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68th Republic Day 2017: AR Rahman, Sonu Nigam, Shalmali Kholgade and 5 more musicians who are making this world a better place to live in!
Musicians wage a war against gender inequality, terrorism, genocide, malnutrition and more this Republic Day 2017!
If we rewind back two years, the time frame alone should suffice in throwing up dozens of protests that have taken place in our country – a mass revolting for rights that should have been accorded to citizens in the first place; whether it’s been women’s safety, fighting against the criminalisation of Section 377 or the price of onions – it’s never been so important for us to voice out our opinions until now and as the time passes by we have got more creative about it. Art and protest have a long, torrid history with censorship always just kept at bay. An anomaly, you would think, in a democratic state.
As India celebrates its 68th Republic Day on January 26, 2917, here are few musicians who took this plunge and composed their hearts out for the causes that mattered the most to them! Scroll down and check out how the likes of AR Rahman, Sonu Nigam, Shalmali Kholgade and other musicians are creating anthems to highlight the various evils that ail our society! From the urgent need to empower our women and eradicate gender inequality to calling for united efforts to end terrorism and wage a war against genocide and malnutrition… these music maestros have tried to highlight the grim realities of the world we live in in the most heartening way! Take a look…
A R Rahman: A R Rahman’s album Raunaq launched in September 2014 as a complete dedication to Women Empowerment. The album’s title track had a track “laadli” which Rahman sang along with Lata Mangeshkar and lyrics were penned down by Kapil Sibal!
Shalmali Kholgade: Shalmali who has given Bollywood some of the most memorable chartbusters launched her first single “Aye” – a song that personifies gender equality and vouches for no discrimination. It isn’t a plea for women being superior but a perspective to keep things equal between both the sexes. The video has been directed by Shalmali herself and the song too has been composed by the talented musician. Aye has strong choreography and visuals reiterating its core concept of gender equality. (ALSO READ: 68th Republic Day 2017 Special: Akshay Kumar’s epic dialogue encapsulates what India stands for!)
Anoushka Shankar: Anoushka Shankar launched an album called “Land of Gold”. The title song was dedicated to Syrian infant Aylan Kurdi whose lifeless body was washed up on a Turkish beach. The song is in the context of the humanitarian plight of refugees and a very dynamic composition. In 2013, Anoushka also launched an album called “Traces of You” dedicated to the Delhi gang rape. In an interview, she also quoted “the song reminds her of her horrific past when she was sexually abused as a child”.
Salim-Sulaiman: The iconic brother duo launched their single called “Khalipan” on harsh genocide of children all over the world. The incident includes and sort of talks about the Peshawar Killing, the civil war in Syria and the Yemen war.
Vishal Dadlani: Vishal Dadlani in collaboration with Salim Sulaiman launched a special song on children’s day titled “Broken World” which was a dedication to all the children around the world who lost their lives in various terrorist attacks.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy: SEL contributed to the cause of girl child education through their music by the song “Ding Ding Dinga”. The song is a recreation of School Chale Hum which was a social initiative of the corporate brand Nestle with Shiksha and the Indian Government.
Sunidhi Chauhan: Sunidhi Chauhan launched a track called “Betiyan” for Save the Girl Child Campaign an initiative by National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The title song Betiyan was crooned by Sunidhi that went viral on social media. Bandana Sharma, Sonu Nigam and Shankar Mahadevan had also rendered some lines in this song.
Sonu Nigam: Sonu Nigam’s track “Hope in the Future”, aims to spread awareness on malnutrition in India. Sonu is an ambassador for the NGO, Fight Hunger Foundation which works towards eliminating malnutrition.
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