Sonic Revolution: Punjab's ‘Inquilabi’
Sonic Revolution is a series exploring political music that transformed societies around the world. This installment focuses on Bant Singh, a Majhabi Sikh Dalit artist and agricultural labor rights activist known for his powerful songs opposing exploitation by landowners.
Bant Singh’s Activism and Impact
Singh fearlessly resisted upper-caste feudalism, earning the nickname The Dalit Sword of Mansa. In 2002, he played a crucial role in organising landless farmers from 12 villages into the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha (MMM). This activism provoked violent retaliation from influential landowners, including the brutal rape of his daughter and a near-fatal attack on Bant Singh himself.
“The attack cost him his arms and a leg, but his continued revolutionary work from his hospital bed only spread his legend as Punjab’s greatest living, singing ‘Inquilabi.’”
Collaborations and Legacy
In 2010, musicians Samrat Bharadwaj, Taru Dalmia, and Chris McGuiness visited Bant Singh and collaborated with him on an album titled The Bant Singh Project. This collaboration evolved into a documentary named Word Sound Power, produced as part of an initiative by the Goethe Institut.
Summary
Bant Singh’s courage and music continue to inspire, symbolizing relentless resistance against oppression and the transformative power of political art.
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