‘Daake Re’: A Song Of Self-Discovery & Connect With The Motherland

Bhubaneswar: All of us have a deep sense of connection with our motherland. Come Independence Day, the nationalistic fervour only gets stronger and overwhelming, filling us with patriotic pride, hope as well as nostalgia.

And so is the case with “Daake Re”, an Odia song sung by social worker Biswa Mohanty. The song not only awakens the love for our motherland, but brings us closer to the answers of life’s quest as well.

The song has been produced and released by Zubaan, an organisation reviving Indian folk and local music, under its series ‘Pehli Pehel’. The series features songs from the rural heartlands of the country.

“Daake re” was originally composed by Biswa Mohanty and his friends. They would sing it on the streets of Odisha during many movements and yatras that they were a part of. Produced by Kanishk and Kavish Seth, it will release on Friday.

Biswa Mohanty expressed his gratitude saying a song so close to his heart, that only people near and dear to him knew, is coming on a wider platform. “I would sing songs for social awareness because I wanted to work on people’s thought process. All my life, I have been into social justice work. My aim has been to reach out to people and bring out their emotions. This song is one such attempt,” Mohanty added.

Quoting two lines from the song, “ei maati ra daaka suni, kete pua jhia, maati upare buhai dele buku rakata sua” and “Gaan aakhire luha re bhai, maa chaati re koho, garabhu tara janami aame, sabu videsi pua”, he said the song is for everyone who pays heed to the call of one’s motherland. “I am really excited about the release because this song is really special for me. This song is for anyone fighting for social justice, working for their motherland, or making the country more beautiful,” he said.

Kavish said he felt extremely connected to Biswa Mohanty and his work. “He was a sarpanch earlier and used this power of the song to mobilise people for social causes. “Daake Re” has been sung on different occasions before — farmers’ distress, protest marches, political gatherings and fund-collection drives after natural calamities like the Odisha floods. Yet when you listen to it today, it feels contemporary to our current reality. At Zubaan, we share a similar intention of bringing people together through music,” he said.

The lyrics, written by Biswa Mohanty, Indu Bhushan Mishra and Subodh Pattnaik struck a chord with Kavish. “The words resonated with me. How does one feel walking the length and breadth of one’s village? This phase that our country is in, is of introspection, where every youth asks himself/herself about the purpose and meaning of being an Indian. There are big questions buzzing in our heads. This song is an attempt to portray the questions and answer them subtly,” he added.

The song is about one’s self-journey; an awakening to modern India.

The instruments used in the making of the song are Madal (a Santhali instrument), Duitara, Guitar and Flute, played by Soumya Ranjan Nayak, Kavish Seth, and Manohar Lal, respectively. Kavish said they tried not to use any western instrument or electronic music. “We want it to be organic and real. In the sense, when we perform it live, it should not be any different for people. The feeling should be exactly like the one in the video,” he added.

The video was shot in July last year at various places of Kendrapara, Chandbali, and Bhubaneswar by cinematographer Jaisingh Nageswaran. Parts of it were also shot at Bakul Foundation in the city.