Field notes

Breaking caste boundaries with music in India

Band strikes chord as it sings in Tamil about deeply entrenched inequality in India

The Casteless Collective (above) uses music to criticise India's caste system, drawing on members' own experiences and those of their ancestors. One member, Dharani (left), is seen here singing about the eviction of around 40,000 families - including
The Casteless Collective (above) uses music to criticise India's caste system, drawing on members' own experiences and those of their ancestors. One member, Dharani, is seen here singing about the eviction of around 40,000 families - including his grandmother - in northern Chennai decades ago. PHOTO: THE CASTELESS COLLECTIVE, FANDOM
The Casteless Collective (above) uses music to criticise India's caste system, drawing on members' own experiences and those of their ancestors. One member, Dharani (left), is seen here singing about the eviction of around 40,000 families - including
The Casteless Collective uses music to criticise India's caste system, drawing on members' own experiences and those of their ancestors. One member, Dharani (above), is seen here singing about the eviction of around 40,000 families - including his grandmother - in northern Chennai decades ago. PHOTO: THE CASTELESS COLLECTIVE, FANDOM
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BANGALORE • In a crowded nightclub in India's information technology hub of Bangalore, the spotlight shines on a nine-member band, all clad in blue suits. They are just two songs into their set and the audience is already on its feet for more. But the vocalist, Arivu, has his own request.

"Repeat after me: We are?" he asks. Most people stare in silence.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 17, 2019, with the headline Breaking caste boundaries with music in India. Subscribe