As Kottayam district, formed in 1949, celebrates its 70th birthday, a group of youngsters have come up with an anthem to commemorate the special occasion. Titled The Kottayam Anthem, the Malayalam rap song rendered by Rohith Matt and AQiL touches upon unique elements of the district — the dialect, style and places.
Directed by Nikhil S. Praveen, the video song focuses on scenic visuals of the district. The video begins with unique definition of ‘Kottayam achayan’, and has shots of the town, nearby areas, popular monuments, education institutions and so on.
An aspiring musician, Rohith is happy to have such a stylish start with a song about his hometown. “I have been trying different themes for a while. This idea struck me while I was going to pick up my brother from the airport. The tune of the chorus just flowed into my mind. Then, I put words that reflect the true spirit of a ‘Kottayamkaran’ into it,” recalls an elated Rohith who then sought the help of his friend AQiL (Akhil), a rapper. “Hip-hop is becoming a rage among youth now. I thought of using the genre for my debut song and hence approached AQiL.”
AQiL, who resides in Australia, did his bit in the best way he could. “Kottayam is not my native. So, I did a basic research for the song. I did only the rap part. Rohith did his part. Basically, everyone has contributed to their respective area,” he says. Other musicians behind the anthem include Steffin S. Jacob (lead guitar), Noel Varghese (bass guitar), Don Harry Tom (keyoboard/synth) and Jack J. Gireesh (drums). Editing is by Aadhil N Asharaf.
Born and brought in Karappuzha, Rohith’s work was easier, “I had a clear picture about the place in my mind, and lyrics just poured in. I recorded the chorus and went to our producer Charles. AQiL recorded his part in Australia. Thus, it happened,” says Rohith, who is also the CFO of Reach Worldwide, a charity organisation.
The song was released on YouTube on August 30.
