By Tirthankar Poddar
“If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.”
Now that I have your attention, let me introduce OrchidaMukherjee to you. Orchida works at India Post. (That’s our government operated postal system under the Ministry of Communications.) On January 11, she got in touch with me through a friend on Instagram. When we spoke on the phone later, she said she wanted me to sing and record an anthem for the Republic Day parade. I lost no time and got to work immediately. Orchida sent me the words along with the basic melody. And before she woke up the next morning, my demo track was already in her inbox.
“You have nailed it. It’s damn damn damn good!! We just need to trim it to 60 seconds. I will call you to discuss ASAP.”
That was the message I woke up to. It made me so happy that I couldn’t stop grinning. We had found a way to let our creative juices flow. Over the next 36 hours, all necessary edits were made and all approvals were sought. And the anthem ‘AayaAapka Daakiya’ became ready for the world.
Then the big day arrived: January 26, India’s 73rd Republic Day.
After 17 long years, India Post returned to the parade at Rajpath, New Delhi. This time, their focus was on women empowerment. Right in front of their tableau was a young postwoman with a digital device in one hand and a bag in the other. By her side was a traditional red-letter box commemorating 167 years of service.Soldiers marched, postmen and postwomen danced, and more than 24,000 spectators cheered. Their faces were covered by masks but you could see the smiles in their eyes. It was a moment of national pride.In the words ofSwati Pandey, the Postmaster General of the Mumbai region,
“Nothing is more empowering (for us) than a postwoman leading from the front.”
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Those are Orchida’s words and melody. That’s Johaan’sorchestration. That’s my voice.And that’s our country celebrating Her sovereignty. After watching the live stream, my mother jumped upand said, “Wow!Wow!Wow! I am so happy that I am still around to see this. Your father would have been so proud of you today.” I couldn’t say anything. I just gave her a hug. When the lump in my throat disappeared, I told her that in the friendly battle between the tableaus, India Post was winning. Then she asked me how everything came together so beautifully. I said it was all because of Orchida. She had her own battles to fight before her department could trust her with an independent rock singer. The same department is now very happy with her. And ofcourse, I added with a knowing wink:
If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.
Tirthankar Poddar (known mononymously as 2Blue) is a Mumbai-based singer, writer, motivational speaker, and an actor. For details, visit www.2BlueHimself.c
