Justice Rocks to host Independence Day event in honour of political prisoners

Justice Rocks, a city-based collaborative arts initiative is conducting an event on India's Independence Day, August 15, titled 'Kelvi Koothu' (a dirge for democracy) in honour of Father Stan Swamy, who recently lost his life, and other activists still jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case. Speaking about the idea of the event, musician and activist TM Krishna said, "The whole idea behind it is that Independence Day is seen as a day full of nostalgia, but it should be a day when we ask ourselves if we're truly independent in a most serious manner. I think the last two years and more have shown us that we are not just not independent, we are under threat in many ways."

"Stan Swamy's death is a big trigger for this event, we are honouring him, but through this, we are also honouring many people who are still in prison, and are being accused wrongly. We are also challenging the society's habit of painting people as anti-national. Violence is being celebrated as the identity of this country, which needs to be challenged. It's not just a lament, but a challenge. If we really want to celebrate Independence Day, we must celebrate it by challenging everything that reduces our independence or denies us our freedom," he added. Krishna however, is not on the list of artists who will perform at the event.

Jesuit priest and activist Stan Swamy was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy that led to caste violence near Bhima Koregaon in 2018. The 84-year-old, who had Parkinson's disease, was imprisoned without a trial and contracted the novel coronavirus infection while in jail. He died of a cardiac arrest in Mumbai’s Holy Family Hospital while his bail petition on medical grounds was being heard in the Bombay High Court. His death triggered outrage across the country.

Speaking to TNM, Nityanand Jayaraman, one of the organisers of the ‘Kelvi Koothu’ event, said, "This event will involve satire through music, to spotlight the precarious state of our democracy. It will be done using traditional forms of lament like 'oppari', and there will also be 'gaana', which is an extremely political music form."

"The 'oppari' is chosen due to the large number of deaths we have witnessed over the last two years, including people who have been denied medical treatment like father Stan Swamy and people who were killed due to the state's failure to make arrangements for travel and transport, like migrant workers. The dirge and the lament is for the people who have died and the freedoms we have lost, it is also a commitment to try and win back those freedoms and to fight for those who are still living.That is the mood we are seeking to convey," he added.

The event will also have short plays based on poems written by two Tamil poets — Kavin Malar and Manushya Puthran. The tongue-in-cheek plays will be performed by a team of six artists from a group called Kattyakkari.

Isaivani, a prominent gaana singer, is expected to sing a new song called Haanji, while another singer, Gaana Muthu, is singing a song about 'Karuvadu' (dried fish) which is also about caste and status politics. Several promotional events are also being held. On Friday, August 13, Niveditha Louis, an amateur historian of Chennai will be in conversation with Kattyakkari, while on Saturday, TM Krishna will participate in a Twitter Spaces event. The ‘Kelvi Koothu’ event can be viewed at 6 pm on August 15 via the YouTube channel of the Vettiver Collective.