In times of Coronavirus, music is an obvious relief and a tool to inspire. Here comes Chetuletti mokkuta , a Telugu song by Ram Miriyala of band ChowRaasta urging people to be responsible and stay indoors and practice physical distancing. The song begins with simple yet compelling words — Chetuletti mokkuta cheyi cheyi kalapaku ra, kaalu kooda mokkuta adugu bayataku pettakura, unna kaade undara, ganji taagi pandara, manchi rojulocche daaka, nimmalanga undara .
The song released recently has garnered more than 18,000 views and gives staying indoors a new vocabulary. “Being an artiste, it is my responsibility to respond to the situation. We are confined indoors but we can still do our bit,” says the singer-lyricist and composer.
A screenshot of the song
The song took shape a few days ago when Ram began scribbling, and he says the word flow was quick and he completed the song in a span of four hours. Released on YouTube, the visuals are a series of photographs and the catchy lyrics in local dialect instantly drew attention. “I was emotional and aggressive while I was writing. I was also disappointed to see some people out on the roads. It made me wonder if they have understood the severity of the situation, or they do not have the right information.”
He also reaches out to the large section of people locked in their homes who might be suffering from isolation blues. He tackles different issues — from asking people to not go out for silly reasons to urging them to be responsible and practice physical distancing. “I want to share that the disease is not going to end with one infected person; when he doesn’t practice physical distancing, there are possibilities of infecting many.”
Speaking about people helping us in this crisis, he says, “We have so many comforts staying at home. When we venture out, we add burden to doctors, health workers, police personnel and media working for us. In the lines, ‘ Lokamante veru kaadu nuvve a lokam ra’ , I want to tell people that society is not different, we make the society.”
He considers himself as a peoples’ singer responding to farmers’ struggle and social issues around him. During his stage performances, he sings with a red towel wrapped around his neck. “The red towel is to say I sing only for people,” he says.
In fact, his unreleased song is on togetherness urging people to hug and leave all discrimination in their lives. “My focus is on ‘Aalai Balai’, an exchange of greetings in Telangana. The song is ready now but I now cannot release as the situation is completely different now. With Coronavirus, I cannot ask people to go and hug each other,” he says on a light-hearted note.
(Chetuletti... is available on ‘ChowRaasta Music’s YouTube channel.)
