mumbai

Updated: Jul 13, 2017 10:00 IST

To fight for the rights of the Koli community in the city, there will be some dancing. To show how Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj united Hindus and Muslims in Maharashtra, there will be qawwalis.

On Friday, artistes from across the state will come together at an event titled Performing Resistance: Tracing Modern Maharashtra Caste History through Music, at the Godrej India Culture Lab in Vikhroli.

“The aim is to remind people that music is not just entertainment but also an important tool of social mobilisation, history and identity politics,” says Poorvi Bellur, curator of the event and a student of history at Columbia University, New York.

The evening will begin with a discussion featuring poet and tamasha scholar Ganesh Chandanshive; Avatthi Ramaiah, a professor at the TISS Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policies; activist and author Shilpa Kamble and theatre director Sunil Shanbag.

“Poetry, dance and music are very powerful media to talk about issues like these. They have a different nuance from a political speech or a debate and therefore they help in connecting with their audiences emotionally,” says Shanbag. “And it is very important to talk about the caste system in the 21st century. The current socio-political scenario is a result of our neglect through the years and the fact that we did not take seriously enough the problems of the minorities.”

Art comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable and that’s why it’s important, adds Kamble.

After the discussion, a series of musical performances will explore the evolution of Dalit resistance through poetry, protest music and folk songs. Among those performing will be Dhamma Wings, India’s first Dalit rock band and the popular mother-son duo Keshar Jainoo and Nishant Shaikh, who will perform powadas, a genre of Marathi poetry used to narrate historical events.

What: Performing Resistance: Tracing Modern Maharashtra Caste History through Music

Where: Godrej India Culture Lab, Vikhroli

When: Friday, 5 pm onwards

Entry is free and open to all