TCN News
Sumeet Samos, the young rapper from the Dalit community in Orissa has released yet another song titled “Desia Pila Area Khali” wherein he is singing simple but effective lines that talk about the exploitation against the marginalised communities in various forms.
He talks about the land grabbers, the miners and the industrialists who have rendered the tribal homeless and hungry in the name of development and about how he is not going to remain silent any longer.
The end of the video is accompanied by an explanation of the terms Desia Pila and Area Khali. ” ‘Desia means belonging to this land and is used by Dalits, Lower Castes and Tribals in Koraput district of Odisha. Desia Pila signifies ‘a person rooted in this identity’. This word is also used by the dominant castes as an abuse and a marker of being uncultured” and “lesser beings”.”
” ‘Area Khali’ it is a slang used among Desia youths to refer to something or someone as awesome, amazing and magnificent.”
Area Khali can also mean – vacate the area.
Previously, TwoCircles.net has covered The story of Sumeet Samos in which he spoke about his childhood, his schooling days and how he found his calling through rap music.
Sumeet says about the song, “ The song is basically about Southern part of Odisha and its people. This is one of the most deprived and exploited regions of the country in terms of its socioeconomic indicators. This song speaks about the different crisis and challenges the marginalized sections (Dalits, Lower castes and tribals) here have been battling for decades like enforced displacement, corporate land grabbing, conflict and Caste dominance. Most importantly it is a critique against the dominant narratives that are established around this region and its people by Odisha media in the name of “popular culture”.
Sumeet’s song has a strong political message related to indigenousness. “Finally, I have tried to assert the Desia Identity which binds the marginalized sections here through a shared culture and belonging to this land.This is the same identity which is looked down and frowned upon as a marker of “uncultured” and “uncivilized” by the dominant castes.”
Speaking to Twocircles.net, Sarojini Ekka, from Odisha belonging to the Kisan Tribal community says, “After heard Sumeet’s new rap just I am thinking about what a wonderful and heart touching message it is for all of us. We Dalit and Adivasi folks have to fight for our rights and fight to preserve our identity and culture. But with songs like this, I begin to have hope that one day will surely come when we will win and remove the Brahmanical power structures from our way!”