Music And Politics: The Communist Party

Music and politics are two subjects that seem like they have nothing to do with each other, yet they are often intertwined very deeply. At the tail end of the colonial era of India, as the Communist Party was gaining a footing and creating a cultural movement, the Communists used music as a way of spreading their politics and reaching out to the peasant folk. This was a very troubling, uncertain period for the people of India, with wars, famine, riots, and the eventual independence and partitioning of the region. In this difficult period, the Communist Party arrived, seemingly reaching down, helping to pull the poor folk up and fight back against oppressors; in order to reach the poor folk, the Communists sponsored musicians to write 'people …show more content…
While all this was happening, the Communist Party took on the role of the saviors of the people, aiding with resistance against fascism and the Japanese and providing relief during the famine. In order to establish themselves as being on the side of the peasants and the poor, the Communists spread their ideology using songs; the songs they wrote and used were successors to the swadeshi songs, music which expressed sentiments of nationalism and anti-imperialism. When this attitude of nationalism subsided into socialism, the Communist-sponsored “people’s songs” came into popularity, preaching freedom of all kinds, not just national independence. While these songs were more socialist in their message, they also retained some core elements of the swadeshi music, especially nostalgia for the past, speaking of the troubles of the present, and urging to fight for unity. Additionally, several of these people’s songs used the Iman raga, which was the raga most commonly used in swadeshi …show more content…
However, while the music was intended for the peasants, both musically and lyrically, the middle class inherently did not understand the mindset and language of the peasant class. This led to songs whose message and wording sounded contrived and artificial to the members of the lower class, and as such did not resonate as loudly or efficiently with them. This disconnect between the middle class and the lower class demonstrates the importance of understanding the culture and mindset of those one is trying to reach through music and art. As much as the Communist ideologies and the emotions in the music were for the people and could be embraced by the masses, the culture of the middle class was very disconnected from them and thus, they were unable to truly reach out and make a connection without understanding the culture of the lower class. In addition to this, the rules and policies of the Party attempted to restrict the creativity of the musicians writing the songs, which led to conflict at the middle-class level as well, with an ongoing struggle between the emotions and points emphasized by the musicians and the politics of the Communist Party, which were sometimes at