The new version of the famous Sambalpuri folk song, ‘Rangabati’ – the original hit, released in the late 70’s made the average Oriya, the young and the old, sway to its beats – may have outraged the sensibilities of the discerning listeners, but to the younger crowd of the city, the Coke Studio @MTV’s version of the ‘eternal’ hit, sung by Sona Mohapatra and Rituraj Mohanty, is worth a try. Even as the old-timers and the conventionalists are dead against the re-mix, Orissa Post went around the town speaking to the youths to feel the pulse of the Next Gen. Here’s what we found. Read on…
post news network, Bhubaneswar, July 10: A number of youths of the city seem to support the Coke Studio’s Rangabati version which has been facing controversy since it was uploaded on YouTube. Dibyasundar Nayak, a 2nd year management student of the Xavier’s Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, said, “I believe the Coke Studio has given Rangabati a national exposure. Many people outside Orissa got to know about the song and have liked it. People should accept change and appreciate the evolution. If culture remains stagnant, it becomes stale, but it remains fresh if it flows like a river.”
Many in the city also believe that Orissa needs these kinds of initiatives to take the culture of Orissa to international levels. “Orissa is rich in its cultural heritage but it needs to be portrayed at right places so that the whole world gets to know about our diversity. The initiative by Sona Mohapatra and her team was very welcome. However, the management should have taken care of the alleged copyright issues,” says Ananta Prasad, a young communication professional living in the city.
Prasad, however, thinks that the raging controversy is giving the state a bad image in front of the world. “Sona Mohapatra and Rituraj Mohanty have always glorified our culture and brought laurels to the state. But if the people of the state turn against each other it only gives a bad name to the state,” said Prasad.
Many, however, think that although there were some ‘minor’ changes in the latest version but it did help in putting the folk song of the state at a bigger platform.
Debasmita Mahanand, a management aspirant from the city said, “The new version has lots of mistakes in terms of pronunciation and all. But overall it was a good effort to give the song a new look and feel. I have nothing against them, though I would have been happier if they got the lyrics and the pronunciation right.”
Phone calls made and emails send to Sona Mohapatra, Ram Sampath and Rituraj Mohanty failed to elicit any response.
However, Manisha Patsani, a student of MA (Political Science) from Ravenshaw University, said, “I have heard both the old and the new versions of the song. Both are good at their own points. I believe we should actually encourage these kinds of initiatives, which help in increasing popularity of folk songs of Orissa and increase their audience base.”
