13-year-old sings tribute to victims

The Class 9 student of Utpal Sanghvi School at Juhu has composed and sung Dekhta Hoon Jab Watan Apna as a tribute to 11/7 victims and their relatives, reports Noorul Hijaz Tharola.

Dekhta hoon jab watan apna, (when I see my homeland)
Anginat dil todhti ghatna, (I see countless hearts broken)
Bikhra hai lahoon tera mera, (Blood, yours and mine, spilt everywhere)
Mann mein dehshato ka hai dera, (The heart taken over by fears)
Kab thamega bam ka yun phatna? (When will the bombs stop going off?)

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These are the thoughts sung by 13-year-old singer-composer Raj Pandit. The Class 9 student of Utpal Sanghvi School at Juhu has composed and sung Dekhta Hoon Jab Watan Apna as a tribute to 11/7 victims and their relatives.

"I accompanied my father (filmmaker Ashok Pandit) to Cooper Hospital last year after the blasts. My father was trying to help the victims in whatever way he could. I was stunned to see the blood and people dying," said Raj. "As the first anniversary of the blasts approached, I thought of paying a musical tribute to the victims."

Ashok is pleased at his son’s gesture. "I’m happy to see his concern. I was afraid that he would lose his innocence in this materialistic age, but fortunately that hasn’t happened," he said. "Raj wanted to express what goes through a child’s mind on seeing such terror." Ashok now hopes to air the song on radio on July 11.

Raj composed the song in his one-room-studio. He played all the instruments himself and arranged them using software.