Shillong lad pays tribute to late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in song
Shubham Roy, a Shillongite artiste based in Bangalore paid tribute to the late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam by composing a song in his honor. Roy is currently working at Amazon and we are grateful for his time with us at TNT -The Northeast Today for a short and brief interview regarding his tribute song.
In conversation with Shubham Roy:
TNT. Greetings! A brief introduction about your upbringing where and on your educational background?
Shubham: I was born and brought up in Shillong and received my school education in St. Thomas' Higher Secondary School, Shillong. I went on to pursue my higher studies in St. Edmund's College, Shillong from where I successfully graduated with Economics as my honours subject.
TNT. What are you currently doing?
Shubham: I am currently established in Bangalore and I work here as an Associate for Amazon. On the music front, I am a part of two bands which are folk and fusion oriented called Kalari (based in Bangalore) and Bauls & Blues (based in Shillong). Having performed at everything from intimate gigs to national venues such as M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Freedom park and State Central Library (Shillong), I as an independent artiste have also opened for some of the most prominent artiste of the music fraternity such as Usha Uthup, Raghu Dixit, Karthik Das Baul, Zubeen Garg and The Indian Ocean. Our biggest achievement was the broadcast of Wings of Fire on MTV INDIES and Aankhi on MTV Roots. The lyrics was written by Shiny Das who also writes most of my other songs. Presently I am working on the creation of a multilingual album which hopes to showcase versatility and authenticity by blending different forms of music.
TNT. Do you consider yourself a Shillong lad?
Shubham: I have fond memories of my hometown, it is the only part of the country which has the characteristic of matrilineal society and have valued women since time immemorial. Shillongites are music lovers who adore and have deepest regards for other musicians as well so yes my existence is deeply rooted in free thinking, love and unity and this is what I try and communicate through my music. Not only is the landscape of shillong picturesque but also are the people simpleminded. In this day and age of complexity, they have miraculously been able to retain this simplicity and make this place a living embodiment of Utopia.
TNT. How did the influence of the song Wings of Fire come about?
Shubham: We came up with a tune which had melancholy and a hint of inspiration and its creation coincided with the loss of one of the most inspirational mind that the Indian soil has witnessed, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The fact that Shillong became the land of Kalam's penultimate destination chosen for his salvation has made its beauty all the more transcendental and we took this moment to compose a song in his tribute which would invigorate a sense of fortitude, hope and prowess.
TNT. And what are trying to aspire through this song?
Shubham: It is our small way of showing tribute to the rocket man of India. Through this song we hope to keep his teachings alive and remind everyone that our country needs more men like him, "dhoond ta tera desh koi, tere jaisa leke aa". Personally I have always shared a great rapport with children and I took it as a pleasing and enriching task in this journey of both recording the song as well shooting. Interacting with children is as refreshing as a breath of fresh air. With eyes filled with dreams and hearts filled with hope, they inspire everyone around to aim for the zenith. I would thank AHAM and Providence, St. Edmund's campus for helping this idea come into being. We hope this reaches out to as many hearts as possible.
Lyrics: Wings of Fire (Shiny Das)
Composed and Sung by: Shubham Roy
Video Credit: Anik A Chakraborty
Music produced by: Abhilash Lakhra
Link to the song Wings of Fire:
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(TNT)
