Wild Side
Bollywood music director duo take on environmental and social issues through their music
Their songs vary in composition,music,style and mood,but the common strain among most of their music is its ability to inspire the listener. While Chak de! invokes a sense of patriotism,Yeh Hausla gives one the strength to continue the struggle. Keeping up with their motive to inspire audiences with their music,music director duo Salim-Sulaiman have put a tune to environmental and social issues which they feel deserve attention. With their song Yeh mera India for Animal Planet,they seek to spread awareness about our country’s bio-diversity and the need to preserve it.
Another single,Sati,by the duo talks about the social evil still prevalent in certain Indian communities that forces widowed women to jump into their husbands’ funeral pyre. The song was composed for an episode of Coke Studio @ MTV Season 3. “It is a whole new side of us that our audience has not seen before; a side which is an average Indian,just like them. We feel the pain and pressure every Indian is going through. Every time we switch on the news on television or pick up a newspaper,we see a new scandal revealed,a new uncertainty to deal with,and a new mess,” says Sulaiman Merchant.
Yeh mera India is sung by Salim,June Banerjee and Nandini Srikar in Hindi,Bengali and Tamil. The video showcases the scenic beauty of India from the Himalayas to the wetlands of Odisha,the Sahyadari ranges on Western Ghats to the Bandhavgarh forests in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. “Rare species such as the lion-tailed macaque,mahseer fish,goonch fish,Malabar pit vipers,dholes and gharials are featured in the video,” describes Merchant.
He points out that when India was fighting the Sino-Indian War of 1962,many musicians came out with patriotic songs to reflect the tension faced by all Indians alike. In the same manner,the music produced by artistes today is also a reflection of the tension and agitation prevailing in society. “We feel the situation’s urgency when it comes to preserving the natural heritage,which includes animals and forests in India,and the world. We also want to bring attention to ‘wrong’ practices in our society and ask people to make amends,” says Merchant. They have also composed a version of Raghupati Raghav bhajan for Prakash Jha’s upcoming film titled Satyagraha.
This apart,the duo has been preparing for their annual tour titled the Chak De! Tour for which they will be visiting Mauritius in mid-August along with other Bollywood personalities.
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