Tune In - Arise & Sing

Dalit assertion is being fuelled by a growing crop of Ambedkarite and Buddhist music collectives, experimenting with a variety of styles and techniques

- Vaisakh E.Hari

On December 31, 2017, Kabeer Shakya and his band Dhamma Wings performed before a huge crowd at Koregaon Bhima in Maharashtra. For Shakya, it was a moment of pride; he had released two powadas—traditional Marathi ballads of valour—celebrating the 1818 victory of dalit Mahar soldiers in the British regiment over the Peshwas. It was only the next morning that he heard of bloody clashes between allegedly casteist outfits, who opposed the march, and dalits who had assembled to commemorate the event. At least one death was reported in its aftermath. “What is happening in this country?” asks an agitated Shakya. “Enough is enough.”

The computer science graduate, who hails from Mumbai, had spent three months as a Buddhist monk in Bodhgaya. Through his music, he urges people to imbibe the values of equality and tolerance preached by Bhimrao Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha. “We are not against any religion or any person. We raise our voice against discrimination, whoever be the one perpetuating it,” he said. While the ‘Buddhist’ rock band has many popular numbers under its name—like Buddhang Namami and Prabuddha Ho Manava—their maiden piece Jai Bhim Se is undoubtedly the biggest hit. “The reaction it got online was mindblowing,” says Shakya. Skirting between serene verses and melancholic interludes, the song is an understated ode to the father of the Constitution. Koi nahi tha mere liye | I had no one Unhone apna jeevan tyag diya | He sacrificed his life Aandhi tufano se ladte rahe | He fought storms and typhoons Mujhe apne pairo pe khada kiya | Made me stand on my feet