NEW DELHI: ‘Wo Waqt Kabhi Jise Aana Tha’(the event that was to happen is now here) is the new anthem of the Association for Democratic Reforms, an NGO working to raise critical issues involved in the Lok Sabha elections. The video has been placed on the NGOs website.

The song, composed and sung by Harpreet, talks about the state of affairs in the nation even after six and a half  decades of independence. The video elaborates on how criminalization of politics and the nexus between money, crime and muscle power has affected the governance and delivery of even the bare minimum services and amenities to the citizens of the country.

The video has been directed by Gaurav Raturi, founder of Filmbooth,  best known for the International Filmbooth Festival Spoofmania organized in Delhi. The lyrics have been penned by Deepak Dhamija, founder of Shoelace Productions  and an IIM- Calcutta alumni.

At a time when around 800 million people will go out to vote in the coming 45 days, the website www.myneta.info will help the electorate to make an informed choice in deciding the future of the nation.

ADR founder trustee Prof Jagdeep Chhokar said, “In the coming elections a fairly large number of young voters will go out to vote for the first time. The song aims at making people realize the power their vote carries. A song has the ability to not only stay on the lips of the people, but it also stays in the mind. Social media has an immense role to play in this election.”

ADR head Anil Verma added, “Music is the food of the soul. The soulful rendering of the ADR Anthem by Harpreet and his team has touched not only our emotional chords but awakens our sensibilities to be a responsible citizen and vote to usher in a change for better governance. Mera Vote Mera Desh!”

Anthem video director Gaurav Raturi said, “Music and visuals go beyond words and slogans. What better story one can get to tell the people of India than to tell the people of India to vote responsibly.  We all have tried our best to match the brilliant lyrics and soulful singing by Harpreet. Let’s see how the voters of India find it. All excited to be part of this anthem.”

Harpreet said, “While working on the song, I grew not only as a musician but also as a citizen of the nation. To be a part of ADR’s anthem song was a journey in itself. I never felt I was working on a song, but it was like an act to serve the nation in the real sense.”

Lyricist Deepak Dhamija said, “It is time for people to know that if any revolution has to come, it will come through the ink on the fingers of the people after voting. The political class has ignored the real issues and demands of the people of the nation. It is high time we all come forward to make an informed choice and vote for the right candidate. ADR is doing a great job, and the creative people must come forward to support the cause for which the team of ADR is fighting.”

The ADR anthem song has also been shared by Facebook India as part of ADR-Facebook collaboration for the campaign to create a culture of informed choice.