BENGALURU : Bengaluru has provided the source of Thimmegowda MJ’s livelihood and survival for 13 years now. He quit the media profession in 2018 to take up music full-time and went on to compose songs and albums with his friends in the city. However, with the economic havoc caused by the pandemic, many people have had to move back to their hometowns from Bengaluru, which, like many other large cities is depends heavily on migrants from other parts of the state and country.
Gowda, who hails from Mandya, says that he was pained by the constant criticism levelled at the city, which prompted him to come up with the song Don’t blame Bengaluru. “The pandemic took everyone by surprise. The situation was new for everybody. Yes, the virus definitely damaged the livelihoods of many people. But that does not mean you equal the city to a dangerous place and complain about not being able to survive here,” says Gowda.
Released on YouTube on June 5, the music video got many Bengalureans emotional. “The city has welcomed a lot of people from other states and has given them a livelihood. The music video is a request to people to not speak ill about the place that has helped people grow socially and economically. The city has been a window of opportunities for students, techies, and other working professionals from neighbouring states and also for people from other parts of India,” he says.
The four-minute video starts with auto drivers, flower sellers, and daily wage workers talking about what the city means to them. The video also features prominent Kannada actors including Pranitha Subhash, Sonu Gowda, Vasishta Simha, Harshika Poonacha.
Actor Sonu Gowda says, “I believe as citizens we should have collective responsibility in ensuring that we follow Covid-appropriate behaviour to minimise risk. People should be rightly informed and educated on wearing masks and using sanitiser. Blaming the administration and the city is easy, but we fail to realise that many of us have been negligent towards following health protocols issued by the government.”
Ashwin Sharma, one of the vocalists, believes Bengaluru is more of a feeling than a city. “It was painful when people leaving Bengaluru actually despised the city when the pandemic hit. It has been a source of survival to many. Singing this song is like giving my gratitude to the city which has given me everything,” says Sharma.