Indian national strikes radio gold with song for Olympics

DUBAI // A song about the spirit of the Olympics, sung by an aspiring shop worker based in Dubai, has captured the hearts of thousands

The English song, Beijing Olympics, is sung by Hani Raman, 28, an Indian national. The song urges the world to celebrate the spirit of the Games. Mr Raman said he had not expected the song to be played on the radio and was surprised to hear it was being heard by the Chinese. "It is strange to know that my voice is being heard somewhere in China. But I am really happy. This has really boosted my confidence," he said.

Mr Raman, who works as an assistant miller at Al Ghurair Foods in Jebel Ali, said the lyrics were written by MC Vasisht, his history professor in India. The lyrics were then given to Mr Raman's friend, Sai Giridhar, who composed the melody and insisted Mr Raman sing it. "When I recorded the song a couple of years ago, it was not meant for commercial purposes. I had two rehearsals before we finally recorded it in Kerala," Mr Raman said.

"The music composer told me to keep the spirit of the Olympics in mind and I just followed his instructions." Mr Raman later left for Dubai to look for a job, but his professor gave the song to the Chinese consulate in India, which forwarded it to officials in Beijing. Radio stations in China started playing songs with an Olympic spirit after the Games began earlier this month. Mr Raman said his song was played several times and was now a hit among residents there.

"We knew about it when some of the Indian media in China heard the song and told us about it," he said. Mr Raman said he had not studied music professionally but had always enjoyed singing. "This inspires me to sing more often," he said. @Email:[e-mail]