Pankhuri Awasthi and Uppekha Jain grab the mic to call for women’s rights in India
image via youtube screen capture
Following a number of high-profile incidents of sexual violence against women in India (as well as any number of equally troubling incidents that have gone un-or-under-noticed) two women have grabbed the mic in order to stand up on behalf of their Indian sisters, and against the misogyny they see permeating the culture in which they live. Calling themselves “BomBaebs,” Pankhuri Awasthi and Uppekha Jain, both from Mumbai, spit rhymes that change flow, and even language, as they take to task politicians, cat-callers, and what they tag as the hypocrisy of India’s problematic responses to sexual violence with lyrics like:
No, we wont stay at home or be scared of the night /
We’ll continue to work because it’s our right /
I’m short, I’m fat, I’m tall, I’m skinny /
I’ll wear what I want – even if it’s mini /
It’s only a dress /
Don’t for a second think it’s a yes /
Their video takes a cue from Bob Dylan’s “Subterranian Homesick Blues” as Jain and Awasthi flip notebook pages emblazoned with lyrical keywords as they rap to the camera.
BomBaebs join artists like Dheli rapper Rene Sharanya Verma in a growing chorus of Indian women stepping up and standing firm when it comes to asserting their rights in their home country.
While the duo has only released one song so far, it hopefully won’t be the last.
Share on Facebook
