In an exclusive interview with EVENTFAQS's Shweta Ramsay, Shinde discusses the PTC Punjabi Music Awards and its growth over the years.

What is the main objective behind organising the PTC Punjabi Music Awards?

Punjabi music has achieved a predominant position in the field of contemporary Indian music. So much so that the Hindi and Punjabi Film Industry borrow liberally from the vast talent pool that the Punjabi Music Industry offers. Simple words and the high energy levels of Punjabi music have made it popular among all generations alike. The appeal is across demographics extending even among audiences who need not understand the language per se.

PTC Punjabi Music Awards are both a celebration and a felicitation of the versatility and vibrancy of the Punjabi Music genre. It showcases and recognises the best Punjabi albums, films, actors, choreographers, vocalists, sound recording, etc, displaying the best of Punjab to the whole world. The Awards are in the fourth year since their conceptualization by PTC in 2008.

Since this is the fourth edition of the awards, how has the property scaled up?

The industry has, over the years, shown incredible confidence in the credibility of the Awards by turning up in huge numbers at the awards ceremonies. It is our endeavour to value-add in terms of entertainment for our viewers with every passing year. For us, the Music Awards are the biggest event that we conduct through the year. The production value of the event has been scaled up with each year. Till 2010, there used to be 26 categories in total, the same have been increased to 28 now. Since 2010, the Awards are being telecast on PTC Punjabi in the US, Canada and Australia as well.

The biggest of Bollywood celebrities have been associated with this event in the past. Gulshan Grover, Divya Dutta, Udita Goswami, Yana Gupta, Mona Singh, Shekhar Suman, Archana Puran Singh, etc have all been associated with these awards in the past.In terms of the presence of celebrities, the who's who of the Punjabi Music and Film Industry book their calendars in advance to ensure their presence at the PTC Punjabi Music Awards. In the past, Jazzy B, Malkit Singh, Gurdas Mann, Harbhajan Mann, Sukshinder Shinda, Miss Pooja, Sarabjeet Cheema, Mika, Saleem, Gippy Grewal, Amrinder Gill, Bohemia, Diljit Dosanjh, etc have all performed at the Awards. Many more esteemed celebrities are nominees and attend every year.

What are the new initiatives at the awards this year?

The show promises to be the biggest event ever witnessed by Punjabi audiences and will showcase the best of the Punjabi music industry in all its glory. The evening will be loaded with glitz and glamour and will be anchored by eminent Bollywood personalities Gurpreet Ghuggi and Upsasana Singh, along with acclaimed Television Anchor Manish Paul and hilarious Stand Up Artist Rajeev Thakur. It will feature scintillating performances by Isha Koppikar, the Bollywood Starlet and Singer and Bollywood Actor, Hard Kaur will croon to engaging rap music. The biggest Punjabi music artists including Jazzy B, Manmohan Waris, Kamal Heer, Satinder Sartaj and Miss Pooja will perform live at the event. PTC Punjabi gives a platform to the young budding talent of Punjab by making them perform together as the Young Brigade of Punjab every year. This year, the brigade will feature Sharry Maan, Kulwinder Billa, Nishawn Bhullar, Rimz J, Pushpinder Kaur, Mr. Cheema, Sarthi K, Teji Sandhu and Gurvinder Brar. Also performing Martial Arts at the Awards will be a Nihang Group from Amritsar, the Bir Khalsa Group.

How many categories are there at the awards?

There are 28 categories in total awarding the best work produced by the Punjabi music industry from January to December 2010. The awards will felicitate the Best Punjabi Albums, Vocalists, Music Directors, Lyricists, Technicians, Choreographers, Sound Recording Technicians, etc displaying the best of Punjab to the whole world. Veterans from the Punjabi Music Industry will also be felicitated with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

How are the nominees evaluated and who is the jury?

Each year, nominations are finalised and votes are received from over 1,000 prominent members of the music industry. This forms 50% of the weightage towards the final winner. The remaining 50% comes from the compilation of the public votes received through the web, SMS and physical voting forms.

Is the event by-invitation only? How many people are expected to attend the awards?

The event is scheduled for March 18 at the PAP Ground, Jalandhar. It will be telecast live on PTC Punjabi. The entry into the event is by invitation only. More than 10,000 people attend the award every year.