CUDDALORE : If “ban PETA” is the catchword of the ongoing pro-jallikattu protests, Takkaru Takkaru may perhaps be called its anthem. Composed by homegrown Tamil rapper Aadhi, famously known as Hip-Hop Tamizha, the 12-minute theme song Takkaru Takkaru now lends new vocabulary to the chic youth lexicon of young Tamizhans and Tamizhachis, who have hit the streets to protect native breeds of bulls.
The song, which recorded a whopping five million views in six months on YouTube, has not only made an instant connect with youngsters but also become an inevitable feature of all pro-jallikattu protests with young protestors even advancing their arguments using the easy to remember lyrics, which largely calls the jallikattu ban a corporate ploy.
Arvind, an ITI student from Cuddalore, says, “I have watched the video. It explains the conspiracy behind the ban on jallikattu. Corporates want to erase the Tamil identity. Ithu matta pathina prechana ila, un natta pathina prechana da (This is not an issue of bulls but your nation), screams a handlebar moustache sporting Aadhi, adding pep to the video. Many of my friends have this video in their mobile phones.”
During the protests in Cuddalore and Neyveli Township, youth have been singing the song in chorus. At Cuddalore protest venue, a youth was seen carrying the portrait of Hip-Hop Tamizha, with the slogan Meesaiya Murukku - PETAva Norukku.
The words Meesaiya Murukku (Flaunt your Moustache) are also found in the lyrics of Takkaru Takkaru and is incidentally the title of Hip-Hop Tamizha’s upcoming directorial debut movie in Tamil.
Ram Dhileep, a young protestor, says, “I got an urge to do something to protect jallikattu and native bull breeds after I saw the video a few months ago. Though I had heard about jallikattu through other sources earlier, the Hip-Hop Tamizha video inspired me to do something. The song is being played on the speakers at the protests venues.”
Meme creators on Facebook have also been glorifying Hip-Hop Tamizha as a hero by posting various materials on him and fetching thousands of likes. Many youth, who speak at the protest venues, have also been using the points put forth by these meme creators and most slogans have been sourced from social networking sites.
“Many modern Tamil youth, who rely mostly on Facebook and WhatsApp, praise Hip-Hop Tamizha Aathi as the ‘modern Bharathiyar’. Aathi has managed to get astonishing number of internet followers. The protest too, at first, was called for by the memes creators. This is the protest largely fueled by internet,” said a techie, who is following the developments keenly.
The protests that have spread across the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu have turned into a carnival. Youth and elderly alike can be seen waving placards with artistic slogans. The protestors believe that they are in the right and it’s only time before the powers that be would relent and give them what they deserve.