The land of Jharkhand famous for its rich mineral reserves not only has abundance of natural resources but also has a rich cultural heritage. And, there are people from Jharkhand, who have excelled in the field of art and literature and bringing laurels for the State. Konark Sarangi, a Jharkhandi by origin is one such talent that is making the State proud these days with his musical video “Ghar Jana Hai”.
The video sung and produced by Konark Sarangi, currently living in California and an original resident of Bahragora in Jharkhand is a hit on youtube with over 8,809 views. It was launched in Mumbai by noted vocalists and musicians from the Bollywood including Ila Arun and Sanjay Manjrekar on May 25, 2017.
The video is set on the backdrop of a natural calamity. As the title of the song “Ghar jana hai” is suggestive, the song is about nostalgia of the homeland to migrated people who have been displaced. The music video illustrates the emotional dilemmas of drought victims. It tries to capture and delve deep into human emotions that exist in the face of such a natural disaster. Konark said, “The plight of people back home affected by this issues of drought and migration needs world’s attention. And, we knew that reaching out to them musically is definitely one of the most effective ways.”
The concept of the song was envisioned by Snehasis Das, the Director of the musical video. Sarangi and Snehasis, in collaboration intended to make a musical video which is both meaningful and visually appealing. The song has subtle overtones of Indian classical music. The California based vocalist holds Indian classical music in the highest regard because of its depth.
“Konark Sarangi’s perpetual dream was to become a playback singer and become a voice behind several Bollywood stars. Although he could not realize his dream of becoming a singer in India, his perseverance to follow his passion yielded as he got the opportunity to lend his voice to this musical video.” said his mother, Dr Bini Sarangi.
Despite being a microbiologist by profession and working as an employee with Apple, he said that he finds time for rehearsals everyday because one can always find time for something that the person is passionate about.
His mother said “I have two sons. Konark is the eldest. He is the first one to call me mother. It is such an overwhelming feeling to see him acknowledged amidst the Bollywood stars. I am evenly proud and happy that I have given birth to him.”
The singer who has been trained in Indian classical for eight years said, “Everybody has to face struggles in life, in whatever fields we choose to pursue. I do not come from a musical background nor did I receive any musical upbringing. Belonging from a non-singer family and to dream of being a singer was the biggest challenge for me.”
He shared that “The song will remain close to my heart because it is a product of my eight years of learning in Indian Classical music.” He thinks of the song as a reflection of his learning in the singing field and hence the challenge for him was to deliver a song that ought to justify his years of rigorous training.