SHILLONG:
As Meghalaya buckles up for elections in a few days, the political parties and their respective candidates have taken to the battlefront with unique curations to help them convey their message to the public. This election season is specifically witnessing candidates with unique songs to their name.
Kupar Shadap is a musician who has been in the music industry for about seven years now. He has sung several songs for candidates across parties like the National People’s Party, United Democratic Party and the Trinamool Congress among others.
“For me it is business, it is my profession and I will do it with utmost sincerity until and unless I have to compromise on my ethics,” Shadap told The Meghalayan.
Shadap has not only composed the songs for the candidates, but he also has helped them write the lyrics for several songs. He said that all of them wanted songs that were a call for unity, a call to support and vote for them.
He did not flinch when he mentioned that had there been any kind of controversy or a lie that I would have to peddle, I would not do it.
Printstone Sutnga has been a musician for the past 11 years. This election season, he has been very busy composing songs for Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP). However, he explicitly mentioned that he did not jump on the offer as soon as it came.
Sutnga said, “The candidates or leaders approach through various channels for composing songs, it is not through the party but I take my own time to respond because they have several demands. I do not certainly want to concur with their wishes because they want the songs to blow their own trumpets.”
Another famous and young musician who also has been in doing this, mentioned that he has denied several candidates because their ideologies did not harmonise with his. “At the end of the day it’s going to be my voice that will echo everywhere until elections in their constituency. If that politician has a bad reputation, I definitely do not want to associate with him,” he said, seeking anonymity.
“I certainly understand that this is a part and parcel of the business that we are in, but this is my opinion, or maybe I am in the stage of my career where I have the privilege to make decisions like these,” he added.
A lot of musicians are being stringed in as Meghalaya gets ready to celebrate the festival of democracy. Singing and composing songs and having them played in every nook and corner in a constituency is a platform for them to showcase their skills.
Shadap, however, also mentioned that as long as the young talents are not getting manipulated and are rightfully getting paid from the respective candidates it should be okay.
So many politicians using music as a medium to reach out to people definitely means that music can make a lasting impression.
Both Shadap and Sutnga were of the opinion that music as a medium can help people to express their vision and that is why so many of them have taken up this mode of campaigning for themselves. Not that the mode is a new phenomenon, but thanks to social media and the internet the songs now reach far and wide and more people get to hear these.