“Come forward Tamizha, let us fight! In the streets, let us fight. United as one, let us fight. If our rights are taken, let us fight!”Rapper Arivu
Tamil rapper Arivu, in his latest number ‘Sanda Seivom’ (Let’s fight), calls on people to unite against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Through his song, the rapper also takes on the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“Who am I? Who are you? Who is your grandfather? NRC is coming to dig all that,” he raps.
Speaking to The Quint, the artiste said that art has always been a powerful tool to express angst of the people. He added that it is the people’s right to stand up against bias.
“We need to look at people as humans and not with the lens of religion. But that is what the politicians are doing.”Rapper Arivu to The Quint
“Aadhaar and Voter ID are all useless. Now you have to dig your great, great grandfather from their graves. Is there any logic to this law?,” he asks in his song.
‘We Are Indians, Firstly and Lastly’
Arivu recalls singing this for the first time at a protest in Chepauk in Chennai in December.
“The tune is also simple, so that everyone can just clap and sing along. This has been made on a zero budget. My friends had shot this video,” he said.
The song, which has been shot in Arivu’s room and terrace, had over 21,000 views on YouTube when this article was published. The music video has been directed by Akshay Sundher and the music has been given by Quazimode.
The video ends with BR Ambedkar’s quote, “We are Indians, firstly and lastly.”
Arivu goes on to say that he was really affected by the brutality with which the Delhi police had acted on the students. He also appreciated the determination of the students who kept the protests going.
Speaking about Tamil Nadu, he said that while the state police is relatively more tolerant, nowadays, they too have been trying to shut down the voices of those who speak up against the government.
“Actually, in every protest, if we sing against the government or its policies for discriminating against religious minorities , if we ask a question, the police is always doing something to cut us off.”Rapper Arivu to The Quint
Even in his song he raps, “All Indians are not Hindus and Muslims are not the enemies of Hindus. There is no such thing as alien immigrants. This is our earth. CAA is here to divide us.”
‘Art Has Reached Common People & Made Them Political’
Arivu lauded the women in Chennai who took to the streets to draw kolams to protest against the controversial citizenship law.
“Even today I saw a kolam outside someone’s house for Pongal with the words ‘No CAA’ written. “Art has reached even the common people and made them political,” he said.
On being asked about arguments like students should be studying and not protesting, the singer feels that the problem lies in the way education is provided to students, which, he believes, is filled with “inequality and religious bias.”
“Today, even the food we eat has become problematic. So we need to speak up right? As these issues affect all of us,” he said.
“There is a problem with the food we eat, the clothes we wear, our religious beliefs. That’s why as artists it’s time we take a stand and speak up. We are all immigrants in this world after all.”Rapper Arivu to The Quint
He urged the people to protest in any form possible – through a song, a photo, a cartoon or a kolam. “There is no need to do any big research to understand this issue. We need to understand basic humanity,” he explains.
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