Or is it our divided backgrounds that need uniting?
Groove Mera: PSL 6 Anthem is In – I Am Sure Oye! Are You? Ajj Dekhe Ga Carowd Groove Mera belted out on YouTube and my first reaction – Ummm, what was that?
But then, as luck would have it, I never let first impressions rule my last impressions, or final impressions, I would say. I waited … I kept the song aside, listened to it on repeat, and questioned myself. Is this anthem for me? Is it for the carowd who watches, hypnotized, rooting for Sultans, or Qalandars, or Zalmis etc. etc. etc.
Why Groove?
In response to those who questioned the use of the word Groove:
The expression “find your groove” could refer to dancing but it usually refers to tasks. At work, you find your groove when you are very focused and productive. When everything comes together mentally and physically. There is a rhythm to what you do….Groove is defined as slang that is defined as to enjoy or take pleasure in.
Google Definition
So ‘Groove Mera‘ refers to a lot of things.
Groove is giving a vibe which the awam might not understand (argued by some), but the hip hoppers might. Also it would be for eg. a batsman ‘finding his groove’ in cricket. Yeah, but then Pakistanis hail from a diverse diaspora so we each pick what we like, right?
So what are you saying? We don’t have to like ALL of the song, we like parts of it?
Yours truly seems to be taking this bend.
I loved the combo of Urdu Rap – hip hop stars Young Stunners, the regional diversity of Naseebo Lal and the pop star quality of Aima Baig. But I also had reservations, that other regional languages should have received a show in the Anthem as well.
I loved the retro feel to the graphics, the mini television sets on display catapulted my mind into a village-sphere where the carowds assembled to watch their team score a few chakkas, hits and misses, and be cheered on by a predominantly awami crowd in a remote location, swaying to the beat of Groove Mera.
I loved the use of the very desi, very street ishtyle pronounciation of carowds …because it resonated with the people who will be watching the game.
Then my mind skipped back to Ali Zafar & Fawad Khan and I wondered why these vastly different anthem flavours had struck gold with the masses as well.
If they wanted to use a provincial language, all 4 should have been used? I questioned.
And then, I wondered, am I being too elitist? Do I just want PCB to keep regurgitating the same old to satisfy the status quo?
And then I wondered again, but is there anything about PSL that is status quo? PSL plays city players in teams that are selected from the best of the best. Yet, a player from Peshawer might captain a team from Karachi, a fan from Karachi might support the Multan Team, and you know what, in the end, everybody’s a winner because we all enjoyed a riveting season of cricketing festivities with no sure losers, because – it’s all Pakistan (with international players fielding the teams too). What could be more anti-status quo and why should such a cricketing effort stick to the boring, inevitable, glum, safe …when they can take risks?
Hope you’re getting the drift here, as my mind meandered through the maze of possibilities, recall that I had also been listening to Groove Mera on repeat and of course, the inevitable was happening, I was beginning to ‘groove to the groove’ as well!
Just to be sure, I engaged in a conversation, in several conversations:
I asked my 18 year old cricket crazy teenager – What do you think of the latest PSL 6 Anthem?
Mama, don’t go by Twitter alone, look at the YouTube like/dislike ratio and comments. So I did.
Zain Habib
I also ran a poll on Twitter and YouTube.
I asked people online to help me out. Here’s what they had to say:
I like the overall beat but I didn’t understand the first part. It gets better after Aima’s part but I also feel they are trying to move away from the point of an official cricket anthem. An official cricket anthem to me is some sort of a jingle and if ‘groove mera’ is the part they want people to pick up on, I don’t think the awam will even know what that means. Good beat but could have been a bit more inclusive to the entire population of Pakistan.
Maliha Khalid Baig
Another fan responded:
OMG I love it! I like it from a music perspective, super catchy, don’t really know or care what it’s saying lol
Diya Shaikh
This one yearned for the past!
I find that it’s very confusing. Are they trying to reach to the masses and say cricket and then they use groove and added rap which does not fit. Seems like they are trying to do too much in it. Video is very colourful not my taste but that’s just my opinion. We need to go back to simple like the world cup songs with strings etc. All the good singers and song writers have disappeared. I miss the world cup songs that we used to have. Looking at this, last year’s was better but even that was criticized a lot.
Henna Baig
Yet another response:
The video is really funky.. beat is good and catchy.. i feel they should have included other regional languages not just Punjabi…
Aishah Umar
But the music and lyrics and rap 👏🏼 👍 I am actually impressed compared to the last one
Yet another stamp of approval?
I love it. I love Naseebo — I suspect there might be classist bias / discrimination against her. I love the female representation of spectators, fans, singers, and the young rap style artists. Overall I love the “groove” 😃♥️
Sana Shafqat
Hope you’re getting the drift NOW?
You see, PSL is not just about people who post their preferences on YouTube and Twitter. It is about all of Pakistan. It is about bringing together an emotional, patriotic, cricket-crazy diversity that loves its cricketers in spite or despite their own regional allegiances. It is about loving all of Pakistan and not bits and pieces of it.
THAT is what PSL has given us, and that is what we celebrate every year! So has the anthem hit the right notes? Maybe not for you, but yes, for many others. You have a choice, join in and groove or opt out and wait for next year. I think I’m going to fall in, it’s great to stand apart from the carowd at times, but also know when you’ve been beaten, for now, I’m going to blend in!
Let the games begin!
