Singing BN out of power

A PSM member has penned 10 songs, which he hopes will inspire the Indians to give BN the boot in the next general election.

FEATURE

TAIPING: Parti Sosialis Malaysia member K Kunasekaran has come up with a novel idea of writing revolutionary Tamil songs to win the hearts and minds of the Indian community.

He is following the footsteps of former Tamil Nadu chief minister the late MG Ramachandran (who is fondly known as MGR) who made use of movies and Tamil songs to influence the voters.

Kunasekaran told FMT that Tamil movies and songs were part and parcel of the Indian community and MGR had fired his imagination to copy his style in reaching out and winning over the Indian voters.

He also credited two others who influenced him in writing such songs.

The first was his late father K Krishnan, a unionist and plantation worker in Elphil Estate in Sungai Siput and the latter had used his estate drama troupe to educate estate workers on their basic rights.

The second personality was the late famous Indian poet Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram who had mesmerised the community with his evergreen puratchi or revolutionary songs.

Kunasekaran, a law graduate and fulltime PSM activist, said: “The Indians are an oppressed and disadvantaged community caught in a certain fatalism at the psychological and economic levels.”

He said the Indians were trapped in an older mode of thought and were not looking at changing trends and how society had changed.

So he hoped that his songs would fire up their imagination and lead them to question BN politicians as to why their basic democratic rights had eroded.

In view of this, he had composed an album with 10 songs. The album is called ‘Makkal Padum Paadu’ (suffering of the people).

He had taken the melodies from 10 famous Tamil songs and converted the lyrics to highlight and reflect the social issues in Malaysia that affect all  the people, racial politics, inflation, anti-labour laws, the non-progressive stagnant lifestyles of Indians in plantations and the privatisation of basic amenities like services in hospital, water and electricity supply.

The songs’ message is simple – enough of BN’s 54 years of rule.

The 10 songs are:

1.Makkal Padum Paadu Maathurathu Yarru…Barisan aataciyila kettathu naadu.

2.Pattulottai Solleduthu-paataaliyin kathaiya vachu-paathu  eluthivacha kaanam.

3.Anji Vaalaathe Tholaa-kenjuvathu ini yen tholaa unnai nee arivaai thola.

4.Kaalam Maaridichu Tunjinju Purappadunggal.

5.Naam Podum Ottaale Atchi Maara Venum Kelu Kelu Tambi.

6.Raavum Pagalum Vela Senji Naalu Kaasu Sekkalaanu.

7.Oh Ulaikkum Tolare Vaa, Ulagam Namathu Sontham.

8.Thertal Vanthiruchi Unmai Solla Vanthen.

9.Sivappu Kodi Yethu kaiyu Sinnam Kaatum.

10.Thertal Vantaale Katchi Varum Pinnaale.