As more than one lakh students from Jadavpur University and other Kolkata colleges defied torrential rain on Saturday to march against a brutal police assault on a peaceful protest, they chanted the slogan, "Hok Kolorob." Soon, the hashtag #hokkolorob went viral, connecting sympathisers around the world ‒ and leaving non-Bengalis baffled.



Hok Kolorob, it turns out, is the title of a song by Bangladeshi musician Arnob Shayan Chowdhury. This other Arnob is enormously popular among Kolkata's college students. Hok Kolorob is the equivalent of the popular Hindi cry "halla bol" ‒ it means "let there be noise".



This is Arnob's rendition of Hok Kolorob.







A wide range of sympathisers have joined the protest. One of them is Rupam Islam, one of the biggest names of contemporary Bengali music. He has recorded his own version of Hok Kolorob to show his support for the students.







Music has been the weapon of choice for the protesting students of Jadavpur University, and this short film captures the atmosphere quite vividly.







