These hills, these forests will remain like this, right mother?” A playful tiger cub seeks reassurance from its mother in India’s first tiger anthem, produced as part of TOI’s #SavingOurStripes initiative and to celebrate 50 years of Project Tiger.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, who launched the anthem in New Delhi on Wednesday, praised it for focusing on the simple joys found in nature and the need for preserving the ecosystem. “We can’t imagine living on Earth in a scenario where only humans survive, without animals, trees, mountains and birds,” he said.
The anthem, which follows the intimate journey of a tiger cub and its mother, and bats for their preservation, was composed by Shantanu Moitra, who is known for making music for Bollywood films such as Parineeta and 3 Idiots.
“It’s one of the difficult projects I have worked on because of the responsibility that came with it, which is much bigger than Instagram or Facebook likes. If even one person can look at the tiger with a lens of empathy because of this anthem, then our job is done,” Moitra said, adding, “Usually, I compose songs for Bollywood superstars, but after working on this anthem I have realised that the tiger is the biggest superstar I have come across. ”
Noted wildlife filmmaker an d multiple National Film Awards winner S Nallamuthu, who shot the visuals for the anthem, also said the project was challenging to work on. “Normally, I make films which are one hour long. It was a big challenge to send the message across in three minutes. Each shot had to tell a story. ”
During the launch event at the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, minister Yadav greeted school students who had come from various cities across the country. Aarav Kapoor, a class 7 student at St Xavier’s, Kolkata, said the anthem will be crucial for spreading the message of tiger conservation to children.
“Children my age can learn the anthem and spread it to other people. We’re the future and it’s important for us to save the tigers because they’re an integral part of the world and the food chain,” he said. Tanveer Ghazi, who penned the lyrics for the anthem, said ensuring that the words used were simple and catchy was important in order to make them relatable to kids: “We wanted to reach out to the future of the country and tell them not only about the importance of the tiger but also its beauty. ”
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, who launched the anthem in New Delhi on Wednesday, praised it for focusing on the simple joys found in nature and the need for preserving the ecosystem. “We can’t imagine living on Earth in a scenario where only humans survive, without animals, trees, mountains and birds,” he said.
The anthem, which follows the intimate journey of a tiger cub and its mother, and bats for their preservation, was composed by Shantanu Moitra, who is known for making music for Bollywood films such as Parineeta and 3 Idiots.
“It’s one of the difficult projects I have worked on because of the responsibility that came with it, which is much bigger than Instagram or Facebook likes. If even one person can look at the tiger with a lens of empathy because of this anthem, then our job is done,” Moitra said, adding, “Usually, I compose songs for Bollywood superstars, but after working on this anthem I have realised that the tiger is the biggest superstar I have come across. ”
Noted wildlife filmmaker an d multiple National Film Awards winner S Nallamuthu, who shot the visuals for the anthem, also said the project was challenging to work on. “Normally, I make films which are one hour long. It was a big challenge to send the message across in three minutes. Each shot had to tell a story. ”
During the launch event at the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, minister Yadav greeted school students who had come from various cities across the country. Aarav Kapoor, a class 7 student at St Xavier’s, Kolkata, said the anthem will be crucial for spreading the message of tiger conservation to children.
“Children my age can learn the anthem and spread it to other people. We’re the future and it’s important for us to save the tigers because they’re an integral part of the world and the food chain,” he said. Tanveer Ghazi, who penned the lyrics for the anthem, said ensuring that the words used were simple and catchy was important in order to make them relatable to kids: “We wanted to reach out to the future of the country and tell them not only about the importance of the tiger but also its beauty. ”