Educator wins with tribute to Mandela
“Revenge, revenge, revenge was the call of the masses, forgive, forgive, forgive was your daily mantra,” is the tribute to Nelson Mandela that bagged an award for former Benoni educator Rajendran Govender.
The fifth LotusFM Lyric Writing Competition was established to encourage listeners to write a song in their choice of five different languages for the five categories, including Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati and Telegu.
Through this national writing competition, which was held at the Maharani Hotel, Durban, on March 12, LotusFM was able to select the best South African Indian Lyricists at the LotusFM Lyric Writing Gala Awards.
Govender, a social anthropologist and researcher, who is also a former educator at Liverpool Secondary School in Actonville, and a current senior manager in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, won the Tamil category.
His song, entitled “Nelson Mandela – Neenaivu Paadal”, is a tribute to Mandela because of the role he played in the transformation of South Africa.
The music was directed by Ashley Kisten, the manager of the Luxmi Stars band, the song was sung by Malcolm Moonsamy, from Chatsworth, and the chorus featured black voices from the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Choir, who sang in the Tamil native language.
The aim of the song was to promote racial harmony.
Participants were required to forward their lyrics in the native language, along with a translation and a transliteration (written translation).
The lyrics were then transformed into song format using local music directors and singers.
The aim of the competition was to create an incentive for people to write songs in the vernacular (native language).
Govender is a proud Benonian at heart.
He attended Actonville Primary School and William Hills High School.
He learnt Tamil while he was at the Benoni Tamil School, where his late mother taught.
“Nelson Mandela – Neenaivu Paadal”:
Mandela oh Mandela you have been a shining star
You have given us hope. You have given us love
You have given us the will to survive
Your dreams became our dreams
Revenge….revenge….revenge
was the call of the masses
Forgive….forgive….forgive
was your daily mantra
For twenty-seven years
You were tormented. You were deprived.
While the world was in darkness
Your light continued to glow
Revenge….revenge….revenge
was the call of the masses
Forgive….forgive….forgive
was your daily mantra
Oh Mandela, the king of all kings
You are now free forever
free to unite with your ancestors
free to plan a new destiny
Revenge….revenge….revenge
was the call of the masses
Forgive….forgive….forgive
was your daily mantra.
