Voicing dissent, through music and lyrics

On February 7, Rapper Sofia Ashraf said she and her friends decided to walk to Poes Garden and voice their dissent, through music. “Politicians in power think that they can make any decision and are emboldened by the fact that the public doesn’t voice their dissent,” she said. The feisty musician said she faced repercussions. 

“Luckily, we went live on Facebook. Every time the police said we were doing something illegal, someone from social media would call up and tell us that it was bogus,” she added. Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna sings about Poram boke, framed by Ennore’s many industrial units spewing toxic exhaust fumes in the background. Sofia Ashraf raps Democracy is dead, while walking down Poes Garden. Independent music is voicing its dissent to the pressing socio-political and environmental issues facing the society. 

Poramboke, a common slang calling someone as a wasteland, gets addressed in Chennai Poramboke Paadal, which talks about the importance of reclaiming these lands, which belong to the public. Environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman, who is behind the video, said the idea was to bring a discussion around Ennore. “We wanted to bring a discussion on the issue of Poramboke – reclaim the word and the spaces associated with this word,” he said. 

Kaber Vasuki, singer-songwriter of the Tamil rock band Kurangan, said more platforms are emerging for newer artists to perform on topics they feel strongly about. “I have always been concerned about what we are, as a culture, as a society. For me, it is natural to write songs about this. Being an indie artist, you stand for what you believe in. different artists believe in different things and they communicate that through their music,” said the lyricist.

Accompanying Sofia Ashraf were Kanchi Kailasam and Avanthika Ravikumar, dancer Dr Srinidhi Chidambaram’s nieces. Lauding their effort, Dr Srinidhi posted on social media, “Feeling proud of two of my nieces who are a part of this video. It takes courage to sing this song and walk into Poes Garden! Bravo!” Dr Sadayavel Kailasam, an orthopaedic surgeon and father of Kanchi, said, “The youngsters are very brave these days. We were not worried at all. The police were asking questions but I’m glad the youngster did what they did. It is a good move.”