They have this undying passion for music. For this group of youngsters music is not an empty simile but a distinct consciousness. A group which knows that creative opportunities before them are limited and were on the prowl for such an opportunity. That was when the Kochi-Muziris Biennale happened. There was a flurry of activity around and they wanted to be part of it in some way. No one knew them, no one commissioned them but they decided to make a song celebrating the event and the city.
That’s how the ‘Biennale Song’ was created. And from the time it went viral it has evoked amazing response.
Rakesh Kesavan, Jose Peter, Sudhith Xavier and Sanu Jeevan studied at the same time in different batches at Sacred Heart College, Thevara. They were part of the music club where their passion took wing. Passing out they moved to different professions, meeting up once in a while, connected by music.
Jose took up a couple of jobs before finally joining Pixel Nirvana Design Studio, as video editor and photographer, Rakesh did his degree in Computer Application and joined an IT firm at Infopark, Sudhith is chief editor of Route Cochin , an online magazine, while Sanu Jeevan took up a job in The Hindu . “We did a music video. It was a single, ‘Ragavilolayaam…’ and uploaded it on the Net. Jose did the lyrics, Sanu played the tabla and I did the composing and singing. It was an okay effort for which we got the support of ‘Route Cochin’,” says Rakesh, who got noticed for his singing in a couple of music reality shows.
Route Cochin also serves as an activity platform. It maps Kochi and its activities with the focus on city-related events. “The idea of the ‘Biennale Song’ came from Sudhith. Route Cochin had supported our first effort. And they were game for the Biennale idea too. We talked to Anu Elizabeth Jose, whose songs in Thattathin Marayathu were sensational and Rakesh Kesavan. A few others like Demin Devassy, Sanu and Olivia Christine joined us and the song was born. We talked to the organisers who allowed us to shoot at their venues and use it as a ‘Biennale Song’. Pixel Nirvana provided the technical help. The expenses were shared by us,” says Jose Peter.
The ‘Biennale Song’, Vinnil ninnum soorya mukhampol… has lyrics by Anu and the English part by Olivia Christine. “The song is a blend of folk, eastern and western styles. We have tried to make it peppy and rhythmic to sync with the mood of the event. Also, since our previous song was raga-based we thought we needed to break that,” says Rakesh, who has set it to music and sung it along with Jose, Sanu and Demin Devassy.
The visuals are slick, (Vishnu Rajan and Sudhith have cranked the camera) crisply edited (Jose was on the editing table) and run well with the song. The group is upbeat with the response . “Now, we have plans to launch a band that will play our choice of songs and also to come up with a new song very soon,” says Jose.
