Dikha de jalwa' , 'Toofan utha' , 'Dum laga India' , 'Macha de halla' , 'Jam ke laga India' — these cries from the heart are often heard at sporting events as fans spur on Indian sport stars for that extra point, run or goal.
It's only befitting that these and other desi cheers lie at the heart of a new sporting anthem that seeks to unite the nation and fans behind their sporting heroes.
The anthem 'Cheer for Champions ' is, aptly, the brainwave of five of India's best — Dilip Vengsarkar (cricket), Ashwini Ponappa ( badminton), Dhanraj Pillay ( hockey), I M Vijayan ( football) and Anjum Chopra (cricket).
Vengsarkar says that the time is right to have a common sporting anthem that can be sung for all sports across the country in one voice. "I have seen fans singing motivational songs in countries like England and Australia in whatever sport their country may be playing.
The concept has come to India too with IPL and the individual team anthems. It's time we have a common sporting anthem now as it's a completely different high to have an entire stadium roaring to your every good move."
He recalls hearing the crowd's full-throated rendition of the 'Chak De' song during the first T-20 World Cup final in 2008, when India played against Pakistan . "It was like the anthem in that game, which we won handsomely .
It was a different feeling and really charged us all up to be amongst thousands of voices singing together," he says.
It's these intense emotions that music composer Ranjit Barot is tapping into as he sets the tune for the anthem. The lyrics are being crowd-sourced , using the net and radio. "We asked people to submit the cheers that they use in sporting events.
We are working them into the anthem along with a lyricist," says Barot, who was the music composer for the Delhi Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies. But, he clarifies, it will be different from chants like 'Chak De' or 'Jai Ho' .
"We are trying to speak from the heart, something that galvanizes everyone to reach higher." Ashwini Ponappa agrees and says, "I love both these songs, they are so Indian. But a sports anthem is not like a movie song — it will reach out to the spectator and the player as one."
Dramatic, uplifting, arrogant, triumphant and sometimes hypermasculine — most great sporting anthems such as the Spanish 'Ole Ole Ole' are all this and much more. A majority of stadium chants in the west are drawn from rock and roll, pop or dance hits like 'We Are The Champions' and 'Survival' by Muse, which was the London Olympics' official song.
Post-Olympics , British PM David Cameron has pitched for England to have its own anthem for sports teams, with his personal preference being 'Jerusalem' , based on a William Blake poem.
However, Barot's inspiration is not any of the globally known anthems but the broad and diverse cultural palette that India offers. It's a massive task — reportedly two million cheers have been collected already in various languages from across the country .
"One plan is to combine all the cheers!" says Varun Sharma, brand manager of Vicks, which is supporting the creation and development of the anthem.
The real challenge, though, lies in composing a melody that would be on the lips of every chestthumping fan, whether it be victory or defeat. However, the problem here would be the lack of sportsmanship of Indian fans.
In a survey of 50 Indian sporting icons done by sports training and consulting firm Tenvic in late July, while there was unanimous agreement that Indians are supportive when Indian sportspeople were on top, 52% felt fans were unsupportive in defeat.
A majority agreed that England and Australia were the best in terms of crowd support, even when they're on the losing side.
For Pillay, playing in Holland was the best experience. "They treat you like you are part of them...I have never seen them abusing or shouting against any team, even if they are winning against the home country," he says.
That's the spirit sports persons yearn for in India. As Mithali Raj, captain of the women's cricket team, commented during the survey : "I'd give anything to have crowds yelling, let alone yelling anything specific, in women's matches."
It's a hope that the new anthem, to be launched at the T20 World Cup next month, will assure our sports persons that they are not playing alone.
Comments
Add new comment