Usha Uthup's day out in Bhutan

A singer for five decades, Usha Uthup has enthralled audiences in several countries. But the versatile singer said on Thursday that her visit to Bhutan and the experience of performing for the local audiences has been "incomparable".

Usha participated in a workshop and later sang lofty songs in a session on the opening day of the ongoing Mountain Echoes literary festival.

Displaying tremendous energy, she literally led the Bhutanese audiences to sing along with her, often citing the lyrics in advance for them.

A workshop titled "Stagecraft" gave the audience an insight into the hard work, dedication and tonnes of knowledge that goes into each of the musical performances.

Usha explained the nitty-gritty details in sound production, choosing musical instruments, peppering it with anecdotes from her illustrious career, like how she bought a long-coveted microphone with her first salary.

Seeing the audience's enthusiasm, she invited two amateur singers from the crowd onstage and joined them in a range of pieces from Bollywood classics like "Dum Maaro Dum" and "Kaise Peheli Zindagani".

She also sang popular numbers like "We are the World" and "Hotel California".

A clearly overwhelmed Usha thanked the audience for welcoming her with such love and participating in her sessions.

Mountain Echoes literary festival will end on August 25.

--IANS

ss/mr