Songs of Protest | Sambhaji Bhagat | 2017

The event titled 'Songs of Protest' is designed to engage the community at IITGN with the possibilities of expressions that are inherent to art. Art, through its ability to connect and communicate, holds an immense amount of potential for social change. Throughout world history, movements, especially ones addressing concerns of social justice, have reached people and connected to them through different musical platforms. In June 1987, for example, David Bowie performed in West Berlin, while people on the Eastern Side were drawn to the wall by his music, and his rendition of Heroes brought both sides to tears. Closer home, we are more than familiar with the transformative power that Kabir's poetry holds even today.

While it is important for any society to introspect and question itself, it is as important if not more, for there to be spaces in which those questions can be expressed and answered. When poetry and music characterize such spaces, the movements for change acquire newer dimensions.Through music, with its lyrical and rhythmic virtues, complex questions of social importance regarding exploitation and oppression, have been made accessible and communicable to people.

Through Songs of Protest, IITGN has an opportunity to host a very significant artist of the contemporary times, who has performed across the country with this transformative spirit of art. This will be an immersive experience into the world of music as a tool for provoking thought and action, and will also open up a space for artists in campus to explore the potentialities of art.