Mirage and manifestos maketh the great Indian election.
For a whole month now, rappers Dinesh and RJ Prasath, better known by their stage name Comrade Gangstas, have contributed to this mirage by performing at street-side stages and grand public meetings. They sing in support of the INDIA Bloc, taking forward its left-aligned polity. Their songs, in praise of Periyar and Ambedkar and often critical of the Centre’s policies such as the Citizenship Amendment Act and violence based on religion, have gotten claps, whistles and sometimes absolute pindrop silence.
The legacy of propaganda singers is older than the free and fair democratic elections in India. These talented musicians sprout from the grassroots, have a sense of tune and are able to entertain restless masses who deserve breaks during lengthy political discourse. Over the years, the nature of the propaganda singer has changed. Today, they don colourful clothes, sing with backing vocals and even rap. Some stick by a larger governing ideology of the party they support. Others pen lyrics 10 minutes before their performance based on the parties that have recruited them.
