5 Indian bands hitting the right note with their songs that carry social messages
From singing about community violence, to social inequality, and women empowerment, these Indian bands are attempting to stir up change with their music.
From time immemorial, music has been a go-to medium for scores of generations to express their anger about social evils and injustice, as well as instil hope in a tomorrow free of such shackles.
Music is a powerful medium through which we can express some of our deepest emotions. It has been psychologically proven that music can also effectively trigger your present mood state. And music can be a great vessel for social activism as well, which does not have to be portrayed through just acts of noble justice, writing or art.
Some Indian bands are effectively turning their lens on present-day India and its many issues of community violence, patriarchy, rape and female abuse, and even social inequality and the hierarchy still prevalent in our society today.
SocialStory brings you five bands that have fans enthralled with their social message:
Meri Zindagi
Meri Zindagi is an all-women band formed in 2010 in Lucknow. Most of their songs are about women empowerment, gender equality and against domestic violence and female foeticide. So far, they have composed over 70 songs, and have been supporting the education of underprivileged girls in the area.
The motivation behind the band was when Lead Vocalist and lyricist Jaya Tiwari noticed that a lot of boy babies were getting adopted but there were no takers for girl babies. She wanted to do something to change this bias and felt that her feelings could be communicated through strong vocals and lyrics.
Dreaming ke pressure cooker ki seeti ko bajne do, mere hauslon ke shank nath ko bajne do is a song that the band composed about women empowerment, which encourages young women to shed societal pressures and limitations and follow their dreams and passions.
Meri Zindagi
Imphal Talkies and The Howlers
Formed in 2008 Imphal Talkies and The Howlers is a New Delhi-based folk rock band, famously known for singing protest songs about human rights issues, politics, insurgencies, and racism in Manipur and a lot of the other northeastern states of India.
Lullaby, a song by the band, is about the situation children face on a daily basis in Manipur due to the political insurgency that was happening in the State in 2013, while Where Have All the Flowers Gone addresses the issue of climate change.
Their most recent hit song, Stand United against CAB, takes on the 2016 Citizenship Amendment Bill, which amends the Citizenship Act 1955, to make illegal migrants across religions be eligible for citizenship.
Growing up, lead singer Akhu Chingangbam experienced racism first hand, and he wanted to address this through music.
Imphal Talkies and the Howlers
Mr President Is Coming, Song for Bangladesh, When the Home Is Burning, and Tiddim Road are other hit songs by the band that makes one think about the socio-political issues swirling around the country and beyond.
Swarathma
Formed in 2002, Swarathma is an Indian folk-rock band that combines Indian classical music with a fusion of western sounds and reggae.
The six-member band is known for using a wide variety of percussion instruments in its performances, and has even done multiple international shows.
Through Yeshu, Allah, aur Krishna, the Bengaluru band expresses its thoughts on hypocrisy in the name of religion.
Swarathma
Pyaasi tackles water politics in the country, specifically about the Cauvery river and how she herself feels thirsty in the whole struggle of water wars.
"Pyasi hon mein tum ko pila ke’ is a popular line from the song.
The Casteless Collective
Formed in 2018, The Casteless Collective is a Chennai-based music ensemble comprising 11 members. Music genres that it focusses on include rock, rap, and hip-hop.
The band went with its name as the members strongly believe in equality, hoping to be in a society free of the pressures of the caste system, which is still prevalent in most areas of the country.
In one of their songs, titled the Quota Song, they sing about the division that still exists because of certain fixed practices and behaviours of society.
The Casteless Collective
To address the class and caste system that still presents a whole host of issues, they penned the following lyrics:
“Your forefathers kept mine oppressed
Isn’t that why we are given our quota?”
The band has also penned songs about honour killings and the LGBTQ community.
Parikrama
A popular rock band from New Delhi, Parikrama was formed in 1991 and continues to perform across the country. It celebrated its 28th anniversary this year. The seven-member band does a number of live performances.
While they have a number of international hits under their belt, some of their noteworthy songs are based on the band members’ own experiences in society.
One of their most popular songs with a social message is But It Rained, which talks about the kidnappings in the Kashmir Valley, and the hope one feels for the return of their family members.
Parikrama
"It's been so long, so long a time,
But still I miss Daddy at night,
The ache is long gone
But the never keeps staring along,
The waters in the seas are high
And all the sand castles have drowned.”
The song was on Rolling Stone India’s list of 25 Greatest Indian Rock Songs of the Last 25 years, which came out in 2014.
Parikrama has collaborated with other bands, such as Orange Street and Friday the 13th, in the past about India’s fight against AIDS. They did performances to raise money for the tsunami that hit the Tamil Nadu coast, as well as performed with the JJI Exile Brothers, another band that tackles social issues in their music.
(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)
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