Javed Akhtar’s poem on the plight of migrant labourers
On June 21, 75-year old acclaimed poet, lyricist and activist Javed Akhtar recited his poem on the tragic plight of Indian migrant workers, following the suddenly implemented COVID-19 lockdown across the country.
The song of migrant workers in India
Mumbai based investigative journalist Krishnaraj Rao sang and uploaded a Hindi song composed from the perspective of the migrant labourers themselves, called “Hum Sab Yaad Rakhenge” (We Will Remember Everything), on June 12.
https://youtu.be/bq11Xvfg52g
A moving Telugu song, by Adesh Ravi
Adesh Ravi, a 44-year old musician who hails from Telangana’s Mancherial district, sung and uploaded a Telugu song on migrant labourers, again from their own perspective, on April 17.
I am a Labourer, Not a Liability | A Poem
A poem by Anjum Ismail, with an illustration by Labani Jangi. You can see it here.
https://soundcloud.com/ruralindia/i-am-a-labourer-anjum-ismail
Theatre artist Sudhanva Deshpande’s recitation of the poem
Remembering Girish Karnad | An interview with Yashpal Sharma
On Girish Karnad’s first death anniversary on June 10, The Wire interviewed actor Yashpal Sharma on the theatre doyen’s illustrious career.
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak recite “The Elephant and the Tragopan” by Vikram Seth
Eminent actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah recite a poem from Vikram Seth’s “Beastly Tales from Here and There”, which imagines how it’ll be if animals began behaving like humans do.
Voice of Voiceless | Malayalam Rap
Released on June 13, this Malayalam anti-caste rap song by a young artist who goes by the name Vedan is dedicated to all those want to live happily, but are not allowed to; those who want to come to the forefront, but are always pushed to the margins.
Guitarists Against Racism | From North East to Kerala
Kicked off by 25-year old Assam based vocalist/guitarist Rahul Rajkhowa, musicians from across the country joined in to strum against rising racial discrimination against those from the North East. The video was edited and mixed by session guitarist from Kerala, Akash S Menon.
https://www.facebook.com/navin.salian.94/videos/10158419217212354/
