Arjun Fauzdar and Rahul Rajkhowa, are two artists who’ve come together to spread awareness against racial discrimination that exists in our society today. With the two artists coming together, it’s also unifying the two parts of the country, the north and the north-east, that sometimes find each other at loggerheads. The song “Tu Mera Bhai Hai” promotes unity in diversity in the most accessible way, through a catchy lyrical tune.
According to Arjun Fauzdar, “The first time I saw this whole divide was in 2006 at a DU fest where there were very visibly separate groups as though you couldn’t be friends with each other. I have always thought about spreading awareness about this. There’s so much racism that’s prevalent in our day to day lives, from a college student to an auto guy. Local stores charging them extra. I have many friends from the northeast and have heard stories first hand about these ridiculous instances of discrimination. This really motivated me to do my bit to battle this evil called racism.”
We asked Arjun more on his motivation to pursue this cause
1. How are you raising awareness about this cause? other than through your music
Since I have several friends from the north-east and other regions of the subcontinent as well as various nationalities, I have a multicultural outlook to life. I have always tried to learn and embrace different perspectives. I have used the medium of discourse even casual chats to raise awareness about this cause whenever I could find the opportunity. Communication, I feel is the best way, because it does raise awareness. This song was particularly a culmination of my strong thoughts on the matter.
2. How long since you started to pursue this cause?
On a personal level, my journey in this direction started in 2006 itself, when i saw the first incident of divide during a college festival. Ever since I have tried to talk about it to as many people possible to make more people aware. The idea of presenting this case via creative expression was always brewing within me and now that i reached the capability, I didnt think twice in converting my thoughts into reality.
3. What do you think can be done to close this north south divide?
As I said more communication is required to address the divide, creative expression is a beautiful medium since it tugs at the heartstrings.
4. Plans for the future
I wish to try and feature more artists from the north east in my upcoming short films, music videos or other forms of art because I find there is some unique and exceptional talent there as well. I dream of an India, free of disparity where there is no differentiation based on region. Creative expression should centre around only the force of talent. In bollywood films, or music videos we don’t really see many north eastern faces, and I want to see an industry where people dont think twice before selecting talent from any part of India. From hereon, I continue to pursue my acting career and also create more meaningful music that is impactful.