We all have a song that just clicks with the situation. With the world on the verge of a pandemic when people still have time to hate, we got an Urdu rap song ‘Mandir Masjid‘ that just clicks with us.
For those of us well acquainted with Pakistan’s indie music scene, we all know who rapper Sunny Khan Durrani is. This is the man behind tracks like ‘Fatwa Jaari‘ and ‘Log Kya Kahenge‘.
His lyrics usually involve giving his fans reality checks from time to time.
His recent song calls out the hate and we feel it couldn’t have come at a perfect time.
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Its common knowledge that the sub-continent is still divided into communal lines, even amid the scary Coronavirus outbreak.
On one hand, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to talk on counter-COVID-19 measures.
On the other hand, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders continue to propagate ethnic hate using COVID-19, such as by saying how ‘Adaab‘ (Urdu greeting) spreads the virus.
We pick issues as long as it’s convenient. ‘Mandir Masjid‘ basically makes you confront this side of yourself. While we’re quick to ridicule ethnopolitics from across the border, we’re not doing much to ensure security for our own minorities.
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Although it may not seem like a coincidence how this track falls in line with current strife, it’s purely coincidental.
What’s the thought process behind the album though? According to the artist himself;
“I was working on the album, took a break and my eyes got the attention of Delhi Attacks. This track was not at all planned. So, I was surfing the internet, watched interviews of some of the victims. I started writing and came up with this. That was how it happened, and all the thought process that goes.”
Mandir Masjid & Butterfly Effect EP
Durrani said ‘Mandir Masjid‘ is part of his Butterfly Effect EP. This means that Sunny Khan Durrani will be releasing more tracks periodically.
“This track, in particular, was never planned, and the album too. This album is entirely based on the ‘chaos theory‘. And so, the story goes.”
Since it was a spontaneous effort, Durrani informs us that there’s no music video on the cards for Mandir Masjid.
“For this track, no. This track pretty much makes you visualize, every bar delivered depicts what’s being said. So, yeah that’s pretty much of it.”
Sunny has previously released Chup Raho on International Women’s Day. He later dedicated Kalakaar Aur Duniya to artists who were left stranded by the society and system we live in.
