16 musicians, 9 languages, one song

Musicians, whatever genres they dabble in, have come together in the past when the Earth was in need.

One such instance was 30 years ago when 40 US artistes came together to sing 'We are the world' to talk about the famine in Africa.

Later, troubled by the destruction of the planet's greenery, Michael Jackson had written the 'Earth Song'.

In 2020, as the planet faces a pandemic that threatens our lives and livelihoods, 16 artistes singing in nine languages, recorded and performed a song online, with a video shot by professional sailors on the high seas. They borrowed Michael Jackson's title for it -- 'Earth Song'.

Musician Roshan D'Souza, explaining the philosophy behind the song, says, "The idea came to us when we realised how this temporary absence of humankind during the pandemic has replenished Mother Earth. The air is purer, water has started sparkling again, and the birds and animals are roaming freely. When I told these musings to my friend Dilraj Rodrigues, he immediately announced that we would produce the song."

But Dilraj was on the high seas when they decided this, so Roshan had to assemble the musicians, lyricists and technicians.

The 130 people who participated in this venture were in different timezones, right from India to West Asia to the US, many of whom did not have access to studio-quality technology.

"My friend Nithin Kootungal, who performed in the song in Malayalam, had to make a special travel pass from the authorities to travel from Ernakulam to Kottayam to get the audio mixed there," Roshan says.

The highlight of the song is the participation of ace guitarist Alwyn Fernandes, who has performed with Sandeep Chouta's 'Pulse' and Raghu Dixit's 'Antaragni'. The deep blue sea seen in the video was shot from the merchant navy ship 'Front Odin'.

Many families in the US, the Gulf and India contributed to the choral harmony from their rooftops, gardens and driveways. Just two days after the launch, the youtube link has got over 17,000 hits.