'Aaru', ICCW's new music video, strings together Tamil Nadu's river heritage
These days, rivers in the State are remembered more for floods than for the life they once nurtured. 'Aaru-Rivers of Tamil Nadu', a new music video, seeks to gently remind us of the State's water wealth — by simply calling each river by name, and stringing them together in a soulful tribute.
Launched by the International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW), a not-for-profit initiative of IIT-Madras, the seven-minute song sung by father-daughter duos aims at creating awareness on rivers, and seeks collaboration with various stakeholders on rejuvenation of rivers.
Conceived, composed, and produced by Kanniks Kannikeswaran, IIT-Madras Alumnus who pioneered the Indian American choral movement, the song's lyrics have woven in names of at least 125 rivers in the State.
'This is the third video produced by ICCW since 2021. The idea is to encourage youngsters to learn the names of the rivers, rekindle reverence, and induce people to pay attention to waterways,' said E. Nandakumar, Chief Executive Officer, ICCW.
While the first music video was on the rivers of India, the second one, released in 2022, depicted the significance of monsoons and rainwater harvesting. Music and arts were chosen as the media to convey powerful messages about rivers and the need for conservation.
This time, the song, which is available on ICCW's YouTube channel, featured father-daughter duos — veteran singers Unnikrishnan and Uttara; Srinivas and Sharanya.
'In the first video, we had chosen mother-son duos to symbolise the generational transition in celebrating our rivers and passing on the responsibility to restore them,' Mr. Nandakumar said.
Noting that the idea for the project took root during an IIT-M reunion in 2020, Mr. Kannikeswaran based in Cincinnati, USA, said: 'It was humbling to know that there are more than 125 rivers in the State during my research. Each of them powerful, but some lost their functionality over the years. I have tuned it in the Tamil folk style, blending in flavours of ragas like Senchurutti. I used alliterations and rhyming words such as 'Pongum Porunai' and 'Kongu Bhavani' to make the lyrics flow with the tune.'
There are plans to bring out more such videos on rivers in other States, including Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and integrate the region's folk and classical raga traditions, he added. ICCW looks to collaborate with other educational institutions for the project.
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