Guwahati, March 22: A day after Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal released the theme song of the Namami Brahmaputra Festival, various organisations have flayed the number for not showcasing the ethnic heritage of the state.
The state government is organising the festival from March 31 to April 4.
The All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS), an organisation of various ethnic communities of the state, criticised the song saying there was no representation of Assam's indigenous culture. The group said it would move Sonowal for a new version of the song.
"There is no representation of Assam's indigenous population in the song. It portrays only the geographical aspects of the mighty river. Ethnic tunes of Assam, such as oinitom (Mising traditional song), tunes of Bodos and Ahoms, should be utilised to make a proper theme song about the Brahmaputra. But the song, which was released last night, does not represent such elements. We strongly condemn it," said Aditya Khakhlari, general secretary of the Sangha.
The Sangha and various other tribal organisations will submit a joint memorandum to the chief minister tomorrow, demanding a review of the song. The forums will urge the chief minister to take steps so that the song is rewritten and recomposed, added Khakhlari.
Lurinjyoti Gogoi, general secretary of the All Assam Students' Union, said: "The Brahmaputra is our lifeline. Therefore, when a song is composed about the river, Assamese society should be represented in it. Since the Brahmaputra creates our heritage, we should be careful about the dignity of Assamese society."
Sonowal released the Hindi and Assamese versions of the song at a function at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. The song, which is now available on YouTube, has been penned by Swanand Kirkire in Hindi and Manmath Baishya in Assamese. Assamese singer Angaraag Mahanta, popularly known as Papon, composed both the versions.
Singers such as Shankar Mahadevan, Arijit Singh, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan, Kailash Kher, Pulak Banerjee, Kalpana Patowary, Mayukh Hazarika and others, along with actor Amitabh Bachchan, have lent their voices to the song.
