In a musical tribute to Punjabi music legends, singer Sona Mohapatra and music producer Sumit Sethi released an eight-track album called The Punjab Project-Volume One
While desi Punjabi artistes like Yo Yo Honey Singh, Bohemia and the likes have Indians swooning to their tunes, the cultural identity of Punjabi music has been on a slow downward plunge for a while now. In the midst of all this Dope-Shope, a unique initiative by the name of The Punjab Project has emerged.
This project is a unique initiative by BombayVoice.com with the objective of putting a spotlight on the rich musical traditions and legendary musicians of Punjab. Prominent songstress Sona Mohapatra has collaborated with renown ed music producer, Sumit Sethi to come up with the first volume of this project which consists of eight tracks. The face of this volume is the single Neher Vale Pul which is a tribute to the legendary singer Noor Jehan. Speaking on the occasion, Sethi said, “My mom used to sing Neher Vale Pul for my father, so the idea came from there. Project Punjab is a dream project and a life changing experience for me. Much thanks to Sona, who supported and encouraged all of us throughout the journey. I am sure listeners are going to love the album.”
The song Neher Vale Pul has been recreated in the melodious voice of Mohapatra with additional lyricrs by Paras Sunda. “Making a cultural impact in my country as an artist is important to me and this album gives me an opportunity to do so,” shared Sona.
She said, “The Punjab project caught my attention after Sumit and Paras came to meet me with Sunil Vohra, owner of BombayVoice.com. In the beginning, it was just a song but later on we decided to pay tribute to the culture and the true legends of Punjab.”
Mohapatra has completed 10 years in the music industry. According to her, “My journey so far has been fabulous. Everybody has to struggle, and so did I. But in the end, the love that I have received from my fans makes it worth the effort.”
She has been working on a regular basis with her husband, Ram Sampath. Initially she was skeptical whether this new collaboration would actually click, but she claims that the entire teams efforts resulted in a positive environment for everyone. “Working with my husband, was completely different from working on this project, though both have their own charm. With Ram I can take things for granted. He would take care of every little detail,” she shared. This is the first time that these artistes have come together to produce an album and it was not easy according to Sethi. But Mohapatra maintains, “Though we have our own differences, we really tried our best to make something which is a reminder of Punjabi culture”.
photos by Mukhul Gola