Grammy and Academy Award winning musician AR Rahman would create the official song for Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup-2018, informed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday.
While ace lyricist Gulzar would write the song, Rahman would perform it live at the Kalinga Stadium here during the opening ceremony of the mega sporting event. It would be Rahman’s first performance in Odisha.
The State Government roped in Rahman for composing the song titled “Jai Hind Hind, Jai India”.
“Nothing says India more than our beloved sport hockey. And nothing is more exciting than the world’s biggest hockey tournament happening right here, on our turf,” Rahman said in a statement.
“It’s heartwarming to see the entire nation pledge their heartbeats for hockey. As an extension of pledging our heartbeats, Gulzar Sahab and I have created the World Cup song. A song that will excite and inspire as also get you on your feet,” added he.
CM Patnaik said: “We are delighted to have Rahman compose the song for the Odisha Hockey World Cup. It will be an honour to have him perform live in Bhubaneswar. He is the voice of India; and now with this song, the voice of India is the voice of the world cup.”
“We are also fortunate to have Gulzar Sahab add his poetic magic to the composition. Coming together of these two legends will not only inspire the players but will also get the entire nation together to support this wonderful game unfolding in Odisha at the World Cup,” he added. Rahman is also directing the song’s video, which would be shot across the hockey heartlands of India. The song is set for release at the Kalinga Stadium inauguration scheduled for early October.
