E-Paper
‘Loaded’ songs flood social media ahead of Ayodhya verdict
Songs with ‘loaded’ lyrics, mostly in the local dialects of Uttar Pradesh, have flooded the social media even as the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya dispute
Songs with ‘loaded’ lyrics, mostly in the local dialects of Uttar Pradesh, have flooded the social media even as the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya dispute is likely to be delivered this month.
Despite the inflammatory tone, some of the singers and the producers call these numbers ‘bhajans’ (religious songs). Many of the other artistes, however, describe themselves as ‘Hinduvadi (Hindutva) singers’. At least two dozen such songs have been uploaded in the last one month.
Although the administration claims to have monitored social media platforms to check hateful posts, a lot of these songs are still on the internet and have many viewers ranging from thousands to lakhs (up to nearly a million in some cases).
One such song goes: ‘Hua surakshit faisla/ Sirf sunana Baaki hai/ Mathura Kashi baaki hai/Ayodhya to bas jhaanki hai’ (Only the verdict remains to be delivered/Ayodhya is just a trailer/The task in Mathura and Kashi remains unfinished).
Sandeep Acharya, the singer of Hua Surakshit Faisla Sirf…, is based in Ayodhya and has a YouTube channel with around 45,000 followers. He says, “These are bhajans. We are not singing anything wrong. This is what everyone knows.”
On being asked whether the song is aimed at hurting a particular community, he says, “This is not our intention. We are desperately waiting for the verdict and (to) see the Ram temple in Ayodhya.”
On being asked about Kashi and Mathura, he says, “We sing to highlight people’s sentiments.” He uploaded the song last month. “This is a new song. Lakhs of people have watched other such bhajans,” he says, adding, “Ayodhya is an issue that concerns everybody and I sing one or two songs, keeping the people’s sentiments in mind, at every stage show of mine.”
Acharya is associated with a local Hindu youth group and also sings in programmes organised by right-wing organisations, says a local leader of Ayodhya.
Prem Krishnavanshi, a computer science engineer, is also known as a singer of such songs.
A week ago, he uploaded the song, ‘Mandir banega jaldi hi saryu ke saamne… barso guzaare tambu mein mere Ram ne… (A temple will be built near the Saryu soon, Ram has spent years under a tent).
He says, “I also have Muslim friends and I am not against them. I am just in favour of Ram temple and that’s the biggest inspiration.” Krishnavanshi recently staged a show in Bahraich, where he claimed he sang songs with a Hindutva theme.
Aligarh’s Dinesh Chanchal recently came up with songs with Hindutva and Ram temple themes.
(Teri Ayodhya nagri mein/ Ram lala hum ayenge/ Mandir vahin banayenge (We will go to Ayodhya and build a temple there).
Most of these songs are written by singers themselves, some of whom have a particular agenda.
“Many of them are associated with right-wing groups,” says an event organiser based in Barabanki, requesting anonymity.
“People also want some aggression. Instead of (run of the mill) bhajan singers, these singers are in high demand especially for the last two-three years,” he adds.
One singer charges Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 for each stage show and the internet is just a marketing platform for them.
Pawan Verma, a Bhojpuri singer, recently removed his song on the Ayodhya issue as many people started objecting to it.
“The song is in memory of the kar sewaks, who laid down their life in 1992.”
Not only in Bhojpuri, but such songs are also sung in Haryanvi.
“Haryanvi songs are popular in Haryana as well as western Uttar Pradesh,” says Nardev Bainiwal, a Haryanavi folk singer.
A woman singer Kavi Singh’s two-month-old song—Ab to kahenge chup na rahenge/sabse ye kah jayenge/ prabhu Ram ki aagya paa kar mandir vahin banayenge (We will not remain silent anymore but build the temple there after having received Lord Ram’s assent) — on YouTube has more than 1.6 million viewers.
“It has nothing inflammatory. I am not targeting any community, but highlighting the sentiments of the Hindu community,” she says.
Most of these songs have videos or clippings of processions as well as rallies of right-wing organisations.
On being asked, inspector general (law and order), Lucknow, Praveen Kumar says, “We do not have any such complaint. We are monitoring the social media. If we come across any hateful content, action will be taken for sure.”
Lucknow-based lawyer Vivek Pratap Singh says, “If there is no mention, comment or objectionable remark on any community, it’s fine. But as I saw, many songs are lyricised to scare or insult one community. This is unlawful.”
