Maitrey Singh - Week 10

Week 10
Dalit Music 
Summary 9/10
India due to its diversity is home to numerous cultures and one such element of these cultures is music. The Dalit community is no exception to this. In the urban areas, the Dalit’s have the “Gaana” songs which are mostly prevalent in the slum of Chennai which is also known as the black town of Chennai. The popularity of Gaana songs was mainstreamed by Tamil cinema due to continues use of this music in the Tollywood industry. Another addition to Dalit music by Tamil Nadu is the Parai Music. Today a Band knows as the Castless Collective has given a Rap form to Dalit music because the current generation find it easier to connect to the genre of music and consequently the music produced by this 19 member band is famous not only in India but even internationally. Ginni Mahi, also produces majority of her songs while following the ideologies of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.  
Looking at the political aspect of this music. The Parai Songs in the Tamil Nadu serves as a resistance anthem against the caste based labour. They even chant this music when someone dies to show their solidarity. Makkal Kalai Ilakkiya Kazhagam which is the People’s Art and Literature Association in Tamil Nadu has used these songs specifically for political campaigns. Even though the Dalit community is using music which consists of lyrics that show their current conditions and their spirit to overcome the injustices, this music is specific to the male strata of the community and does little to include Dalit women as most of the songs are male centric. 

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