Recently, Sony Music India on their YouTube channel released the song ‘Genda Phool‘ starring Jacqueline Fernandez, sung by Bollywood rapper Badshah and Payal Dev. On its first day, the song crossed 1 million views and is the most trending with over 40 million views.
The song is a popular folk song by Ratan Kahar, an Indian musician and composer residing in a village in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. Kahar leads his livelihood by making ‘Beedis‘ (cheap cigarette made from cut tobacco rolled in leaf). Due to financial crisis, Kahar was unable to give proper education to his daughter and son. Not only that, but the continued crisis also failed Kahar to gift a harmonium to his daughter, who is a good singer.
Netizens are trolling Badshah and Sony Music India for not giving due credit to the original musician of the song. Kahar’s Genda Phool song has been used in various Bengali movies as well, without being given due credit.
Kahar in an interview said, “The song was first copied by singer Swapna Chakraborty in the year 1976. After the recording, I came to know that no courtesy had been given to me as the original composer and lyricist.” Kahar’s folk songs have touched a million hearts, people from Bangladesh are very fond of his songs.
Kahar did not receive any of the achievements and recognition that he should have. He expressed his feelings by saying, “I still write songs. Sometimes I feel sad and sometimes I smile, and that’s how my life is going.”
