Odisha’s Dalit rapper composes song highlighting plight of migrants amid lockdown

With a rap song expressing ordeal of migrant workers amid coronavirus crisis, Odisha’s ‘Gully Boy’, Dalit rapper Duleshwar Tandi aka Rapper Dule Rocker has asked  government to answer for plight of workers through his song Sarkar, tui jabab de, w making waves on internet. “Why is pregnant woman returning, Walking thousands of kilometers, Step by step, barefoot,” goes lyrics to his powerful new composition that he released in Hindi, English, and Kosli langu online.  27-year-old from Borda vill in Kalahandi district said that he “expressed anguish and anger through rap.” 

According to  People Archive of rural India release, Duleshwar, also a migrant worker, has a BSc degree and gives tuitions to students. He moved to Raipur in 2013 and took jobs such as doing dishes and wiping tables at hotel. As COVID-19 pandemic hit India, and a national lockdown was imposed on March 23, Duleshwar h to move back to his vill. However, when videos and ims of plight of migrant workers surface across social media, he was compelled to write a song, as per a report. His first song was titled 'Sun Sarkar, Sat Katha' released in May.

In one ar composition, Duleshwar rapped about conditions of migrant workers after y h exhausted all ir savings and lost everything in a matter of days amid pandemic. Those privileged and some leers gave sermons inste of help, ar report quoted him saying.  

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When lockdown was imposed in India, poor of country began suffering,  rapper said, as quoted by People's Archive of Rural India. Labourers lost ir jobs, became homeless, and were starving for days. Thousands were forced to walk to ir vills barefoot under a scorching sun.

It’s t as if government is t capable of stopping all this and providing help to people – inste, y abandoned poor of India. I am sdened and shocked to see all se. And I think we must question government, Duleshwar ded. 

Family belongs to Scheduled Caste

While Rapper Duleshwar belongs to Dom community, a Scheduled Caste, his mor Pramila is a farmer and firewood collector, and gets a monthly senior citizen pension Rs.500, as per report. A farmer and local police station assistant, his far, Nilamani Tandi sly passed away three years ago.  

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