Commemorating the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the Casteless Collective has released a song as a tribute to the leader.
Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre and the Casteless Collective have been at the forefront of breaking the social narrative which has been controlled by people of dominant castes in the performing arts domain in Tamil Nadu. Latest in their efforts is the song Thalaivaa, which has been composed as a tribute to the leader who worked tirelessly to champion the rights of the Dalits, Dr BR Ambedkar.
Tweeting about the release of the single on Sunday, Pa Ranjith said, “#AmbedkarJayanti #NeelamCulturalCentre and #theCastelessCollective are proud to present #thalaiva a tribute song to "Father of Modern India" Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar.”
#AmbedkarJayanti #NeelamCulturalCentre and #theCastelessCollective are proud to present #thalaiva a tribute song to "Father of Modern India" Babasaheb Dr. B R Ambedkar @officialneelam @tcl_collective music @tenmamakesmusic @pro_guna link https://t.co/JJr0uvw5Gr
— pa.ranjith (@beemji) April 14, 2019
The 5:08-minute long Tamil song has been written by Chetpet Ramesh and sung by Muthu. Composed by Tenma, the song describes the divide in society based on religion and caste. “Aindharivu ullavarellaam miruga jaadhi da, aararivu manidhanukku ore needhi da,” is a refrain one hears throughout the song which translates to, “Those who have five senses are animals, the rules are the same for humans who have six senses.”
Casteless Collective, a collaborative effort by Madras Records and Neelam Cultural Centre, was launched in January 2018 as a band for independent music created by talented musicians hailing from marginalised backgrounds. The Casteless Collective’s music predominantly speaks of topics which are under-represented in mainstream music – caste, reservations, menstruation, oppression etc.
With Tenma, Muthu, Bala Chandar, Isaivani, Arivu, Chellamuthu, Dharani, Sarath, Gautham, Nandan, Manu, and Sahir, the Casteless Collective presents a genre of music dominated by gaana. The band’s aim is to open up discussions about caste and its adverse impact on society and to create a political movement with music.
Watch the video here: