Toronto teen writes Remembrance Day song encouraging youth to appreciate veterans
Posted November 10, 2021 5:45 pm.
A Toronto teen is encouraging young people to thank our veterans.
Shajahi Rajasingham, a 15-year-old-singer wrote, composed, and recorded a song to remind young people why taking part in Remembrance Day and thanking our veterans is so important.
“I feel kids my age don’t appreciate or recognize Remembrance Day enough,” Rajasingham says. “I just wanted to put out a song that made them understand so I made sure the lyrics were powerful enough that told them, ‘Okay, they do this much for us. The least we can do is have a day for them and appreciate them a lot more.’ ”
Rajasingham submitted the song as part of a video competition to the Royal Canadian Legion last year for a Remembrance Day tribute to the veterans. Veterans were also encouraged to submit memoirs to act as visuals in the piece. As for the lyrics, she says she used poems and essays she wrote in school.
Due to the pandemic, the results for the contest were delayed until late June. That’s when she found out she won first place provincially.
“I was very happy,” she says. “Winning first place is a big deal but it wasn’t the biggest thing I was looking for. I just wanted people to see the video more than winning first place.”
She adds there’s no point in working so hard on a video if no one is going to see it.
“Hopefully people got the message saying we should appreciate our veterans way more. I wasn’t solely focused on the prize but rather the message that my video gives. I just think more people should understand that most things we have right now is thanks to our veterans and we have to appreciate that a lot more.”
Listen to Shajahi Rajasingham’s “Thank You Veterans” below:
