Baba Sehgal, India’s first rap artist, is in free flow as he sings about the government’s latest monetary move. Since he appeared on the scene in the 1990s, the rapper has used his rhyming skills to great effect to comment on a host of issues. In August, he released Trump ka Mania, an ode to the US presidential candidate and now president-elect Donald Trump. He’s also released tracks on everything from the popstar Rihanna to aloo ka parathas. His latest is dedicated “to all the ATMs in India” and is titled, simply, ATM.
The performance documents the plight of the ATM and offers ideas on what citizens can do while waiting in queue. He also tells them there’s no need to worry: “Maathey ka paseena thoda leak ho jayega. Don’t worry uncle, sab theek ho jayega.” You will sweat a little, but don’t worry, everything will be fine.
Whether Sehgal is in favour of demonetisation or not is difficult to tell. “Banks not able to fulfil the needs of common people because of insufficient funds has created quite a negative impact in their minds,” he acknowledges in the description of the video. But he goes on to add, “Nevertheless, our janta is forgiving and majority of them has welcomed the move by the Modi government.”
This isn’t Sehgal’s first demonetisation song. On November 18, the YouTube star had “created a masterpiece called Black Money” to salute the government’s “historic decision”. You can watch it here.
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