Warli artiste raises call to save Aarey's forest

In 2018 adivasi activist Prakash Bhoir had collaborated with hiphop crew Swadesi for a song called The Warli Revolt which talked about how indiscriminate urbanisation was driving a knife through the heart of the Aarey forest More than a call for action that track had served as a war cry The lyrics breathed fire holding the authorities by the scruff of their neck warning them that the adivasi populace in the area wouldnrsquot accept their injustices lying down They would even take up arms if need be ldquoDo not mess with usrdquo is what the words essentially saidThree years later Bhoir has now collaborated with Mumbai band Sparsh for another track Wagh deva which talks about the same issue mdash rampant deforestation at Aarey But this time he seems to have considerably mellowed down Itrsquos not that his anger has been tempered with resignation Itrsquos just that here Bhoirrsquos words arenrsquot directed at the callous powers that be Instead he is requesting for external help He is seeking divine intervention He is beseeching the leopard mdash or wagh deva a god for the adivasis mdash to fight for their cause since human beings clearly seem to be too stupid to get the messageAnd this message is simple mdash nature plays by its own rules so donrsquot interfere with them Bhoir tells us ldquoWe are all alive We are breathing That means we need oxygen which we get from trees And when trees are felled we are stabbing nature in the back because there are birds animals and insects that lose their homes when even a single tree is cut down So I felt let me call the leopard He is our God we worship him once a year And through the song I told the leopard lsquoLook our homes are being destroyed you have to join us in this fightrdquoHe adds that itrsquos ironic that adivasis mdash who are often dismissed as illiterate mdash are intelligent enough to understand the danger when socalled educated people are turning a blind eye to the problem Bhoir says ldquoThe meaning of education is to stand up against what is wrong You are only truly educated when you protest against oppression And this fight can only be waged by people who are alive A dead man wonrsquot feel pain even if you bite him So we should prove that we are alive by raising our voice You donrsquot need to be a leader You can be an aam aadmi and do the same We can collectively make a difference Thatrsquos why I tell you to pinch yourself once and ask yourself lsquoAm I alive or am I deadrsquo If you are alive oppose injustice or at least donrsquot come in the way of others who are doing it because if you do you are as good as deadrdquoYet when the Save Aarey movement was kickstarted in 2018 in the wake of the proposed site for the Metro car shed just a few thousand people in a city of roughly 18 crore citizens actually turned up at the site holding placards in protest Bhoir feels that way more people need to pinch themselves Thatrsquos where this song comes in since it acts as a loudspeaker that urges the populace to awake from its slumber And Aashish Narula Sparshrsquos manager who was instrumental in bringing about this musical collaboration tells us that the reason the band members came on board is that they felt that they could help the track reach a larger audienceldquoWe introduced electronic elements so that we can connect with the youth and we are also contacting international platforms to introduce them to the track Today itrsquos Sparsh that has collaborated with Prakash Bhoir for his voice and content But tomorrow we want international DJs to take it forward The idea is to create a chain and spread the message in various markets Thatrsquos our aimrdquo Narula says while Bhoir adds that itrsquos not just Aarey that is facing this issue Itrsquos a worldwide problem meaning that the roar of the leopard god he is invoking through this song needs to be heard across nationsNature knows bestBhoir says that planting random new trees to replace felled ones isnrsquot always a viable solution because animals and birds need specific trees that suit their needs ldquoBut we donrsquot even know the names of some of the trees that the authorities have planted here Birds donrsquot even sit on them We should leave these things to naturerdquo he saysLog on to youtubecom