Sport and music are very closely connected. The rendition of the national anthem ahead of a match is key to setting the tone. You can see the players getting involved and that’s what helps the supporters to also get going. And in a multi-discipline event, the greatest moment for an athlete or a fan is to see the national flag go up during the medal ceremony and the anthem played. You ask any athlete, and he or she will tell you that listening to the national anthem is the greatest moment of their sporting life.
Music is also part of a tournament in multiple other ways. When you think of the IPL, you immediately think of the 10-second music associated with it. The tune has become synonymous with the tournament and has helped give the tournament a very distinct identity.
From team songs, which are sung during a match, to fan chants, sport and music have also been globally celebrated. As described above, there are multiple other aspects to the role of music in sport and the relationship between the two. Music is used to celebrate a sport or sporting moment, to offer a musical narrative to a sports story or used as a medium for aesthetic expression, during artistic gymnastics, for example. Finally, it is also used as an expression of fandom and a means to strengthen fan identity with the team.
Keeping all of this in mind, it was but natural that we’d want a very special tune to be associated with the Tata Steel Trailblazers Conclave. We had organised a very special musical concert titled ‘Sadhana’ with maestro Bickram Ghosh last year at the Conclave, and the idea originally emerged from there. We needed our own signature tune, and one that would forever be associated with the Conclave. Needless to say, there was none better than Bickram to help us with this. He understood the synergy, had curated Sadhana keeping in mind the multiple intersections between sport and music, and it was fitting that we approached him to help us.
It is indeed a matter of great pride to announce that Bickram has now created this very special tune, also titled “Sadhana” – which will be included in his new album Rhythmscape 2 – for the Trailblazers Conclave. We will formally release the Conclave tune on February 28, the day of our press conference and the occasion when we will make the schedule public.
Suffice to say, it is a tune that will resonate with everyone associated with sport. It has drama and action, rhythm and energy, passion and ecstasy. It is a tune that perfectly captures the essence of Trailblazers – India’s best sports congregation. Finally, it is a tune that grows on you. Having listened to it a hundred times already, I can feel the beats each time it is played. And I am very sure the athletes will love it, and so will the audience.
Finally, it will give the Trailblazers Conclave a distinct identity each time it is played. Thank you, Bickram da, for doing it and we can’t wait to share it with you all less than two weeks from now.
