Music transcends borders, genres, languages and whatnot to bring people together. You must have heard statements like these everywhere. Music brings people from different countries, walks of life and economic situations together one chord at a time. If you look back in history, this unity has helped in bringing revolutionary changes in society in the form of protest songs pointing out the socio-cultural and economic issues around us. 

On this music day, let us explore the art of political and protest music — a point of intersection between art and activism, where dissent takes the most melodious form it has ever had.

Musical artivism

Art can be quite a creative political medium to voice dissent, views and opinions at authoritative figures, executives, legislatures, judiciaries and even hierarchical systems around us. In many times of oppression, music and art have emerged as a key medium of protest. While often, the repercussions of rebelling and protesting are quite risky in India, there are still dozens of artists expressing their views against many injustices happening around us. 

“For us, it happens quite naturally because we’re writing from our own lived experiences. As women in India, a lot of what we experience every day is connected to larger social issues, whether it’s gender bias, body shaming, safety, mental health, or simply the freedom to make our own choices,” says Wild Wild Women, India’s first all-female hip-hop collective. 

Transcending language barriers, music creates an emotional impact on people and helps them relate and connect to each other. This is exactly why political music is extremely important in today’s day and age.

Origin story

The origin of political music goes way back, and we have remnants of songs from even the 1600s describing shades of dissent towards the authorities. Interestingly, Plato has emphasised how music is a deeply political tool rather than an entertainment, and how music often bypasses logic and reason, making it a tool for bringing about social changes. He, however, soon advocated for the censorship of music. Thoughts connected to political music thus go further in the past than you think!

Empowering people

Creative mediums, since their conception, have helped people empower themselves and others in various forms — not just necessarily political. From self-love to feelings of togetherness, music is considered to have healing powers worldwide. The fusion of music, politics and activism has helped in mobilising communities and amplifying marginalised voices to challenge the wrongdoings of the authorities. 

One of the first protest music pieces in India is considered to be ‘Vande Mataram’ by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875, which became the anthem for the Swadeshi movement during India’s struggle for independence. In the 1940s, IPTA or the Indian People’s Theatre Association, was founded, which pioneered in organised activist music, mostly folk-inspired worker and peasant anthems aimed at mobilising the masses. Later in states like Maharashtra, as a result of Dr B. R. Ambedkar’s activism, ‘Bhim songs’ emerged as a political tool protesting against caste oppression and promoting human rights, constitutional values, and women’s empowerment. Coming to more recent times, artivism now often addresses issues like human rights and labour disputes. 

Wild Wild Women advises not to try to sound important, but to be honest. “Socially relevant music becomes powerful when it comes from genuine experiences, observations and emotions. Young artists sometimes feel pressure to speak about big issues, but you don’t need to have all the answers. Talk about what you know, what you’ve seen, what you’ve felt,” they added.

Some popular iconic examples in India would be artists like Arivu, Sofia Ashraf, Kraantinaari, Ahmer Javed, Swadesi, Delhi Sultanate, The Casteless Collective, Imphal Talkies, and the Howlers. Another important example in recent times includes Aamir Aziz’s 2019 track ‘Acche Din Blues’ and ‘Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega,’ which gained international prominence after being recited by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters at a pro-democracy and protest event in London. 

Evolving times

Political music has been important for social change, from complaints about the monarchy in 17th Century England to today’s protests by Indian farmers, issues of censorship, and the American Black Lives Matter movement. Music creators often face pressure from the government to conform and spread propaganda. Despite this, they continue to use their art to challenge authority. Whether through traditional folk songs, modern hip-hop, or digital art groups, artistic activism turns walls, songs, and screens into powerful messages for change. Protest music effectively transforms personal complaints into collective action, making it one of the strongest tools for political change in history. 

Being one of the largest democracies and culturally rich countries, political and socially relevant music has always existed in India in one form or another. With the coming of social media, it became much easier to portray the dissent or opinion differences within us. Nationally or internationally, since time immemorial, criticism has tended not to be taken gracefully by authorities, and as a result, artists who speak up do get to enjoy repercussions in certain scenarios. While constantly evolving with technology and change in power, one thing has certainly not changed: strong, loud and bold voices which speak up about social issues, from caste to gender discrimination to survival in itself!