KOCHI: In these unprecedented times when COVID-19 is wreaking havoc leaving in its trail lakhs of dead and social evils like racism are pitting humans against each other, the world is very much in need of a beacon of hope.
Something that tells the world that we are one and together. And this is what 100 youngsters from Thiruvalla decided to do.
Under the banner of 'Locals Live 100' these youngsters, who include school and college students and professionals, have come together to present a virtual musical collaboration which was released online on Friday.
"Locals Live 100 is a virtual collaboration, which is what makes it very special. The initiative was thought about and conceived by members of the Locals Live Initiative," said Cherian George, musician and mentor. "We want to tell the world to say no to racism and stand united in the fight against COVID-19. This is our way of saying that Kerala stands with you and highlight the fact that now is the time to build bridges rather than walls," he said.
Locals Live Initiative is a group of young individuals from Thiruvalla who have come together to empower and encourage youth through music and arts, said Cherian. "They make music to spread awareness on issues that the youth face. With depression and suicides on the rise, Locals Live spreads a message of hope through their music," he added.
Cherian said that keeping in mind the present scenario in the world, Locals Live wanted to do something that sent across a message of hope. "Also, since Kerala has been home to communal harmony, the Locals Live wanted to take that message across to the world which today stands divided. 'Let’s build bridges and not walls' is our motto," he said.
And what better way to send across the message than by presenting the iconic 'We are the world' by Michael Jackson. "The young musicians who came together for the initiative through word of mouth did their part by shooting a video of them performing a particular part on their mobiles and sending it to the team at Thiruvalla," said Cherian. These bits were then mixed and made into a video which was released on Friday on the web.
"The participants had been engaged in this endeavour for the past three weeks," said Cherian. According to him, there have been such initiatives before but those songs were sung in Malayalam. "But we intended to bring what Kerala stands for to the world and hence decided to perform an English song that transcends all borders," he added.