Odia Patriotic Songs Go Unheard!

Bhubaneswar: Patriotic songs give a proud feeling of being an Indian even as we remember the sacrifices of our leaders to free the country from the yoke of colonial rule, on Independence Day. While Hindi songs lending a patriotic vibe continue to top the charts, those in Odia are relegated to the bottom rung despite the soulful rendition.

‘Ganga Je Deshe Bahe, Jamuna Je Deshe Bahe, Sei Maa Kole Janama Amari, E Ki Gauraba Nuha’ penned by legendary singer-composer-writer Akshaya Mohanty from the film ‘Stree’ will definitely give you some adrenaline rush.

The song, featuring legendary actress-director-producer Parbati Ghose, in the golden voice of Nirmala Mishra reminds us of the freedom struggle.

The other song that immediately comes to our mind is ‘Swargadapi Gariyasi Janani Maa Dharitri’ from the film ‘Dharitri’ released in 1972. The song penned by Sibabrata Das features yesteryear actor Sriram Panda.

“There is little scope for patriotic songs in films being made these days. I have been lucky that two of my initial films revolved around the patriotism. The song ‘Odisha mo Odisha’ from my first film ‘Kalinga Putra’ is close to my heart,” said actor Akash Das Nayak.

The actor is planning a socio-political drama depicting patriotism.

“My favourite patriotic song from Odia films is ‘Bahijaere Ganga Ude Tiranga’ from ‘Balidan’ released in 1978,” he added.

Composed by Prafulla Kar, the song describes the inequality between rich and poor.

The song ‘Eei Amari Gaan Eei Amari Gaan’ from the National Award Winning film ‘Adina Megha’ is a delight to watch. The song composed by Balakrushna Dash features yesteryear actress Jharana Das.

According to film historian Surya Deo, ‘Kie se Dekhicha Palli Maa Ra Hasa Luhara Dheu’ from ‘Bhai Bhai’ released in 1956 was the first patriotic song in an Odia film. The film had Goura and Parbati Ghose in the lead.

Another popular patriotic song ‘Janma Bhumi Palli Dake Bakhe Jage Kampana’ was from the 1967-film ‘Bhai Bhauja’.

“The patriotic songs of old Odia films were on a par with Bollywood. These need to be promoted for the coming generation to respect our work,” he added.