News & Notes
An anthem for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

A unique Carnatic cricket anthem, Cricket Endraal Bharatham, has become a
social media sensation. This first attempt to compose a Carnatic anthem for
cricket was themed by musician Palghat Ramprasad. The song was conceived to
wish the Indian cricket team for the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. Composed by Raghuram,
this album features singers P. Unnikrishnan, Sikkil C Gurucharan and Ramprasad.
"When three talented Carnatic singers come together, composing is
definitely fun!" says music director Raghuram.
It all started as a casual
conversation between neighbours, Raghuram and Ramprasad. Ramprasad proposed an
innovative idea to apply Carnatic tunes to a genre that hasn't been attempted yet,
like cricket, especially with the world cup happening now.
The four-minute anthem touches upon the glorious victories of 1983 and 2011, followed by wishing the Indian team this year. "I wanted a sedate tune (Hamir Kalyani) for 1983, an assertive one (Vasanta) for 2011, and a patriotic, hopeful raga (Des) for 2023 - aligning with the respective captaincy traits," says Ramprasad.
After incorporating his suggestions,
music director Raghuram presented a beautiful rendition. Muthumani's lyrics
were perfectly aligned, and singers Sikkil Gurucharan and P. Unnikrishnan were
approached as they share a passion for Carnatic music and cricket. Incidentally,
the singers Ramprasad, Gurucharan, Unnikrishnan, and lyricist Muthumani are
alumni of Vivekananda College in Chennai.
"Thanks to Ramprasad, I got to sing a different song to wish the men in
blue the Carnatic way," adds Gurucharan. Singer Unnikrishnan is equally
thrilled about this song. "Cricket is my first love, and so is Carnatic
music. Bringing both together and singing along with buddies Ram and Charan to
wish team India was truly an exhilarating experience!"
What started as a fun project by a group of like-minded people has now set a precedence for creating tunes for everyone to relish and enjoy music. The song has been re-recorded and released in Hindi to cover a wider audience.
by
Subha V Dilip
To listen to the anthem Click here