Mumbai, Sep 12: Bigg Boss 20 contestant Qazi Touqeer opened up about his longstanding friendship with star singer Arijit Singh.

While chatting with his fellow housemates in an episode of BB 20, Qazi showered praise on the playback singer for his passion, fighting spirit and down-to-earth nature.

Qazi, who shares a friendship with Arijit dating back to their days on the 2005 singing reality show Fame Gurukul, spoke about the singer with immense affection and admiration.

“Bro, I’m telling you. That guy is my life,” Qazi said while talking about Arijit.

Qazi also spoke about Arijit’s passion for music and recalled how the singer could remain completely absorbed in his musical world for hours.

“That guy is my life. Uska fighting spirit crazy hai. Woh 8 ghante tak nahi thakta.” “Sitar leke baithta hai.” (He sits down with his sitar.) “Shuru jab kiya usne toh time ka kuch pata nahi chal raha hai. Saat ghanta, chhe ghanta, constant. Usi cheez mein khoya hua hai.”

(His fighting spirit is crazy. He doesn’t get tired even after eight hours. Once he starts, he loses track of time. Seven hours, six hours, constantly. He is completely lost in it)

Qazi went on to praise Arijit’s love for the process of creating music, saying that for his friend, the joy lies in the process and the music itself.

“Mereko kapdon ka shauk hai, mereko aisa hai. Uske liye maza kya hai? Process. Uska sangeet.” (I have a fascination for clothes and such things. But for him, what matters is the process. His music.)

When asked about his favourite Arijit Singh song, Qazi became emotional and chose “Tum Hi Ho” from the 2013 film Aashiqui 2. He dedicated the song to his friend, saying he shared a very close bond with him and respected him so much that “alfaz kam padh jaaye”. (Out of words)

Qazi then added, “I love you, Arijit bhai. We love Arijit. Arijit bhai, I love you so much. The whole country loves him, bhai. Kuch bolne ki baat hi nahi hai.”

For the uninitiated, Qazi and Arijit’s friendship goes back more than two decades. The two met as young contestants on Fame Gurukul in 2005 and have remained close despite their careers taking very different paths.

Their friendship received another public endorsement after Qazi entered Bigg Boss 20. Arijit took to X and revealed that Qazi had given him a reason to watch the reality show for the first time.

“I will have to watch BIG BOSS for the first time in my life cz Apna Rockstar QAZI hai udhar,” Arijit wrote.

India’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $44.90 billion to a record $785.71 billion in the week ended September 4, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday.

The sharp rise follows an increase of $11.47 billion in the previous week, taking the reserves to $740.80 billion as of August 28.

Foreign currency assets (FCA), the largest component of India’s forex reserves, drove the increase, rising by $47.498 billion during the week to $648.17 billion. FCA holdings were $95.886 billion higher than at the end of March and up $63.692 billion from the corresponding period a year earlier.

Gold reserves, however, declined by $2.594 billion during the week to $113.816 billion. Despite the weekly fall, gold reserves remained $23.517 billion higher than a year ago, although they were $1.580 billion below their end-March level.

India’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) fell marginally by $4 million during the week to $18.806 billion. SDR holdings were $184 million higher than at the end of March and $64 million above their year-ago level.

The country’s reserve position with the IMF increased by $2 million during the week to $4.916 billion. It was also higher by $108 million from the end-March level and up $168 million compared with a year earlier.

Overall, India’s foreign exchange reserves have risen by $94.599 billion since the end of March and are $87.438 billion higher than they were a year ago.

The record level of reserves provides a substantial buffer for India against external shocks and helps strengthen the country’s capacity to manage volatility in global financial markets and the foreign exchange market.

Meanwhile, in the week ended August 28, the central bank data showed that India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $11.475 billion to reach an all-time high of $740.803 billion.

Karisma Kapoor has opened up about the special Ganesh Chaturthi tradition at RK Studios.

She recalled how her grandfather, legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor, celebrated the festival with the studio staff and people from the neighbourhood. Karisma shared the nostalgic memories during the upcoming episode of Sony Entertainment Television’s India’s Best Dancer Season 5, which celebrates the festive spirit of ‘India Wala Dance.’

The ‘Raja Hindustani’ actress also revealed how Ganesh Chaturthi continues to remain an important tradition for the Kapoor family even today. Karisma has revealed her cherished memories of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at RK Studios. While the celebrations came to an end after the passing of Raj Kapoor, the Kapoor family has continued the tradition, making it a point to seek Bappa’s blessings during the 10-day festivities.

Karisma shared, “Ganesh Chaturthi RK Studios mein bohot saalon se manaya jaata tha aur bohot famous bhi tha, saare staff aur neighbourhood ke saare log aate the. Jabse dadaji guzar gaye, vaha ka Ganesh Chaturthi band ho gaya hai lekin mere saare Kapoor family ke gharon mein Ganesh Chaturthi aaj bhi hota hai. So it is a very important part of our family and hum sabhi jaate hain chahe hum kahin bhi ho, shooting chal rahi hai kuch bhi ho raha hai inn 10 dino mein hum zaroor darshan karne jaate hain.” (Ganesh Chaturthi used to be celebrated at RK Studios for many years, and it was a very famous celebration. All the staff members and people from the neighbourhood would come and join in. Ever since my grandfather passed away, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at RK Studios have stopped. However, Ganesh Chaturthi is still celebrated at all the homes of the Kapoor family. So, it is a very important part of our family, and we all make it a point to go for darshan, no matter where we are or whether we are shooting or busy with something else. During these 10 days, we always make time to seek Bappa’s blessings.”)

Following Karisma Kapoor’s heartfelt recollections, Amruta Khanvilkar opened up about the special bond devotees share with Lord Ganesha. She stated, “Bappa is the only god jisko hum apna friend bulate hai, bhai bulate hai, tu karke bulate hai. Normally Shiv ji hote hain, ab Ganpati Bappa ‘Ha Maza Bappa Aahe!’ Aise bolte hain. Humare Marathi mein ek bade bhai ho, chhote bhai ho, ya phir pita ko ya maa ko humesha ‘aap’ bolte hain na, but Bappa is the only God jisko hum ‘are, tu’ karte hain. Abhi hum Ganpati ji vagere bolte hain, but Bappa ha maza Bappa aahe! So he is a friend, he is a brother, he is a God, he is everything.” (Bappa is the only God whom we call our friend or our brother and address so informally. Normally, when we talk about Lord Shiva or anyone elder to us, whether it is an elder brother, younger brother, father or mother, we always address them respectfully as ‘aap’. But Bappa is the only God whom we address as ‘tu’. We may call him Ganpati Ji and all, but we also say, ‘Bappa, ha maza Bappa aahe!’ — ‘Bappa is my Bappa!’ So, he is a friend, he is a brother, he is God, he is everything to us.”)

The special episode of “India’s Best Dancer Season 5” celebrating the spirit of Ganesh Chaturthi, will air on Saturday and Sunday on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.