“Political people are portrayed to be loveless and protest culture is projected to be an angry movement. But if you look at it, protest culture comes with a very rich heritage,” begins Tenma, musician and co-founder of the path-breaking band The Casteless Collective (TCC). “When you listen to people like Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, and Marvin Gaye, it is evident that they have celebrated the form. I wanted to talk about it, the culture of protest here in India, how it is a topic of identity here and the negative connotations it has,” he adds.
This forms the basis of Tenma’s 30-minute mixtape that he has produced for the British Council’s ongoing South Asian Heritage Month, in partnership with Manchester Museum, celebrated online between 18 July and 17 August 2020. The initiative covers three different countries - India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the content is being curated by the British Council and presented to youngsters between the age of 18 and 25 across the world. The initiative is funded by the DCMS Youth Accelerator Fund via the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
And for this reason, Tenma begins his mixtape with an introduction to caste and the varna system. He reads a translation of Pambatti Siddhar by David C Buck. “We'll set fire to the divisions of caste, we'll debate philosophical questions in the marketplace, we'll have dealings with despised households. We'll go around in different paths…” and thus introduces the audience to Dr BR Ambedkar.
Tenma says that this mixtape, co-curated along with writer Rajesh Rajamani, was made with an intent to bring the culture of protest to the forefront. Tenma, who represented south Indian independent music at the United Kingdom’s Brighton music festival, The Great Escape, last year, says, “The festival helped get some representation for our music and culture. So when the British Council reached out to me last month for the heritage month, asking for a pitch, I wanted it to be on inclusivity. Even now, inclusivity remains just a word and not a practice. While we are on the discussion of equality, I also wanted to bring the culture of protest to the forefront,” he explains.
He once again draws our attention to the aesthetics of protest songs, their connotations and the response it elicits from people. “Usually protest songs do not have style or flair. An aesthetic quality is not associated with it. But 'Bella Ciao' is a protest song and the world celebrated it because of its connotation. There is a form of celebration in the song too,” he says. 'Bella Ciao' originated as an Italian folk song of protest by working women in the late 19th century. This song’s tune was heavily adapted in regional Indian languages early this year during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (anti-CAA) protests.
Tenma continues, “To me the greatest protest song of all times is 'Manusangada' by Makkal Pavalar Inquilab and Dr Gunasekar. Even the songs by our band come after this one.” Professor Shahul Hameed under the name of Inquilab wrote “Naanga Manushangada”, in the form of a song, to portray the brutality of the Kilvenmani massacre of 1968 in which 44 Dalits were killed.
While he indeed wanted to begin his mixtape with this particular song, Tenma eventually decided not to do so due to licensing reasons — “It would become an artistic betrayal if I went ahead with it,” he adds.
The tape’s first song is TCC’s “Thalaiva", a tribute to Ambedkar set in a traditional gaana tune — “It is a very traditional tune. You might have heard (sings): “Iravanidam kaiendhungal…” I’ve also heard “Baba-vidam kaiendhungal” and even “Yesu-vidam kaiendhungal”,” he says. This song is also the one that the band’s singer Muthu chose to sing for his auditions and Tenma quickly adds that it is director Pa Ranjith’s favourite as well. But he draws our attention to the intro music of the mixtape. “That in itself is a form of protest actually,” he laughs.
A portion from the band’s fully instrumental “Othadi” — heavy on the parai — plays at the very beginning and to Tenma, this is the sound of protest. “To me the sound of heavy percussion is the sign of resistance and I specifically chose to record this in The Museum Theatre’s (located in Chennai) echo chamber. The space adds a bit of an 'aesthetic shine' to the music. Imagine opera and chamber music, of how the concert hall adds that sheen to the music you listen to. The aspect of 'Othadi’s' composition itself was rebellious,” he points out.
The mixtape has an interesting selection of songs that fits into a story, like a narrative on caste and rebellion as experienced in India. From the “Quota song” that discusses institutional casteism, to the “Beef song” that talks about cultural assertion, to the “Naanga Platform” ft. Dopeadelicz, that’s on hood culture. “A friend who heard the mixtape called and shared an anecdote. He said that in his village in Thanjavur, beef is served as pakodas (fritters), primarily in cones. And if one were to carry that cone, even without the pakodas, they’d immediately be discriminated against in his village with snide comments. It is a weird perspective. To me, beef and Dalits are the tools of resistance,” Tenma says.
The tape ends with “Kalagakaran” by Arivu and OfRo that adds an interesting perspective on Periyar. “It is not available online but I’ve used it for this mixtape,” Tenma tells us.