Song Sung True

Aao kasam ye khayen hum,insaniyat nibhayen,insaniyat jagayen,insaniyat bachayen — Theatre Age’s room reverberated with the sound of this anthem as children associated with the NGO paid a tribute to Bollywood singer and lyricist Ajay Jhingran,who passed away on September 19. Jhingran had written,composed and recorded the anthem with them last year. “He was the brand ambassador of our NGO and wrote this anthem to encourage the children to live with their heads high,” says Zulfikar Khan of Theatre Age,a close friend of Jhingran.

Jhingran had penned the lyrics and sung in movies such as Khoya Khoya Chand,Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge,Welcome to Sajjanpur and Billoo. “We must contribute to the society and this anthem has been written to inspire the children,” Jhingran had said at the launch of the anthem. An alumnus of Panjab University (PU),Jhingran learnt how to create music from one’s own percussions from theatre stalwart BB Karanth. He was trained at the Indian Theatre Department of PU by veterans such as Mohan Maharishi,Neelam Man Singh Chowdhary and Prasanna. “That’s where we met and established such a close artistic bond. He always said that singing should connect the heart and touch the soul and his voice will be with us forever,” said Khan.