29 July,2015 07:30 AM IST | | Dharmendra Jore
Uddhav Thackeray received a ballad from his diehard supporters on Monday, portraying him as an aggressive successor to his father; its also includes Hindi lyrics to appeal to a ‘large section of the audience’, says composer
On his 55th birthday on Monday, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray received a novel gift from his diehard supporters a ballad composed in his honour. The video portrays the Sena president as an aggressive successor to his father, and a gentleman who not only takes his politics seriously but also pursues his hobbies passionately.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray greets well-wishers gathered to celebrate his 55th birthday at his residence Matoshree in Kalanagar, yesterday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
The interesting thing about the ballad, âAla rey ala kon ala, Shiv Senecha wagh ala (the Sena's tiger has come)', is that the lyrics change into Hindi in the middle of the song. The Marathi mukhda (opening stanza) melds with Mumbai's oft-spoken Hindi.
This appears a welcome change in the party's policy, which otherwise swears by Marathi and the cause of the âsons of the soil'. Umesh Wagh, a former employee of the National Insurance Company who has composed the two-song video and written its lyrics as well, said the Marathi-Hindi combination was deliberate because he wanted to cater to non-Marathi speaking Sena supporters who adore Uddhav Thackeray.
"It isn't that only Marathi people are Sena's supporters. The lyrics can be understood by a large section of the audience," he said. Wagh said his team wanted to tell the people that Uddhav has fittingly replaced the late Bal Thackeray as the party's chief.
"Uddhavji has been at the forefront in all agitations and elections. He has single-handedly performed exceedingly well on all fronts. He has sealed the mouths of his detractors." Wagh, along with Komal Tendulkar and Milind More, have lent their voices. Graphic artiste Pritam Soni has put the videos together by using film footage from various sources.
Sena's senior leaders Anil Parab and Prasad Ayare (also the producer) have supported the team all along. Wagh said the Sena chief was happy to see his personal and political journey. The video has the footage of Uddhav shooting the state's ancient forts and Pandharpur vaari from helicopter, his walkthroughs in the farms owned by distressed farmers, leading protests and making a point at political rallies.
It also depicts the Sena's history in very brief in the beginning. The video has also been uploaded on video-sharing website YouTube. Nearly 500 compact discs were gifted to the Sainiks after the party chief was shown the 6-minute number at his Kala Nagar residence on Monday. The same team had also composed a song after Sena supreme Bal Thackeray's passing, and this song has also been included on the CDs.
