Throughout history dissent has been a pillar of Democracy - a check in place to safeguard citizens’ rights. And music is one of its most potent weapons. Featuring prominent artists from four countries, the project showcases rich and diverse Asian cultures, while briefly tracing the past and present socio-political realities of the countries, through the artist's eyes.
Awaaz features artists from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and India, and has been commissioned by Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and conceptualised and produced by Akshat Nauriyal / Studio Now Delhi.
Awaaz Sri Lanka
The first film in the series features two distinct voices from Sri Lanka. Rathya is a Tamil music composer, lyricist and rapper who explores identity in her work, and Sinhalese rapper Zany Inzane, known for speaking hard truths in his lyrics.
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Awaaz Pakistan
The second film in this series features Dr. Taimur Rahman, a Pakistani Marxist academic, musician and political activist. He is an associate professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, general secretary of the Mazdoor Kissan Party of Pakistan, and has been leading a grassroots musical campaign against religious extremism in Pakistan called Music for Peace for the past five years. Taimur is the lead guitarist and spokesperson for the socialist music group Laal.
Awaaz Iran
The third film in the series features Roody, a 22-year old MC and multi-disciplinary artist from West Tehran. Roody’s work echoes the socio-political realities of Iran, a country where being a female rapper in itself is an act of resistance. Roody’s powerful body of work has established her as one of the most prolific female hip-hop artists in the Iranian contemporary music scene.
Awaaz India
The final film in the series features Roy, a tri-lingual rapper and a visual artist currently based out of New Delhi. Roy uses the subversive, trans-continental form of hip-hop to articulate ongoing contemporary political anxieties in India. As an artist working with sound, text and image, he is able to tap into a range of sensibilities while defying them all.
Akshat Nauriyal is a new media artist and filmmaker from New Delhi, India. Born in an analog world turned hyper digital, his works employ various mediums of film and emerging technologies to create audio-visual content and experiences, often articulating the socio-political-cultural realities of the world around him. In 2011 he created Now Delhi – a web based documentary platform for emerging sub-cultures from India, featuring stories of the creative Indian underground communities often overlooked by the mainstream. He is also the co-founder of St+art India Foundation (2015-2021), an urban / public arts platform formed with the intent of democratizing art for the masses. He has a solo music project called Yesnomabye in which he explores of themes of digital-existentialism in audio-visual form, and is the drummer for critically acclaimed Punk/noise rock band Hoirong.
