With three renditions of the very same jingle under their belt, the company then turned to the gifted duo, Nadeemal Perera and Kavindya Adikari, to transform this oft-heard melody into a household name. Along with this, they also sought to make the jingle, the first of its kind, to be sung by an international artiste. Having discussed the joy with which Sonu was selected, Anura Hemachandra then made way for the Bollywood superstar to take the stand. Fondly reminiscing about the time he visited Sri Lanka as a child, the famed singer of the hit ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ stated that his time in the country had been one of great joy. Commenting that Sri Lankans were “good people with a lot of warmth, culture, and decency”, his joy at the occasion was only second to his desire to create concrete musical relations with the country. With his deep lilting voice, the renowned singer, actor, and television host then broke into melody, owning every note of the jeweller’s timeless jingle. Stunning the audience with his effortless Sinhalese, the singer ended the tune with its classic call of ‘Vogue Jewellers’ to an outbreak of cheers and applause. Concluding the event, thereafter, Chairperson Chandra Hemachandra presented the star with generous tokens of appreciations. Fans then rushed pell-mell to Sonu, eager for a snap or a moment in the limelight with the celebrated musician. Instagram: @voguejewellerssl Facebook: Vogue Jewellers (Pvt) Ltd By Archana Heenpella