Vardi Ke Veer: Worthy of singing praise

A press conference in the Padma Ranga Chamber Music Hall of the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha? Why would anybody hold it there? But if you have an event coming up at the same venue, in the Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, on the 12^th of August, Why not? It’s called Vardi Ke Veer (Braves in Uniform). Well known stage singer Ameya Dabli’s ADventures (clever play of his initials) outfit is putting together a musical show featuring himself and celebrity singer Shaan, choreographed by Shiamak Davar, dedicated to the men in uniform – the army, navy and air force of India. And the posters command you with a loaded headline: If you love your country, be there!

An Engineer-M.B.A., Ameya was a banker, till the right note struck him and he did a reality cheque, quitting his job to start a journey that would take him to dozens of cantonment areas in the country, where he and his troupe performed for the soldiers. The response was overwhelming, to say the least. He is following in the tradition of late Sunil Dutt, actor-producer-director, whose Ajanta Arts troupe used to visit battle-front areas and entertain jawans (Indian term for soldiers), with songs, dances and mimicry, in the last century. Since then, many have followed in DuttSaahab’s footsteps, but I cannot think of anyone who toured defence cantonment areas across the nation. In that sense, Ameya Dabli is a pioneer.

Music is in his genes, with Mama Dabli being a student of the veteran, Prabha Atre. So, the logical step, after quitting the banking job, was to take to singing. And what better channel to showcase his talent than “…paying heartfelt homage to the extraordinary stories from the lives of our real-life heroes.” His concerts are called Ekam Satt Unity concerts, as part of the Mission for Nation initiative. Notching-up 150 concerts so far, the concerts have reached 4.5 lakh soldiers and their families. They perform a blend of patriotic and uplifting songs. And if any endorsement of their impact was needed, here is one incident: At one of the concerts, a young man came-up to Ameya, and called his father, on a video call. The father, a retired Brigadier, told Ameya that his son was extremely reluctant to attend the concert, and even more reluctant to join the defence forces, but after attending the concert, he changed his mind! Besides these shows, his organisation, a charitable trust, offers mental counselling to new recruits, who are barely 18, and at the crossroads of life.

A new recruit in this musical initiative is the playback singer Shaan (Shantanu Mukherjee). Ameya felt that Shaan could add a lot to the fare on offer. He made a phone call to Shaan, who happened to be holidaying in Germany at that time. But he promised to consider the proposal, once he returned. And he did just that. “I have always felt that patriotic songs should not be played only on the 15^th of August (India’s Independence Day) and the 26^th of January (Republic Day). They should be heard throughout the year. And Ameya’s organisation is doing just that. Moreover, he has such convincing power and an inspired, hypnotic pitch, that I was easily convinced to come aboard.” To make a point, he asked Ameya and the three musicians present to join him in singing ‘Har karam apna karenge, aye vatan terey liye’, from the film Karma (1986), directed by Subhash Ghai, and they did a splendid job. Ghai seems to be a mentor to the group, appearing time and again in the audio-visual promos screened repeatedly at the press conference. Ameya acknowledged this fact.

Answering my question on his composing skills, being the son of music director Manas Mukherjee, Shaan said he has a YouTube channel where he uploads his own compositions. Moreover, on the 12^th of August, the troupe will perform a song composed by him. On popular demand, he sang his signature song, ‘Chaand sifaarish jo kartaa’ (Fanaa, 2006). He also expressed strong views against Indians migrating to other countries and going abroad for eductaion.

Ameya revealed that there will be a story line in the performance, but it will be realistic fiction, not a real story. Asked by this writer whether ADventures would consider getting an defence forces man to render a song, he replied, “In the past, we have had up to three personnel coming up on stage and singing, but for this show, there is no built in provision for a song by one of them. But I am sure there will be one or more individuals who will come-up and want to sing, and we will welcome them.”

Back to Shaan. Thirty-one years ago, in 1992, I was writing and anchoring a radio programme aimed at discovering new singing talent. This was called Close-Up Sangeet Muqabla and preceded all the TV talent hunts. We had one judge in each weekly programme and a different judge each week. The songs were recorded separately and played to the judges, without any identification. One of the winners was Shantanu Mukherjee, all of twenty years old then. I reminded him of this memory, and he recalled it immediately. He even remembered that he had sung a Mukesh-Lata Mangeshkar duet, probably with his sister, Sagarika, though he could not recall the song.

A question from the audience sparked of a discussion. The questioner wanted to know whether footage, or clips, from the concerts would be uploaded on YouTube and other Internet platforms, since youth are on to these platforms in a big way, and it would widen the reach of the programmes.” Shaan was of the opinion that doing so might defeat the very purpose. “We want you and others like you to get out of your comfort zone and instant gratification mode, and go to places, personally, physically. Come to our concerts, rather than watch clips on your mobile phones.” Ameya commented that the point about reaching a wider audience was well taken, and something would be worked out on those lines. “Whether it will be in the shape of video clips on YouTube, I cannot say for now.”

In 2018, Dabli’s ADventures Production launched Ekam Satt - Mission for Nation, which has been doing numerous social activities, primarily in the field of education and health. The objectives of this Trust include extending financial help to poor and needy, for education and medical relief, along with giving aid to deserving students and artistes. Apart from these objectives, the Trust is also involved in promoting various cultural activities, social welfare, and India’s rich culture.

Shanmukhananda Hall, with a capacity of 3,000, the largest in Asia at that time, has the fondest memories for me. My first, major, public show as a compère was held here, in 1971. It was a variety entertainment programme, organised by the Fortune Radio Listeners’ Club and sponsored by Estrela Batteries. I was still a college student, and 19 years old. Among the performers was a very young Hariharan, who sang ‘Madhuban men Radhika naachey rey’ (Kohinoor, 1960). Since then, I have compèred several shows there, but, of late, no opportunities have come my way. However, if an invitation comes along, I might be sitting in the audience on the 12^th of August.

At the Padma Ranga Chamber Music Hall, proceedings ended on a musical note, with everybody joining the celebrities in singing ‘Sandesey aatey haen’ (Border, 1999). Time for some legendary snacks from the Shanmukhananda Hall canteen, which have stood the test of time, and tasted as good as they did in 1971.