A voice for justice
S.M. AAMIR
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Rabbi Shergill has dedicated his new album to the girl child.
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The concert was marred by the orchestra which created more din than music
Photo: K. Murali Kumar
For a cause Rabbi Shergill.
A little after Zila Khan raised her voice for the girl child with her latest album, the movement seems to be gaining momentum with more and more classical and popular singers dedicating their new works to highlight the society’s discrimination towards the girl child. As popular singer Rabbi Shergill said at the launch of the new album “Avengi ja Nahin”, “Girls are vanishing at a rapid rate. Nearly 2000 girl children are being killed every year before they are born.”
In the fitness of things Rabbi has dedicated his new album to the girl child and began his concert in New Delhi last week by highlighting the issue. However, he chose to cloak the serious issue in the garb of popular music.
Playing to the gallery, Rabbi opted for an unconventional launch for his new album brought out by YRF Music and produced largely in Italy. Instead of the age-old ribbon cutting ceremony by a celebrity, Rabbi asked members of the audience to do the honours, saying they were responsible for making him popular. He invited the audience to scream the loudest and then selected 3 young men and a lady to join him on stage to release the album.
Through with the release, Rabbi began his live concert with “O Ballo”, dedicated to the girl child. It moved well with handclaps and finger snaps. Then songs like “Pagri Sambhal Jatta”, which was an exhortation by Rabbi to the present generation to remember the lessons of the past, followed. Soon, he moved to electric rhythms and lead guitars with the next track, “Karachi Valie”, and the song itself was more like a rock number. The title track “Avengi Ja Nahin” which makes effective use of percussions and the traditional Greek musical instrument, the bouzouki, followed.
To please the old timers Rabbi also sang some old popular numbers like “Bulla Ki Jaana” and “Tere Bin” which were very well appreciated by the audience. However the concert was marred by the orchestra which created more din than music. In fact such was the disturbance created by the music system that the audience was unable to hear Rabbi’s lyrics. As one heard a listener remark, “This is the first of the five songs we have heard that we have been able to follow.”
Despite the flaws of the acoustics one voice came out loud and clear at the concert: Save the Girl Child.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
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Thiruvananthapuram
