"The basic idea was to weave the excitement and passion of cricket in words," Manoj said. Many may not know, but he also penned 'Ek Desh Ek Junnon', the title song of Indian Premier League (IPL) South Africa version held in 2009. Manoj, who was born in Azamgarh and brought up in Mumbai, is not new to writing songs for cricket. Therefore each and every line of the song has been written after much thought," he said. "The idea behind writing a song about cricket is very small and limited to ball, bat and bails, but the organisers of the World Cup wanted some freshness in the theme. Manoj, who now stays in Mumbai, said an effort has been made to highlight the excitement associated with the game along with the minute details of its various aspects.
The song, which has already been released and is being aired on Radio One, will be played during the inaugural ceremony as well as between the matches during the tournament starting February 19. "I hope that the theme song will appeal to the audiences," he added. "My lyrics being selected as the theme song of the World Cup is a matter of great honour for me and the composition prepared by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is very beautiful," Manoj told PTI over phone.
The World Cup official theme song - 'De Ghuma Ke', which has already made cricket fans dance to its tunes, has been penned by songwriter Manoj Yadav who hails from Azamgarh district of the state. Manoj Yadav, who has penned the World Cup anthem, De ghuma ke, cant thank his mentors Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy enough for this opportunity. The UP connect in the upcoming ICC cricket World Cup doesn't end with just the players from the state in the Indian squad. The ICC World Cup is still two weeks away, but its official theme song is already making cricket fans in India dance to an Azamgarh boys tunes.