Delhi gets its anthem

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Guess who has given Delhi its new anthem? No, it’s no Bollywood biggi, but a young Delhi-based band, Astitva whose composition: This Is Where I Belong has got even the chief minister, Sheila Dikshit crooning. An elated Zaman Khan, the lead guitarist of the five-member band, feels that it’s probably the youth-appeal of the song that has managed to impress the CM.

“The chief minister loved the song when we first performed it at the Commonwealth Games Youth Festival. She then had us perform it at her residence and asked us to start recording it,” he says, adding that it was an honour to perform the song at the Delhi government’s recent awards ceremony, where veterans like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Girja Devi and Ruskin Bond were honoured.
While Palash Sen’s songs Dilli Meri Jaan was chosen by the CM last year, what makes Astitva’s song exclusive? “We as Delhiites believe that no one can look at our city the way we do. To us, Delhi is an exceptional place. And this is what we say through the lyrics of our song, which portray the city’s magnificence. The song actually talks about what Delhi signifies — narrow lanes, its food, heritage spots, religion and the new lifeline —the Metro,” says drummer Ayush Gupta.
Proud of their Indian roots, Astitva was formed in 2007 and derives its name from Sanskrit, which means “identity”. Interestingly, all the five band members are pass-outs from Delhi University, and aim at establishing a connect with their listeners, without restricting themselves to a genre.
“Born out of diverse Western pop/rock and Hindustani classical influences, we aim at blending deeply meditative ragas with rock and jazz, and with a hint of Urdu poetry,” says bassist Amit James.
After composing for film Valentine Nights, vocalist Salman Khan feels that Bollywood will always have room for new talent. “Of course, we can’t do the type of music well-established musicians do, but then even they can’t do our type of thing,” he adds.
The band also wants to use their music to make a point. “Many musicians have come forward for causes like corruption, but issues like the plight of the girl child has not been taken up by many. In fact our song, Jeneey Do that talks about this issue has also been taken up by the government for its campaigns. Ms Dikshit told us to use the best possible studio available in the country to record the songs. She also visited the studio in Delhi to check on the recordings,” adds 23-year-old Ayush proudly.