Lyrics as a Conduit: Where the Personal is the Political

Songwriters like Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram and Kannadasan gave rise to thought-provoking lyrics with social context. They wrote about the Dravidian movement and the Communist movement. Film music, which was appreciated by all, changed from incorporating only the film’s context to also speaking about the society and its struggles—things that happen around you. Pasha Bhai, a Dakhni rapper, says, “rap is your life” while talking about how rap encompasses the writer’s personal experiences and feelings. This goes for all types of music.

Notable personalities like M G Ramachandran (MGR) started making films with politics as a recurring theme. He was also a very famous figure in politics, which was elevated in his films with political lyrics in songs. This provoked thought and stirred conversations among his fans. Naan Aanaiyittal, Adho Andha Paravai Pola are some examples of the same.

Rounok Chakraborty, a Bengali rapper, says, “Music is an important document in the pages of history. So obviously when my music is discovered in the future, I want people to know about everything that happened around me. I want to narrate the stories of the present to the future and that is the reason I write.” He also mentioned how writers rarely label things as right and wrong. He says he is only the narrator documenting what he sees around him, but people who listen can make use of it as a weapon to fight against corruption for themselves. This, he says, is evolution.

Another aspect of using lyrics as a tool (for expression) is when done in a personalised manner. Why did MGR’s political image work so well for him? Apart from the lyrics, the singer T M Soundararajan (TMS), put in a lot of effort to sound just like the actor to evoke emotion among his fans. They sang all the ideas or observations in the lyrics in native languages, adding to the connection a listener feels. This way, the people you represent understand exactly what you mean and how you say it. Pasha Bhai says, “I can only speak what I truly feel in my mother tongue. As a kid, I would flip all the Bollywood lyrics to Dakhni. Now, the people I represent also relate with me because we have similar experiences.” Adding to this, Rounok says that he emotes using Bengali rap because he experienced everything first hand. He says, “localised, marginalised issues are being highlighted and at the same time it is easy for anyone to understand.”

This connection with regional language is common for multiple artists, including a budding artist in Tamil Nadu, called Arivarasu Kalainesan (Arivu). He is part of the Casteless Collective and is gaining popularity because he speaks about caste representation in his music. His song Enjoy Enjaami gained popularity for the same. The relatability factor has been common in all these instances.

The reach of film music has been high since the dramas before gramophones were made. People enjoyed music through dramas even during the silent film era. It developed into films as we see it now, with narratives and music. Apart from films, even independent musicians were getting recognised.

Pasha Bhai says, “Rap is very metaphorical. African-American rappers and their stories inspire everyone. Somewhere, even Dakhni rap, Pakistani rap and K-rap take inspiration from it. All kinds of rap do. We live in different times and are different people with unique experiences, but these experiences somehow make us feel closer to them and other people. It is back-and-forth communication.”

“I think of my writing as investigative journalism and in the end, I try to put some hope or a pinch of solution to the problems of the society which I address in my music. I always try to write from a perspective which can be conceived in a greater sense than just me so that it is relatable to my audience,” says Rounok while talking about politics in music. Writing these lyrics does have its repercussions. He says that rappers get death threats in India for even just casually mentioning religion. But this does not stop rappers or musicians. A singer, Anika, says, “It all comes down to perception. You can’t only depend on music to help you change your perspective. Maybe it could change the thought process.” While implying the same, Rounok adds, “Hope is the word.”

Through music, musicians in the past and now continue to help people realise what goes on around them. Adding social context to lyrics not only increases relatability but also eventually changes people’s minds. Or at least evokes some thoughts in them.