ডাকবাংলা

Heedless Harmonies

For nine months since a lockdown was first imposed by the Government of India on March 20, 2020, we have all lived in virtual exile and under a self-imposed house arrest of sorts. These nine apocalyptic months have offered musicians in the country a long enough gestation period for creating new works, and not surprisingly, several musicians have created and shared hundreds of songs as a response to the unprecedented situation created by the COVID 19 strain. Many of these were made-to-order works, initiated not necessarily by the artistic urge to create, or to respond to the times we are journeying through. These have been a host of let’s-be-positive anthems designed to supposedly spread solidarity, positivity and good cheer against an all pervasive canvas of death, disease and destruction of livelihoods including those of artistes themselves. Some examples of Corona anthems include ICCR’s Life Again- Song for Solidarity:

a collaboration between eminent Indian artistes and musicians from different parts of the world, which opens with Sanskrit lyrics recited by ‘Nada Yogi’ Shri Ganapathi Sachidananda Swami who it is said, uses his knowledge of music to heal diseases of both body and mind. 

In another instance, a parody of Simon & Garfunkel’s chartbuster Sound of Silence, another spiritual guru and his congregation laugh uproariously as the track opens with a parodied ‘Hello virus from Wuhan’ and reminds listeners to wear a mask, keep their hands clean and observe the Corona protocol that everyone knows about, but often fails to observe: 

Ironically, neither guru nor members of the congregation bother to wear masks. One can only hope that the footage of the congregation in the video is from pre-Covid times. 

And then there is the Jayatu Jayatu Bharatam-One Nation One Voice anthem by over two hundred singer members of ISRA (Indian Singers’ Rights Association), backed by no less than Asian Paints, which declares joyously that India wearing a mantle of world peace and brotherhood will conquer. These are only a few of the dozens of anthems recorded, shot and launched by different organisations, individuals and artistes. 

Rappers, folk musicians, actors, lyricists from every part of the country have released different versions of Corona songs, all equally well-intended and earnestly produced. Star power and PR related resources helped some of the tracks get millions of views, while others were not so fortunate. Regional language anthems and Corona songs can also be found in abundance. In Bengal, Baul Babu Das cautions everyone to be shaabdhaan, because esechhe Corona bhairaas,

as do the biggest Tollywood stars in the music video Ei Bangla Amar Hashbe Abar (My Bengal will smile/laugh once again).

For those with a preference for the politically incorrect, there’s the smiling Bijoy Krishna Das declaring unabashedly – Elo Corona, made in China !

From the Punjab ring out dozens of Corona tracks, of which only a few are mentioned here. Singers Birender Dhillon and Shamsher Lehri offer an earnest prayer through their track Ardaas; 

saying mehr kar Baba, aa ke thand barsa de, tere bachde gharaa-ch baithe dari jande ain (Be benevolent, Baba, cool down the fire caused by the virus, your children cower in fear locked up at home).

Punjabi star Master Saleem and band can also be seen gleefully singing Kitthon aya Corona Maiyya ji (Mother, where did Corona come from) during a Jagaran event in the Ropar district of Punjab: 

What is striking though, is the fact that with Corona songs and anthems proliferating almost endemically, most of them, particularly those that are composed and produced by celebrity singers and composers, seem distanced from the catastrophic effects of the virus and the ensuing lockdown. Art has always been anchored in the time and context in which it is made, and music therefore, is no exception. How come our composers, singers, song-writers are not writing prolifically about the reality of Corona and its effect on society in general – the loss, displacement, despair, sense of desolation, isolation, betrayal and fear that each one of us is bound to have experienced at one or the other point during these times? If there are such songs, they are either not easily accessible or perhaps, I have failed to find them. Understandably, the more privileged and powerful among artistes must provide inspirational messages of hope, solidarity, and strength to the public at large, but surely this need not be achieved by completely ignoring the tragic reality we face today. Sadly, countless artistes have spent almost an entire year without a single opportunity to perform and earn their livelihoods. Many have returned to their homes in remote parts of the country, unable to put together the basic living expenses required in larger cities and metropolitan towns. There don’t seem to be any Corona songs that mention the trials and tribulations of artistes themselves even as several artistes die of Covid, while others commit suicide. Has the sterility required to stem the growth of the virus affected our ability to create music that reflects reality, that we continue to grin and sing and dance merrily?  The show must go on, of course, but what kind of show? 

Photograph courtesy Chirodeep Chaudhuri