Music and the Politics of Resistance: Zubeen Garg and A Global Overview

“If I could ever stop thinking about music and politics……..” (Michael Franti, Disposables Heroes of Hip-Hoprisy)

Music has played a vital role in political movements and resistances throughout history. It is observed that songs with powerful lyrics often become anthem for political resistances that motivate people to take actions, sometimes leading to major political changes. Being a student, researcher and teacher in the discipline of Political Science I have realized an invisible yet existential void between music and politics throughout the years. In the name of soft power, music has always been kept in a convenient distant from the ‘hard’ politics by political establishments across the globe. The realization gets intensified with sudden demise of our heartthrob Zubeen Garg. Human Civilization has been inundated with numerous movements in different epochs of history that gave birth to songs in order to capture collective grief, anger and frustration of common masses against political establishments.

The inextricable link between music and political resistance could be seen during the French Revolution when songs like Ca Ira (it’ll be fine), La Marseillaise, La Carmagnole, etc. became symbols for political change and collective hope. From inspiring optimism to call for radical actions, these songs shaped collective consciousness to liberty, equality and fraternity.

As we moved into twentieth century, music remained a force for change. After the formation of a purely communist-socialist government in Russia led by the Bolshevik Revolution, a deliberate attempt was made to censor music, films and platforms of other artworks by ruling establishment. The Russian composer and Pianist Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District in 1934 was a silent revolution against M.K. Stalin’s dictatorial regime. Similarly, Sergei Prokofiev’s Ala and Lolli, Ode to the End of the War, Festive Poem, Cantata for the Thirtieth Anniversary of October, Ballad of an Unknown Boy, etc. were collective reflections of generations’ anxiety and nuisances against autocratic reign of Andrei Zhdanov and Stalin in Soviet Union.

Music was a key tool for anti-apartheid Civil Rights Movements in USA during second half of the 20th century. The said movement reached a new pinnacle with releases of Alabama by John Coltrane, A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, Selma March by Grant Greens, Lift Every Voice and Sing by Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff, Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday and Mississippi Goddam by Nina Simone. The masterpiece We Shall Overcome galvanized peoples’

agonies and grievances and became the anthem of the revolution during such critical juncture of history.

The spirit of socio-political upheavals in USA during 1960s could be illustrated by Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A Changin. With his enlightened lyrics, Bob Dylan addressed generational divides and encouraged a generation to embrace social changes. When mainstream policymakers encouraged inhumane extraction of natural resources, Joni Mitchell came with her song, entitled Big Yellow Taxi in 1970 to raise ecological consciousness against top down androcentric political and economic development policies.

All these aforementioned political resistances through music were occurred in Global South. The world is still very ignored about countless political struggles and identity battles that peripheries of the world have been going through. One of such periphery is Assam- a small northeastern region of India. Assam’s political landscape cannot be drawn without the voice of Zubeen Garg that expressed shared grievances as well as inspired unity and harmony among people irrespective of caste, class, sexual orientation, place of birth, race, ethnicity and so on and so forth. Zubeen Garg’s songs shook the course of history for Assamese nationalism since 1990s. The last decade of the 20th century was marked by secessionist movement by United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), secret killings, economic recession, huge unemployment, political upheavels, militarization, and massive cultural depression. In this backdrop, Zubeen Da’s first album Anamika was released in 1992. As a true disciple of Che Guevara, Zubeen da was singing dhumuhar Xote Mur Bohu Zugore Nason with fiery rebellion. His song Hur Hur Hur Huraide, Apun Pathar Khan Mukolai De allowed complex political ideas of 3D’s (Detect, Delete & Deport of illegal immigrants) to become accessible for common masses and impactful. His song Politics Nokoriba Bondhu conveyed perseverance and collective strength against a mighty majoritarian political establishment both in the state as well as centre. In the beginning of the 21st century, he uttered Diya Ghurai Diya Prithivi Amer Amak reflecting hope and dream for a new millennium. When he sang Santi Diya Mukti Diya Hunor Asom Gohriboloy with his inherent fiery voices, the entire generation embraced a strong commitment to fight against each & every causes to terrorism and insurgency. Through Mon Jai Muru Mon Jai, he visualized youth’s repression and atrocities in a gloomy epoch. His song such as Pritir Xubakhe Dhuai Dilehi Murei Udashi Mon often acted as a cultural catalyst shaping emotional and ideological environment against the politics of divide in Assam.

His statements, beliefs and actions from “my innocence is my revolution” to “I am a rebel” identifies inseparable link between his music and political consciousness in the state of Assam. This consciousness and his songs of defiance were for the sake of the people live in the margins of the society starting from anti-secessionist movement in 1990 to Anti-CAA protest in 2019. Hence, his demise was not just a loss to cultural world; it was a heavy blow to political resistance, especially for the grassroots. His contempt for power mongers was reflected vividly when he warned as Ondho Xakhon Bhondo Xakhok, Ortho Lubhor Nogno Jujot and it provided a sense of relief to the entire generation that we have nothing to fear and loss. One of his songs of

defiance Mukha Mukha Kio Pindha Ei Mukha unveiled naked truths of this failing system at different layers.

Does an institution die? No. Do legends die? An absolute No. He is in our eternal melody, absolute rhythm and deepest political consciousness