Celebrities from different states have come together to record a song on unity in diversity
It always begins with a song. Michael Jackson did it to good effect and so did international stars Jamie Foxx, George Harrison and Lionel Richie; or even Alok Patki and Louis Banks’s 1988 semi-anthemic Mile Sur Mera Tumhara. Now, music director and singer George Peter has assembled a motley crew of stars from diverse fields ranging from actors to singers, instrumentalists and sportspersons to talk about being united, focusing primarily on brotherhood and the linguistic diversity in the country. The yet-to-be-released multi-lingual song, titled One — The Unity Song, has taken off as a viral campaign on social networking sites.
Explaining his initiative, George says, “We’ve all got together and worked on it as our way of saying that we are one.” And what a line-up he’s got together already, If the initial word on the song is any indication, it features film stars like Vikram, Sudeep, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Vivek Oberoi, Zayed Khan, Asin, Karthika, Lakshmi Rai, Mamta and Bhavana; sport stars Saina Nehwal and Sreesanth as well as singers/instrumentalists Blaaze, Shwetha Mohan, Shankar Mahadevan, Vasundhara Das, KS Chitra, Usha Uthup, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and sons, K J Yesudas, Vikku Vinayakaram and Stephen Devassy to name a few.
Though word on the song has not gone beyond the virtual realm, it has still garnered massive support by virtue of its sheer star power. The promotional clips have been doing rounds featuring each of them engrossed in the song and the recording process. The mixing and mastering is currently underway at A R Rahman’s studio in the city.
John Thomas, founding member and the drummer of Kochi-based rock outfit Motherjane, explains that the song was recorded following one-on-one sessions with each artist involved in the project. “George went around the country, meeting the musicians and recording with them. He knew exactly what he wanted and I played,” he adds.
Singer Usha Uthup, in a promotional video for the song, says, “I’ve always said that if you were born an Indian, you’re born with an advantage of 17 basic languages. I just didn’t see it; and I’ve been living the languages. When we have the advantage, why don’t we make use of it? There was a time when the west remained in the west and the east in the east; the north and the south never got together — because of language. Unity in diversity, that’s what India stands for, and the whole world. We are all global citizens. But hey, it’s great to say you’re an Indian!”
Source : Times Of India
Dated : 17-MAR-2012
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