Pramod Seshu aka Asura, a member of Hyderabad’s most popular hip-hop and rap group, Nawab Gang, released a single titled ‘Bathukudama’ on May 11. The Telugu rap track was written by Pramod in February and he could not think of a better time to release the track than the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The song opens with a few pressing questions about the good governance, plight of the farmers, education system, love and living. The opening lines eeda rythu ki paniki rani sarkar enduku (why do we need a government which can’t take care of farmers) continues with a host of questions such as ‘what is the need of the education which does not teach survival?’ and ‘why we hanker for lust when there is love.’ Writer-singer Pramod goes to question what drives people to commit suicides.
Pramod started working on the song after seeing the plight of Amaravati farmers who were protesting the shift of the capital. “But this is not new. Every year we read about the plight of various farmers from different parts of the country. If that is not all, no matter what is promised, women are becoming victims of rapes, dowry and honour killings. My song is a host of questions that we often ask ourselves. At least I do. My song is a cry for help to the nation builders and citizens,” says Pramod.
‘No revelation’
Pramod says it is in each of us to bring about a change. “Why are we facing global warming and climate change? It is because of man’s greed. We aren’t satisfied. We want more all the time and in the process we build factories, destroy jungles and go about creating havoc for ourselves. My song is no revelation. I am not telling anything new. I am questioning the way we live,” he says.
Having released the song during the lockdown, Pramod hopes we will be more responsible towards everybody including ourselves. “Being responsible towards ourselves means taking care of our surroundings, health and staying safe. I also hope all of us will pay more attention to respecting women and their choices. The main motive of the song is to try and bring the change in mindsets of people,” says Pramod.
The music’s mix for the video is by Ricky B and designed by Pardhu.