Sing a song of peace

Colors, along with Scarecrow Communications and Equal Rights Music Project, marked Republic Day celebrations with Kabootar, a thought-provoking peace anthem.

The dove (known as the 'kabootar' in Hindi), over the ages, has been symbolic of peace and harmony. On the occasion of India's 67th Republic Day, Colors, in association with Equal Rights Music Project, sent across a message of goodwill with Kabootar - A Peace Anthem. The song was launched on the channel's digital and social media platforms on January 25. It has so far garnered over 36,000 views on YouTube.

The video features several religions promoting the message of love and harmony. Conceptualised and written by Manish Bhatt, founder director, Scarecrow Communications, and composed by Eddie T Avil, the song uses the 'kabootar' as a metaphor for peace.

The lyrics of the song are quite thought-provoking, such as 'When Will Peace Finally Grace the World (Kab utrega dharti par, ein kabootar', when translated in Hindi). Shot by Riju Samanta, the anthem also symbolises the diversities and similarities we share as Indians. The song and the video build upon the fact that one must not care about minor differences which are irrelevant, but ensure harmony and peace for our coming generations.

Speaking about this initiative, Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors, says, "As a nation, India has always led the fight for global harmony and brotherhood, making the country's 67th Republic Day the perfect launch pad for 'Kabootar - A Peace Anthem'. We are happy to have partnered with Equal Rights Music Project for this initiative and hope that it unites the nation to achieve peace."

Lyricist Bhatt adds, "It is through the song 'kabootar..' that I would like to convey not just to the French President Francois Hollande who is our Chief Guest on the occasion of Republic Day, but to everyone on this planet that it is not just Paris or Pathankot, but the entire world that needs peace, and it's high time we act on it."

The screenplay has been visualised by Bhatt and Lalit Sakurkar, and has been directed by Beeswaranjan Pradhan. Jigardan Gadhvi and Kunal Bhadra have lent their voices to the peace anthem while the instruments have been played by the talented team of Omkar Patil (on the harmonium), Vijay Jadhav (on the tabla/dholak), Vaibhav Panch (on the bass guitar) and Tapas Ray (on the mandolin/oud/saz). The sound was engineered by Kunal Dabholkar.

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