A few months before the novel Coronavirus crisis hit humanity and we locked ourselves in to survive, a series of protests against the Central government’s Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) had rocked the country. Popularly known as the anti-CAA protests, lakhs across India took to the streets in a bid to make their voices heard. And invariably slogans and songs – for instance, revered Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s 'Hum Dekhenge' and 'Lathi Chodo, Saath Chalo', among others – got new meanings and echoed from every nook and corner of the country. To me (and I am sure to many others as well) however, these songs came as a reminder of the “Flower Power” era.

I couldn’t help but think about the Civil Rights Movement, the 60’s war-stricken US, the student revolutions in Europe, among others, and how these events shaped the creative imagery of many musical greats of that era in the West. Soon after, I got fixated with the term “protest songs” and after reading a bit about songs of resistance from across India, I remembered asking myself, “Does the Northeast have a history of protest songs?

Many would agree that the songs of indignation are not foreign to the people of the Seven Sisters. Retired principal of Moran College (Assam) and a veteran audiophile, Anil Saikia says, “The word ‘protest’ can have many meanings. To some, it may mean agitation, revolution, and to others, it can simply mean disagreement.” Saikia adds that there are three pre-requisites that fuel the creation of protest songs in any given society and in Assam, the phenomenon began as early as the 1930s and early 40s. “India’s struggle for independence inspired stalwarts like Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Aggarwala from Assam to pen protest songs such as 'Bishwa Bijoy Nojowan' (1939). Firstly, societal issues (be it evolution, revolution, or simple patriotism) are the most important factor,” he says. And secondly, he adds, a songwriter’s sense of responsibility towards the society urges him/her to write such songs with an intention to help the society choose a path which they think is right. “And the third is for the basic love of humanity,” says Sakia.

Songs like 'Mor Gaanot Jole' and 'Janoni Xontan Jaga' by Jyotiprasad Aggarwala and 'Bol Bol Krixak Xati Bol' by Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha among many, are appropriate examples that the Northeast in general, and Assam in particular, was a hotbed for protest songs of a different texture during that period. Stalwarts like Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika too gave a unique touch to protest songs and continued the legacy instituted by his predecessors. At a time when a young Bob Dylan was gathering praises around the world with songs such as 'Blowing In The Wind' and 'Times They Are a-Changing' in 1963-64, back in Assam, Hazarika was spreading the message of peace and solidarity among the people with songs like' Manuhe Manuhor Baabe' and 'Rono Klanto Nohoi' aimed at the Bhaxa Andolan and Indo-China War in 1962, respectively. His long time stage accompanist and admirer Kamal Kakati once told yours truly, “Bhupen Da was politically a very conscious person. Every time an issue cropped up in the Northeast, he made it a point to either find a solution or put across his perception of it through his songs. But unlike Dylan’s and many others in the 60s’ US, Hazarika’s protest songs were in Assamese and probably that’s why couldn’t acquire a universal following.”

So, were protest songs only prevalent in Assam? No. Sociologist Tiplut Nongbri, had once told this writer, “Today, different ethnic groups in the Northeast are asserting their identity and claim for autonomy. And music has been used not only as a means to express their aspiration but also to mobilise and foster solidarity among disparate groups. In fact, this has always been the case. For instance, the lyrics of the song 'U khynriam' - 'U pnar/ U bhoi/ U war/ Ki long ki paid Khasibaiar' (the Pnar, the Bhoi, the War constitute the great Khasi race) became popular in the 1960s and ‘70s during the Khasi’s struggle for a separate state.”

Hao music exponent and Tankhul Naga musician Guru Rewben Mashangva, claims that his musical repertoire constitutes a bundle of protest songs. With a pledge to revive the folk music of Nagaland, Mashangva pens songs targeted against colonisation and consolidation of the British Empire. For he believes Western influence is responsible for the sorry state of tribal musical forms today. “I sing for peace and solidarity among the people of the region. In fact, I have invented indigenous instruments to retain the essence of my lyrics,” he asserts. With lyrics such as -  ‘Young people in the Northeast are thinking/ Sons and daughters of the Seven Sisters/Please come back from Hollywood/May you shine like seven stars in the sky’ - Mashangva have been trying to spread awareness among people about the importance of ethnicity and tradition for many years now.

Veteran musician Lou Majaw of Meghalaya believes protest songs can bring about a positive change in any society. Citing his song 'Chains of Freedom' as one of the many examples, the musician says, “I have written the song against the system, which sucks our expertise and in return doesn’t give us anything.” There are many such examples of protest songs around the Northeast, he maintains. 

Here one may ask have today’s musicians of Northeast stopped creating protest songs. Well, guess one has to delve into the lyrics of some of today's contemporary artistes to find the answer. Says Saikia, “One can’t ask someone why he or she is not writing anything about the societal issues. Instead of pointing fingers at others, why don’t they write some themselves?”

Citing lyrics of Zubin Garg, Saikia says that there are many such songs by contemporary musicians where one would find a sense of protest. “For instance, take his song 'Xunore Xojuwa Poja'. In the song, Garg talks about the insurgency problem of Assam and asks for solutions. We can’t say protest songs have vanished as it is for the ardent fans and admirers of that particular singer-songwriter to delve into his/her lyrics and find out,” urges Saikia.

Even in the Northeastern indie music sphere, vernacular bands like Shades of Retribution have addressed burning issues of the region with their songs. The band, which debuted with the album 'Xongram' in 2010, speaks about insurgency and illegal immigration in Assam in their songs 'Andolan', 'Kola Daor', and 'Mora Xo' among others. In Manipur, bands such as Imphal Talkies and The Howlers too have been creating quite a stir with their protest songs both nationally and internationally. Since cutting their debut album, 'Tiddim Road' in 2009, the band, fronted by singer-songwriter Akhu Chingangbam, has been quite vocal about their take on political and social issues with songs such as 'The President Us Coming' and 'The Home Is Burning', among others. However, unlike stalwarts like Hazarika, Rabha, or for that matter, Dylan and John Lennon in the West, these bands have pulled protest songs out of the domain of folk music and followed contemporary music models and in the process have given a new avatar to these songs.

In retrospect, protest songs are an integral part of the songwriting tradition of the Northeast and in view of Dylan being conferred the Nobel Prize in 2016, I couldn't help but wonder if at all the lyrical legends of Northeast will someday get their due.