Akshay Khandoo was one out of 10 pupils from SWAHA College invited to a cultural programme at the DPS RK Puram High school in New Delhi, India.

According to Khandoo's father, Ricky the students were invited as part of Trinidad's first ever student exchange programme with India.

The students left Trinidad, December 12 and returned on Boxing Day. As an avenue for learning and appreciation of the similarities and differences between Trinidad and Tobago and India, students from India came to Trinidad last year and showcased their culture as well as participated in various local events. Khandoo, who was quite a favourite in India, sang a devotional Hindu song entitled "Madhuban Mein Radhika".

Sharing his experience of his time there, Khandoo said, "It was an honour for me to be the first one from my family to go India and walk on the ground of my forefathers. India is such a beautiful place. I got the chance to see the sites. I visited the Taj Mahal, the Ganges River and the Vindraven. One thing that really touched me deeply was the level of poverty that I saw. It made me realise that we need to be thankful for all things, no matter how big or how small."

He said, "Everyone in India was so pleased with my performance they invited me to come back and participate at one of their competitions called Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa. This competition is one of the biggest if not the biggest competitions in India, however all contestants must complete their one year training course before they enter."

Khandoo has been singing for the past five years and, like his father who is a full-time professional singer, music is one of his passions. Last year Khandoo placed second on the Children of Mastana and came first in the devotional category at the Prime Minister's Best Village Competition in 2010.