Time and again, rap and hip hop artist Naveen Kumar (32) (Naveen Koomar is his artist name) has used music as a medium to throw light on various social issues, emphasising the role that the medium plays in expressing resistance. In this week’s Soundscape, we speak to the West Delhi resident about his new song Jab Tak Zinda Hain and the change he feels music can bring in current times. Excerpts...
Tell us about writing Jab Tak Zinda Hain.
I write whenever I am moved; it is a way for me to vent. You see news or something happening around you, things keep building up and start bothering you, and that is when I pen it [the lyrics] down. Jab Tak Zinda Hain was written during the second wave of COVID-19. I saw statements by the government denying deaths of manual scavengers. I was shocked, sad, angry, all at once. People were dying, crematoriums were full, and then, I saw these crematorium workers—they did not have basic gear, they were not insured. I was surprised that we are showering people with flowers but paying no attention to frontline workers. I was thinking that they are my people and if we can, let’s put pressure on the authorities through this track. We weren’t able to complete it last year but this year we completed it. We released it on Ambedkar Jayanti.
How do you strike a balance between the message of the song and the musicality?
That balance, for me, has always been the most important thing. I believe we can all make statements, but the right way to register it is where art comes in. Art does it so beautifully that even if someone doesn’t want to listen to you but if they like the song, they will understand. I have always been a melody-oriented person. When your emotions are right and you can feel what you are writing, there comes a balance. This is what poetry is about; you add layers to it but the context stays intact.
Before Jab Tak Zinda Hain, you made Kab Tak Sahenge that also talks about caste atrocities. However, there is a lot of difference in the tonality of both songs…
It is all about what strikes you when you are about to pen down a song. When I was seeing people lose their lives during COVID-19 and I read about people from marginalised communities, I was sad. I felt helpless and that is how the song was made.
For Kab Tak Sahengey, it was an outburst. It was the first time I had openly talked about my caste experiences and the experiences of people I know. The intention was that whoever listens to this song, even in a small village, should get that power to walk out of that cocoon that we stay in and say it loud.
In the coming years, what is the change you seek as an artist?
I will be very optimistic. In recent times, I see voices being shunned. But the way I have seen India is that people with a voice have brought a change. The good part is that artists from the [marginalised] communities are showcasing their work, they are networking, their art is getting a platform now. This is a very positive thing.
The internet will help such voices reach out to people in rural parts of the country. When these people will help interact with such art, and if it moves them, they can use it to help them be more vocal, mobilise, come out, and question what is happening around us. I believe no one can stop good people from reclaiming what is theirs. There is nothing that goodness cannot change.
‘Jab Tak Zinda Hain’ by Naveen Koomar is streaming on all leading platforms