The story of election campaigns is also a story of star political campaigners and leaders who emerge as the face of political parties. Film stars, Bollywood singers, and cricketers often fill the canvas of poll campaigns with extravagant roadshows and crowded rallies. But the ones who rarely find any mention are the ‘gayak jis’. They are mostly local folk singers who sing songs in dialects popularly used in Uttar Pradesh such as Bhojpuri, Braj, and Awadhi.
As the campaign season for the upcoming 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election warms up, these local singers are much in demand. Leaders and cadres of various political parties have started booking them for their rallies. These singers are paid a fee after mutual negotiation. There is no fixed amount. Some singers perform free of cost in case they have a personal equation with the leader contesting the election. In such cases, they are paid baksheesh or inam (honorarium) for their performance.
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The unsung stars
Munnu Yadav is a famous biraha singer from Sonbhadra city in Uttar Pradesh. He teaches in a school near Varanasi. Munnu bhai, as he is popularly known, has sung in several election rallies in the past such as those of leaders like Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, a former MLA from Marihan constituency in Azampur who recently left Congress to join the Trinamool. Munnu bhai is also being approached by leaders of Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.
Singers like Munnu bhai compose songs in folk rhymes and tunes such as kajari, biraha, ragini, jantsar, and purvi. Their songs describe the qualities of the candidates with claims that they will fulfill people’s aspirations if the candidate wins. They create an impressive musical atmosphere at the rallies, popularly described as ‘sama bandhana’, before the main speakers arrive on the dais. These singers are welcomed by huge crowds. In most of the rallies, the star speakers often arrive several hours late, which means these singers have to fill the time with their performances. They sing in groups of 10-12 people and play musical instruments.
It is interesting to recall that this tradition started with the arrival of India’s electoral democracy. When Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, used to contest election from Phulpur constituency, a local Dalit folk singer named Ramraj used to sing songs with his musical group. It is said that the audience would stay back to hear him even after Nehru had left the venue. One of his famous songs went like this:
Bharat swarg lok hoi jaihe
Dhir dhara sajani
Dhir dhara sajani
Chhuachut ke bhed mitayihe
I dekha budhimani
Pandit dhobi ke ghar khayihe
Dhir dhara sajani
Nadiya doodho se bhar jaihe
Dheer dhara sajani
(India will become a heaven
Be patient, O my dear
Untouchability will be removed
See the intelligence of the Indian
The rivers will soon be filled with milk.)
Not only in Nehru’s rallies, even in the meetings of his opponent Prabhudutt Brahmchari, but local folk singers also used to sing songs against Hindu Code Bill proposed by the Indian government.
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Accolade and danger
The folk singers compose the songs sung by them. Some of them are also aashu kavi, which means they compose songs immediately on suggested themes. Some of them sing songs composed by others. One may find this phenomenon in other states as well.
Gappala Raju, a Telugu folk singer, played an important role in the Telangana election. He sings, plays drums, and asks people to vote in favour of the candidate he is performing for. Sanjay Lal Yadav sings his famous song ‘Akhilesh pasand hai’. Folk singer Prabhakar Maurya sings at BJP rallies – Har booth par kamal khilega. One may spot folk singer Heera from Jaunpur singing electoral songs in the 2022 UP election campaign.
Most of the time, these singers receive appreciation from the public, but sometimes they can also face violent reactions from supporters of rival candidates. Their songs travel from village to village and basti to basti. The upcoming 2020 UP assembly election won’t be any different either.
The author is Professor and Director at the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad. He tweets @poetbadri. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)