The Indian voice heard at London Olympics

New Delhi: From Bollywood to the 2012 London Olympics, it`s been quite a long jump for Jaspreet Jasz, the writer and singer of "Nimma nimma hans de tu jogiya", the Punjabi track composed by Oscar-winning A.R.Rahman for the recently held grand opening of the sports extravaganza.

The energetic and motivational track, which means `Smile a little, you fighter`, was part of a medley of songs orchestrated by electronic music group Underworld, for the spectacle, masterminded by director Danny Boyle. Boyle wanted the number to signify Indian influence in Britain. Only a "segment" of the song was played at the opening ceremony in London July 27. Nevertheless, it was "awesome", says Jaspreet. "The song was like a motivator for the contingents. It meant that `Come what may, keep smiling a little during your fight`. That`s the emotion I was asked to capture in the song," Jaspreet told IANS over phone from Mumbai. The 27-year-old is a Sikh by religion, but "Nimma nimma" happened to be his first Punjabi song - a fact that made his parents "extremely proud." "I studied at a Christian school in Delhi. I trained in gospel singing and R&B singing. I always believe in versatility, and Punjabi is the least you can expect from me. So it wasn`t difficult for me at all. "Rahman sir had already composed the tune and made all arrangements. He was clear about what he wanted in the song. I think I took two or three hours to write the lyrics. That`s it. I have got a great feedback for the song," he said. A YouTube video of the number already has over 30,000 hits even though the track wasn`t talked about before it was heard at the opening ceremony of the sports gala. "I also follow Rahman sir`s policy that there`s no point of talking about your work. It`s always better to let the world see it and talk about it. I think it`s the right policy. Besides, all details about the opening ceremony were under wraps." "I`m only grateful that Rahman sir put my name with the song, and it now features in `Isles Of Wonder`, an album with all the music from the opening ceremony. It has tracks by big guys like Arctic Monkeys. It`s a great thing," he said. A Delhi boy, Jaspreet has been staying in Mumbai the past seven years. His tryst with Bollywood includes songs in films like "Blue", "Dil Kabaddi", "Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande", "Hide & Seek". He has also sung in southern films and for commercials. IANS