KOCHI: Amid the loud percussions, the deafening explosion of firecrackers and scorching heat stands an animal, braced by blood-stained chains. The state has traditionally put elephants on a pedestal, taking pride in their presence in processions and temple festivals..
But none of that belongs to the animal that has to endure a great deal of pain and anxiety. A mix of cultural obsession and mindless superstitions outweigh logic and animal rights. When he realised this, Anantha K P, a fourth-year MBBS student at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, decided it was time he spoke up.
His new single ‘Aana’ is an ode to the biggest mammal that has put up with torture, captivation and arrogance of humankind. Hours after its release, ‘Aana’ was taken down twice by YouTube because people mass reported it as spam and misleading content. The team was forced to put it up later on Anantha’s Youtube channel with just a few followers.
“Before even putting out the video, we expected a trail of negative comments as it is a sensitive issue to many. But we never thought it would be this bad. ‘Aana’ is my perspective and an expression of my thoughts. Since childhood, I have seen people hitting elephants, chaining them tighter when they struggle and making them stand in blazing heat amidst the high-decibel sounds in the festival. We need to understand the torture and fear these creatures experience,” says Anantha.
The recent natural death of the elephant Karnan followed by a chain of memorial posts by the so-called ‘aanapremikal’ on social media is what prompted Anantha to pen down the lyrics for the song. “When I saw the social media posts, I felt a sense of resentment against the ones who never considered the plight of the animal, normalising its captivation.
These people justify the torture of a lifetime by paying respect when it is dead. In the music video, I have mentioned the name ‘Karnan’. It symbolises all the elephants who are still suffering silently,” explains Anantha. The team made Aana with limited resources in between a tight exam schedule. “We were attacked by the same people both times we tried uploading the video. Even after releasing it on my channel, we received a lot of hate messages over WhatsApp and social media,” said Anantha.
After the third release, the creation started getting positive responses from the public. The four-minute-long video was directed by Ambadi S Sastha and Kiran Ajith, mix and mastered by Diveen Sen Geth, Jithin A.R, and performed by Megha Mohan.
Watch on YouTube: Anantha KP