Any song sounds sweeter in Bangla: AR Rahman on singing Bangabandhu’s birth centenary theme song

Legendary Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman composed and sang two theme songs -- one each in Hindi and Bangla -- on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 26, 2021 at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka. 
This is the first time that world-renowned musician AR Rahman has composed a song in Bangla and for Bangladesh, which will be released soon. 
Both songs were penned by Bangladeshi National Award-winning lyricist Zulfiqer Russell. 
The Hindi song was played in the presence of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 26 – which marked the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence.  
In a recent interview with Sheriff Al Sire, the legendary musician talked about his feelings regarding the two songs and also about Bangla songs in general.
The following are excerpts from the interview: 
Q: Please share your feelings about composing the two theme songs on the occasion of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary.
A: I think it was a great honour that they thought about me and came all the way to India to do this. India and Bangladesh have always had a very special relationship. We share the language — Bengali. We share a bond, a culture.
Q: Which aspect did you focus on while doing this work?
A: The aspect I focused on was trying to be more sensitive towards what instrument I'm using, which melody I'm choosing. Especially when singing in Bengali, there were a lot of back and forth iterations on pronunciation. So, we wanted to make sure that we did it right.
Q: How did you coordinate with the lyricist Zulfiqer Russell?
A: Zulfiqer came to Chennai. He was here for a week. We met and it was nice to have him in Chennai for the recording so that we could share the stuff and respond to it.
Q: You sang a theme song also in Bangla. How did you work in the linguistic space while doing this?
A: We all know from history that so many of our thinkers and intellectuals have come from the region of Bengal. I studied some of them in Islam and we all share a common bond between cultures. And singing in Bengali... I think the sound of the language is very sweet. Like people call it the French of India; how French is very sweet. Bengali has got a beautiful flavour and any song sounds sweeter. I am very grateful for the love I have always received from the people of Bangladesh and the least I can do is make a song that they can all cherish. I hope they like it.