01 April,2016 10:00 AM IST | | Hemal Ashar
Kandivli residents turn singers to record anthem video that's hitting the top of car-pool charts
The residents of Whispering Palms Society in Kandivli (E) have taken to YouTube to spread an environment-friendly message. A video-anthem uploaded on YouTube and Facebook is an effort to popularise a car-pooling social initiative they launched in August last year.
(Left to right) Singers Sadhana Virkar, Suresh Iyer, Sachin Kesarvani, Madhav Ajgaonkar, Santosh Shetty, Lahu P and Avinash Virkar
Called Lift Kara De, inspired by the popular Adnan Sami number, it has in the last year grown from seven members to an impressive 130. The voluntary car pooling effort involving both lift givers and seekers works through a Whatsapp group, where anyone who wants a lift or can accommodate an extra someone in their car gets added. The members then communicate through WhatsApp about details of where they are headed, and if others are going the same way.
Santosh Shetty, co-founder, says, "Madhav Ajgaonkar, society resident and music director, has composed the anthem, while 10 residents have come together to work on the video." The song that was recorded at a professional studio features residents of the Kandivali society, singing the number. Nilesh Mehta says the idea was to do something "unique" for Lift Kara De. Pramod Basrur adds, "We want the Lift Kara De concept to be replicated across other Mumbai societies, and eventually across India. What better way to touch the right chords than with a music video?" The video was shot in a day by Ajay Pande and editing wrapped up in three.
A jingle was first created, which metamorphosed into a song, and finally became a music video. They had Mushtaq Charkopi penning the lyrics and society members Suresh Iyer, Santosh Shetty, Sachin Kesarvani, Sadhna Virkar, Avinash Virkar sing. While the yodelers are not professionals, they did get a bit of training from professional music directors, Lahu-Madhav before they took the mic.
Recollecting the reason behind starting the effort, resident Santosh Shetty says, the daily struggle for autos was a motivator. "People struggle to get autos to reach the station, and they never agree to ply short distances, especially during peak hours." Kavita Shetty adds, "We'd see residents struggle to get autos, and there were car goers, who would drive out alone. That got us thinking about Lift Kara De."
Today, most members commute to the business hubs of BKC, Nirlon Goregoan, Lower Parel and Thane. This robust initiative is not defunct on the weekends either, with members even car-pooling on weekend getaways.
