The city is going to witness a cacophony of music for about a fortnight in the run-up to the February 6 elections
to the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC). Candidates are lining up in front of recording studios to make election songs that would be a key component of their campaigning.
More than a dozen studios here are now vying with each other to bag as many orders as possible since an estimated Rs one crore is likely to be
spent by the candidates to record songs.
“Songs and music are integral parts of political campaigning ever since the elections are held in India, and Odisha is not left out of it,” says eminent music director Swarup Naik, adding that in fact, poems and songs were also used by freedom fighters to reach out to masses.
Naik, however, rues over the fact that now the candidates are using the music in their campaign to outshout the rivals. “There is no message, no sweetness in the music and songs of elections now-a-days,” the music director laments, saying the voters now get irritated over it.
Notwithstanding the voters’ denunciation, candidates for the CMC polls are crowding at the audio studios even till late night to get their stuff.
Seeing the mad rush, the crafty composers are making the best use of computers and waiting with readymade music tracks of popular Bollywood
or Ollywood numbers in
pen drives.
“Simply making the dubbings as per the requirement of candidates, the stuff is delivered within no time after mastering the tracks,” said another music director Sarat Naik of the city ruing over the fact that the originality and sanctity attached to earlier election songs is missing.
But there is no denying the fact that election songs have earlier played a major role in ensuring a candidate’s victory or even throwing out a ruling Government.
Congress Nuhen Kansa, Jie Deshaku Karichhi Dhwansha; Ghiri Ghiri Kari Chakra Ghuruchi Kansa ku Kariba Nasa was a popular song made by Swarup Naik during the 1977 elections after the Emergency and the outstanding result was for everybody to see.
Even the legendary music composer Akshaya Mohanty was roped in and was at the forefront of the campaigning of late former Chief Minister Nandini Satapathy, composing election songs for her in Dhenkanal in the early 1970s. Also, stalwarts like Biju Patnaik had depended on election songs and used it extensively in his campaigns.
Biju Patnaik Deichi Daka...Ta’ Daka Subhuchi Odisha Jaka and Re Paika Pua, Re Odia Pua, Re Sadhav Pua, Uthha, Odisha Banchao were the popular songs used during Biju Patnaik’s campaign to unseat the Congress in the State in 1990.
Even many senior and popular leaders of the present era like Brajakishore Tripathy, Srikant Jena, Maheswar Mohanty and Yudhisthir Samantray have used election songs the best way with emotional and social messages to shoot into limelight instantly.