Delhi’s new CM pulls a Manna Dey, mesmerises crowd

NEW DELHI: Twenty-five-old Anoop Kumar had travelled all the way from Rohini to be part of Arvind Kejriwal’s much talkedabout swearing-in ceremony at Ramlila Ground Saturday. What Kumar found most inspiring, besides Kejriwal’s powerful speech, was his rendition of Kavi Pradeep’s ‘Insaan Ka Insaan Se Ho Bhaichara, Yahi Paigam Hamara’ (there should be brotherhood of humans / This is our message).

“He speaks from the heart and sings from the heart. The song brought tears to my eyes,” said Kumar. The popular composition by C Ramchandra, from the movie Paigham (1959), was sung by Manna Dey. Kejriwal has sung this song when he was first sworn-in as the chief minister of the Capital on December 28 in 2013.

As expected, Kejriwal struck a chord with the one lakh-strong crowd that could be heard singing along with the new chief minister. Kejriwal’s choice of a song over poetry is quite a novelty as a lot of politicians in the country are known to recite Urdu couplets to make a political point. ANOOP KUMAR, supporter

But he’s not the only political leader to have mesmerised his audience with an impromptu gig. There are other politicians across the world who won’t mind singing a song or two in public.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, sang “Blueberry Hill” at a children’s cancer charity fundraiser in 2010 in St Petersburg. Similarly, in 2012, US president Barack Obama, too, sang a few lines from Al Green’s hit song, “Let’s Stay Together”, at a fundraiser in New York. Former Chinese president Hu Jintao also enjoyed singing folk songs.

Rajendra Mehta, 75, from Janak Puri said that he liked the chief minister’s choice of the forgotten song. “The song will get an afterlife, thanks to Kejriwal. The song with a socialist message and a revolutionary spirit was perfect for the occasion.”