Odisha Girl To Sing World Cup Hockey Anthem

Bhubaneswar: Little did this 17-year-old girl from the remote Chintaguda village in Koraput district know that the video of a song she had sung during COVID-19 would one day give her the chance to represent Odisha on the world stage. Namita Melanka, a second-year intermediate (science) student of Rama Devi Women’s University is part of the group that will sing the main anthem of the men’s hockey World Cup to be held in the state capital and Rourkela next month.

Namita will be singing the anthem composed by Bollywood musician Pritam at the inauguration ceremony of the World Cup to be held in Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on January 11, 2023 and at the city festival in Bhubaneswar on January 17. She recorded her portion of the anthem at a Mumbai studio on Friday.

The offer was a complete surprise for Namita, who is excited to have got the chance to sing with Bollywood bigwigs and be a part of such a mega event.

Namita belongs to a family of marginal farmers and is the youngest of six sisters. She had become an internet sensation when her video of Neha Kakkar’s ‘Mile Ho Tum Humko’ went viral on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has no formal training in singing. Listening to her singing, her teachers, friends and parents used to encourage her. She now wants to pursue a career in singing. Namita has also sung a few songs in Odia and in her native Kui language.