On India’s Independence Day, a group of Melbourne-based musicians, mostly of Indian origin, have launched their musical group called Melody Theatre. Just like India gained independence at the stroke of midnight, Melody Theatre also launched their first ever song, “Naam mein Bhagat” at 00:00 hours on August 15 on YouTube. The lyrics of this song, set primarily to the rock music genre, is dedicated to the life and sacrifice of the great Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who was hanged to death at the tender age of 23 in 1931, by the then British government that ruled India.
Bhagat Singh has and continues to stir the blood of many a youngster in India, especially Punjab. But interestingly this time, the echoes of his name have reverberated in far-flung Australia, 71 years after India gained independence from the British, whom he fought till his last day with his other prominent comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev.
Apart from the foot-tapping rock music and soul-stirring lyrics, there’s a delightful surprise in the video of the song and that is the drummer, who is a Sikh gentleman. Gurinder Bhogal, trained in Jazz and Blues music, is by his own admission, the only turbaned drums-and-percussion musician in the Southern Hemisphere. Kunal Mehta, Mohit Pandit, Satyajit Samant, Khushboo Pradhan and Chris Win are the other members of the group.
The musical group has musicians from Nepal and Myanmar as well.
Listen to this feature in Punjabi here.
