MUMBAI: In a historic step toward protecting the creative legacy of India’s folk music community, The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd. (IPRS) is bringing its ‘My Music My Rights’ initiative to Sambalpur on July 26, 2025 at the Sambalpur Kala Parishad, Odisha. The copyright and royalty awareness workshop is set to honour Padmashree Mitrabhanu Gountia, the legendary lyricist behind one of India’s most beloved folk songs—“Rangabati.” He is a humble schoolteacher from Bilung village (now renamed Rangabati Bilung in his honour).
The event will be supported by INRECO (The Indian Record Manufacturing Company Ltd.), the Kolkata-based heritage music label that recorded and released Rangabati in 1979. Known for preserving and promoting Indian folk, classical, and regional sounds for over 100 years, INRECO played a pivotal role in giving Rangabati its national and global reach.
It was in 1963, with the opening of All India Radio in Sambalpur, that Gountia took a personal vow to write only in his mother tongue, Sambalpuri. Inspired by the words of poet Gangadhar Meher—“If you want to become great, first make your mother tongue great“—he went on to write over 1,000 songs, capturing the rhythm, sorrow, and soul of his land.
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“I am an ardent worshipper of my mother tongue and have dedicated my life to the cause of Sambalpuri native literature,” says Gountia. “That stubbornness is not mine alone—it exists in every poet and writer of the soil of Western Odisha. We toil with determination. As the purity of gold is tested by touchstone, so is the quality of a creator known by time.”
The release of Rangabati in 1979 by INRECO marked a turning point in Indian folk music. First aired in 1978 on AIR Sambalpur, the song quickly became a cultural phenomenon—played at weddings, sung at fairs, and featured in Telugu cinema (Sri Ram, 2002), Bollywood (Kaun Kitne Paani Mein, 2015), and was showcased at the Republic Day tableau (2007), Radio Moscow, BBC London, the World Water Forum in South Korea, and performed live by Shankar Mahadevan at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar.
Yet, despite its popularity, the creators of Rangabati were often left out of commercial adaptations and not credited correctly in some instances. The workshop seeks to address this very gap—between fame and formal protection.
“Creators should not have to fight legal battles to claim what is rightfully theirs. They should be protected from the start,” said Mr. Rakesh Nigam CEO IPRS. “Folk music shouldn’t just be remembered—it should be respected, protected, and duly rewarded.”
Through this initiative, IPRS aims to ensure that folk creators—often ignorant about music rights and royalties—are equipped to understand and protect their creation. The workshop will feature sessions on:
• Copyright basics and the role of societies like IPRS in safeguarding the rights of authors,
composers and publishers
• Music Licensing and royalty mechanism
• On-ground membership enrolment queries with IPRS
• Helpdesk to resolve queries and provide tailored guidance
As Indian folk music continues to echo across global stages, initiatives like ‘My Music My Rights’ are vital to ensure that the voices behind the verses are heard, honoured, and empowered. This event marks not just a celebration of heritage, but a movement toward recognition, rightful ownership, and fair remuneration for India’s folk creators.
Event Details:
My Music My Rights
Presented by IPRS in association with INRECO (The Indian Record Manufacturing Company Ltd.)
Date: 26th July 2025 | Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Venue: Sambalpur Kala Parishad, Municipality Chowk, Sambalpur – 768001
Guest of Honour: Padmashree Mitrabhanu Gountia
