Song Lines
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How Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum helped me understand the meaning of ‘tarab’
The Arabic word is almost impossible to define precisely in English.
Aditya Sharma
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Musings of a Mizo: On Vande Mataram by four-year-old Esther Hnamte and the paradoxes of being Indian
What does a patriotic song from the highlands mean at a time a boundary dispute has resulted in the highway to Mizoram being blockaded by Assam residents?
CV Lalmalsawmi
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‘Democracy gives us the right to ask questions’: Neha Singh Rathore’s Bhojpuri tunes are going viral
The young woman’s songs, recorded on her smartphone, speak uncomfortable truths.
Raj Kumar
Trending
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Memoir: A journalist remembers the 1960s and how the Naxal movement was portrayed in books and films
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Mumbai principal sacked after being targeted by Hindutva website; says she is mulling legal action
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‘What does it take / to let go?’: There’s a new anthology of English haikus written by Indian poets
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Congress moves Madras HC seeking Election Commission action against Modi for propagating hate speech
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Ordinary voters flagged Modi speech to Election Commission – and came up against a broken system
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Punjab: Two singers booked for promoting gun culture through song lyrics
A Chandigarh-based lawyer alleged that the song was sung in contempt of High Court orders.
Scroll Staff
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‘Like Holi with the blood of Hindus and Muslims’: This song about Jallianwala Bagh still resonates
Imagining how India would shape up after independence was achieved, ‘Din Khoon Ke Hamaare’ evocatively invokes the unity of different religious communities.
Sumangala Damodaran
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From ‘White Christmas’ to ‘Santa Went Crazy’: An activist-lawyer’s list of controversial X’Mas songs
Nandita Haksar remembers childhood Christmases in Lagos – and brings her legal ear to holiday tunes that have run into trouble over the decades.
Nandita Haksar
Video
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‘Hind’s Hall’: Rapper Macklemore releases poignant song in support of Palestine, US campus protests
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Met Gala 2024: From Alia Bhatt to Isha Ambani, what Indians in attendance wore
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Watch: South Korean band performs Rabindra Sangeet accompanied by traditional Korean instruments
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Watch: This man fused hip-hop with Bharatnatyam to dance to Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’
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Watch: Comedian hilariously mimics different types of announcements at railway stations
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Explained: The traditional roots of the viral ‘Manikya Malarayi Poovi’ song
The song is part of the Mappila Pattu genre, sung by the Muslims of Kerala’s Malabar region. This tune was originally recorded in 1978.
Scroll Staff
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Watch: A Mumbai musical battle about potholes turns sour as Shiv Sena raises the pitch
After a parody video about the city’s bad roads, a radio jockey is threatened with a defamation suit – and her mother served a notice about mosquito larvae.
Sujat Ambedkar
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Why a Welsh choir learnt a Hindi song from the students of a Mumbai municipal school
Only Men Aloud has been training girls from marginalised backgrounds for a special gig – and learning from them in turn.
Aarefa Johari
The Reel
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Watch: Politics, ambition and crime in Vasantha Balan’s ‘Thalaimai Seyalagam’
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How the fantasy film ‘Pathala Bhairavi’ heavily influenced Telugu cinema
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Watch: Manoj Bajpayee’s hundredth movie ‘Bhaiyya Ji’ is a revenge drama
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Start the week with a film: Why ‘Manjummel Boys’ was a blockbuster
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How actor Shahana Goswami flies under the radar and above the competition
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Stage production ‘Sounds of the Sufis’ aims to rescue Sufism from Bollywood
A musical theatre performance combines personal stories with Sufi history to create an immersive experience.
Manish Gaekwad
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Eric Clapton's classic Layla gets a subcontinental twist ‒ twice
Amit Chaudhuri and Krish Ashok give Indian rockers their own versions of the old favourite.
Scroll Staff