Sirsa: Songs glorifying candidates replace patriotic tunes during campaigning

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, May 2

There was a time when leaders of all parties would campaign with patriotic songs resonating across the nation. However, with the advent of social media and changing times, these patriotic songs have been replaced by personalised songs crafted for candidates. These songs now only promote the candidate and his/her party.

Earlier, during every election, be it for the Lok Sabha or the Assembly, candidates used to play patriotic songs on loudspeakers while campaigning. They would travel around cities and villages, spreading their message while playing patriotic tunes. This used to evoke a sense of patriotism among voters. However, times have changed, and in the era of social media, the space once filled with patriotic songs is now occupied by fast-paced music, which solely promotes the candidate or his/her party. This shift has diminished the sense of patriotism associated with election campaigns.

Harish Kumar, a city resident, recalls that until a decade ago, patriotic songs dominated every election campaign. “Songs like ‘Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle’, ‘Ye desh hai veer jawano ka’, ‘Mera desh mera mulk mera ye watan’, ‘Shanti ka unnati ka pyar ka chamnan’, were extensively played during candidates’ campaigns. However, nowadays, candidates only focus on promoting themselves and these songs lack the essence and emotion of patriotism,” he said.

In the present scenario, candidates such as Ashok Tanwar from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Kumari Selja from the Congress, Ramesh Khatak from the JJP and Sandeep Lot from the INLD are the main Lok Sabha candidates in Sirsa. Almost all candidates are promoting themselves through personalised songs. There is hardly any trace of patriotic songs in their campaigns.

Local pharmacist Prabhjot Kaur states that in the past, when patriotic songs were played during elections, they naturally instilled a sense of patriotism among people and encouraged them to vote. However, this is not the case anymore. Candidates now only want to glorify themselves. Prabhjot says elections are a significant opportunity to unite people and instil a sense of duty towards the nation.

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