A point that many of them emphasise is the fact that this anthem brought together some of the most brilliant singers in the state on one platform. “I’ve worked with both Rahman sir and Gautham sir earlier, but singing alongside some of the legends is an amazing feeling, it feels so prestigious,” stresses Chinmayi.
There’s a wave of patriotic zeal for Tamil Nadu sweeping across the city. And no, it’s not a sport or some academic achievement that has produced this sense of state-wide pride. The anthem for the World Classical Tamil Conference, which will be held in Coimbatore from June 23 to 27, has become an instant hit with Chennaiites. It’s everywhere — being played frequently on the radio, being hummed by countless music-lovers and some youngsters have even downloaded it and set it as a ringtone.
This song has an illustrious origin. It has been written by CM M. Karunanidhi himself and set to music by A.R. Rahman. The video of the song has been shot by Gautham Vasudev Menon.
Featuring famous singers like T.M. Sounderajan, P. Susheela, Hariharan, Srinivas, Nithyashree Mahadevan, Aruna Sairam and Bombay Jayashri to the more younger lot of Shweta Mohan, Chinmayi, Naresh Iyer, Shruti Haasan, the credits read like a list of all the major talent to reckon with from this state.
For the artistes who have been a part of this track, it was an opportunity of a lifetime and they unanimously agree that their biggest return gift from the experience is a treasure trove filled with fond memories.
Explains singer Naresh Iyer, “Just the fact that I was asked to be a part of this song is a privilege. I think this is history in the making and it’s an understatement to say that I am proud to be a part of this project.”
“Since I was involved with this anthem right from the beginning, it’s even more special to me. Obviously it was a wonderful experience and I think it’s the first time something like this has been done,” says playback singer Srinivas.
A point that many of them emphasise is the fact that this anthem brought together some of the most brilliant singers in the state on one platform. “I’ve worked with both Rahman sir and Gautham sir earlier, but singing alongside some of the legends is an amazing feeling, it feels so prestigious,” stresses Chinmayi.
Naresh agrees with her saying, “After this, I’ve been able to relate to our history and culture much better, it all feels so much more familiar now,” he says. It’s not just the singers who are experiencing such emotions, Chennaiites who have listened to this track admit that it has them hooked. Says Preetika V., a medical student, “At first when I heard there was an anthem for this event, I thought it would probably be boring. But when I heard it, I was blown away. It makes me feel so proud that I belong to Tamil Nadu.” Echoing that is Deepak Krishnamurthy, a financial analyst, “It stirs up the same feelings ARR’s Vande Mataram did a couple of years ago. I’m hooked on to the song. My friends and I have labelled it the south Indian version of "Mile sur mera tumhara.”
It is going to be a memorable morning for not just the winners of the chennailivenews.com Deepavali recipe contest but for the invitees of the function on November 18 (Thursday), 2010, as national award winning singer Chinmayi and her equally talented mother Padmhasini are the chief guests.
