Mysuru gets Dixit’s noteful Salaam

The clouds are flying above the Sayyaji Rao Road and with a swish, the willow hits the ball towards the nets. You cannot have too many good things at once, but the official anthem of the Mysuru Warriors of the Karnataka Premier League offers a union of the grandest of icons. The elegance of cricket has joined the princely grace of Mysuru and who else other than the state’s treasure Raghu Dixit to set the tune for such an epoch making occurrence? With his youth inspired folk anthem for the Warriors, the Bengaluru musician has done it again – and this time he is batting for his home side.

“The song was composed last year itself, when the Karnataka Premier League was launched. Not only am I from Mysuru, but the managing director of the owner company of the Warriors franchise, Arjun Ranga was my classmate!” laughs Raghu. The singer continues, “So it was a given that I would compose the anthem for the team, no questions asked.”

Busy with composing for a film in Chennai, Raghu speaks between recording sessions the spirit of his hometown. “The tribute is to the city, more than the cricket team. The song’s name Nee Salaam Hodi is from one of the most popular sayings of the city. Although as is the norm in old and great cities, this too is not original and owes its beginnings to a film song, I think,” says the Jag Changa singer before breaking into a fresh rendition of the anthem over the phone. “I simply wished for a song that would help people attach a team to a city’s name,” he says.

Although Mysuru is Dixit’s home team, his unofficial support when it comes to sports goes to the Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore team of the Indian Premier League. “I would like to see them not stun us all with a shock defeat late into the tournament, after performing really well throughout, for once,” he says genially.