Grammy and Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman, along with celebrated lyricist-poet Gulzar, has created the official song for Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018.
The Odisha government roped in Rahman for composing the song titled "Jai hind hind, jai India", which is penned by Gulzar.
"Nothing says India more than our beloved sport hockey. And nothing is more exciting than the world's biggest hockey tournament happening right here, on our turf," Rahman said in a statement.
"It's heart-warming to see the entire nation pledge their heartbeats for hockey. As an extension of pledging our heartbeats, Gulzar sahab and I have created the World Cup song. A song that will excite and inspire, as also get you on your feet," added the music maestro.
CM @Naveen_Odisha announced the creative collaboration of legendary composer @arrahman and poet Gulzar for Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 anthem. AR Rahman will perform the anthem live during the #Odisha2018 opening ceremony. #HockeySongByRahmanGulzar pic.twitter.com/eA0Vc4UtMY
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) September 21, 2018
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said: "We are delighted to have Rahman compose the song for the Odisha Hockey World Cup. It will be an honour to have him perform live in Bhubaneswar. He is the voice of India and now with this song, the voice of India is the voice of the world cup.
"We are also fortunate to have Gulzar sahab add his poetic magic to the composition. Coming together of these two legends will not only inspire the players but will also get the entire nation together to support this wonderful game unfolding in Odisha at the world cup."
The fourteenth edition of the prestigious hockey competition is scheduled to take place from November 28 to December 16.
Rahman is also directing the song's video, which will be shot across the hockey heartlands of India. The song is set to release at the Kalinga Stadium inauguration scheduled for early October. Rahman will also perform it live at the opening ceremony on November 27.
