Sona didn’t intend to hurt anyone

NEW DELHI: Following a lawsuit that accused Indian singers Sona Mohapatra and Rituraj Mohanty of distorting the original Sambalpuri cult song Rangabati in their re-rendition of it for Coke Studio, Mohapatra said her intention was not to hurt anyone.

“I’m just saddened and it’s just hurtful. The intention was not to hurt anyone, least of all, the people I want to pay homage to. We got a beautiful opportunity in Coke Studio, which is a cross-cultural platform where different cultures merge with modern music to reach out to a whole different audience,” Mohapatra said.

The original Rangabati, which was sung by Jitendriya Haripal and Krishna Patel, was first aired by All India Radio in Sambalpur in the mid-1970s. Mohapatra said she only wanted to bring her home state into the spotlight and appreciates the affection she has garnered through the song from various communities.