CHENNAI: On a lazy Sunday morning in 2021, as she was adjusting the camera’s focus to capture a family who were evicted from what they call their home, their cries turned out to be a trigger for Abishaa. Living in RA Puram for over a decade, this family built a home on the banks of a waterbody closer to a real estate property. Wanting to expand their resources, the realty firm approached the court with a PIL, and eviction was declared.
“I was approached to film a protest regarding the eviction. Being there made me realise that we live in a society surrounded by injustice,” says Abishaa (stage name: B-Shaa), cinematographer and the key person in the formation of Sollisai Sistahs, an all-women-rap group, a first in Tamil Nadu.
The protest became bigger when one of the family members died and there were media vans and mediapersons with mics mounting the apartment. “Before the death of Kannaiyan, there was nobody to question the injustice they were put through by the court eviction and the builders. When a death is reported, all of a sudden, everybody is interested in the news. This incident was too heavy on me,” she explains.
Trying to wrap her thoughts, Abishaa writes, “Nathi kara oro veedunu solli, erikarai oram kudukara veedu, theru peyaru la irukura jaathi a alikura, jaathi veri pudichu nee cheri a alikura (You say the house is on the banks of a river, and you give a house by the lakeside, you abolish the caste names from the names of the streets, in a frenzy of getting rid of castes you destroy the slum)”. With this, she stepped into the world of rapping. She performed this at The Movement, a community representing Tamil Nadu Hip-Hop artistes. It is a crew that meets at Anna Nagar Tower Park regularly and performs.
Getting motivated by such groups, Abishaa started working on her raps day and night. All her performances circle caste and gender politics and social issues. “Things that happen around me, situations which upset me, and encouraging others to voice out, inspire me to write. That is how I wrote my first rap,” she says.
Art is art
Besides writing raps, Abishaa works as a cameraman for Neelam Cultural Centre, founded by director Pa Ranjith, and has been participating in their Margazhiyil Makkalisai, an annual music festival. Preparing for her act in 2022 for the musical evening, she met Kavyaa (stage name: Kavi Chikki), a beatboxer and a newsperson. Kavyaa had come to Chennai to research gaana music.
Settled in Bengaluru, Kavyaa grew up listening to gaana music and was very much intrigued to know why people find gaana to be noise rather than art. “Gaana is a form of entertainment but is discriminated against because of the people who perform it. It is an art form of the oppressed. The mainstream media portrays it in a light that the art form is used to objectify women and mock others. I want to show people that gaana is equivalent to any other art form and it is a tool to express thoughts,” she shares.
Using art forms to communicate emotions is the ideology that Abishaa and Kavyaa share. When two people with the same beliefs meet, they collaborate. Similar is the story of the duo. “It was an impromptu plan. Abishaa was backstage, getting ready for her performance. We met and she asked me to beatbox for her act,” says Kavyaa.
She learnt beatboxing from her friends who practised the art. “The musical element of beatboxing appealed to me and I wanted to learn it. There aren’t many women who practice it and many are discriminated against, saying that it requires a lot of stamina and a gruff voice,” explains Kavyaa. Being a mediaperson, she wants to change the narrative and voice out against caste politics and social injustices.
Soon the duo became a trio when Abishaa and Raaga Kaatralai (stage name: Swathi), a rapper from Salem, connected on Instagram. They have worked together in creating rap. Wanting to form a group to grab people’s attention on social issues and be a predecessor for others to speak their opinions, Abishaa formed Sollisai Sistahs. The last to join the group was Neya, a school student, interested in writing raps and was inspired to join the team after attending one of their performances.
A band for sisters
Sollisai Sistahs made their first appearance as a band in Margazhiyil Makkalisai 2023. Since then, the team has been invited to various events and spaces including DakshinaChitra, Vyasai Thozhargal’s ‘Our Street Our Stories’ photo exhibition, and Women’s Day celebrations at Goethe-Institut Chennai. “Every art form has a motive and a message to deliver. We are here to prick some ears and make some noise because only through art do you express yourself and what you believe in and kindle curiosity in the listeners to know more. In this process, you start a conversation with the words (rap lyrics) and keep the audience hooked with the music,” notes Kavyaa.
The audience is also highly influential as they consume content in various forms. “Cinema shows rap culture in a way demeaning women. The issue is we talk about the degradation and the power struggle among women. We are degraded and stripped of power by other genders, we should be talking to them, and only then will we notice a change,” shares Abishaa. According to her, if a movie deals with feminism there should be a feminist’s viewpoint in the script.
“Directors should approach women with their script when they write about them. They should also be open to unlearn what they know and adapt to what is required of them,” she says, adding that when a panel discussion on how women are stereotyped is conducted, it should be made sure that it reaches other genders so that they learn and understand the reality.
To take this a step ahead, Abishaa suggests that more women come forward and put out statements. To help them out, Sollisai Sistahs can be a start. The band is open to anyone and everyone as music sees no gender, caste, or social wealth. With the band sharing their aim to create as many bands of women rappers in the city and state, the conversation comes to an end. Abishaa adjusts her mic as she practises for the group’s upcoming welcome performance at Pradeep Kumar’s concert.
For details, reach out to sollisai_sistahs on Instagram.