HYDERABAD: Why should only girls have all the fun? Why should only women be praised for their beauty? Banker and singer Shankar Ithamsetty believes that this gross injustice should be fixed by customising lyrics to highlight men and their exceptional qualities.
So when the blockbuster song Saranga Dariya song went viral, he sat down to rewrite lyricist Suddhala Ashok Teja’s original lyrics and changed it to vaadi kudi bhujam meeda kanduva, oka chetto pancha patti naduva, manmadhudiki daggara bandhuva, chirunavvulo vennelllu kuriya. Today, his songs are being shared in WhatsApp groups and social media with a vengeance, especially men. Similarly, he also rewrote the song Dreamup Wakeupam in Telugu as Rambham, oorvasham, menaka tilottam.
This amateur singer from Yousufguda who is a passionate lyricist says that he uses his weekends to write lyrics of his choice as a hobby, but with social media, his songs are getting better traction. This financial auditor has rewritten about 25 hit songs so far. Family and friends are his best fans and critics. He typically spends an hour jotting down the lyrics and then using some music apps, he sings and shares it. His wife Suneetha, a voice professional, tells us how Shankar has always loved customising music
He had once composed and written a song himself and got it professionally sung and played it for her when she walked back home from the hospital after their son was born. He also loves writing songs with a social message and Suneetha has given her voice to and the videos have got tremendous response. Although Shankar is not sure where his hobby will lead to, for now, he just enjoys rewriting lyrics and singing for the joy of creating something new.