Singing in the Dark Times
Who we are

Sambaji Bhagat
‘Lok-Shahir’ Sambaji Bhagat is a revolutionary balladeer from Satara,Maharashtra. Using satire and humor as primary weapons, his songs are a searing indictment of neo-liberal capitalist society.

Yalgaar
Yalgaar is a collective of young theatre artists, film-makers, and musicians from Maharashtra, in search of a new vocabulary of cultural resistance. With their roots in the Ambedkarite movement, Yalgaar is Using theatre and music, their search is for a new vocabulary of cultural resistance.

Kaladas Deheriya
Kaladas’s poems and songs are a journey through the industrial-scapes of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. Inspired by the legacy of Shankar Guha Niyogi, his poetry draws from the lives and toil of workers.

Indian Folk Band
Indian Folk Band is a collective of percussionists from Karnataka that see folk as an important form of protest. Their choice to use leather skin instruments is an active assertion of the Dalit pride and identity.

Sumathy Murthy
Trained in Hindustani classical, Sumathy’s practice has always pushed against the formalism and hierarchies inherent in the form. Her work as a queer rights activist has shaped her inquiries as a singer while her identity as an artist allows for a different imagination of activism.

Sarath Nalingatti
Citing the influence of Michael Jackson and Bob marley, Sarath’s songs are ideologically rooted in the anti caste tradition. He continues to experiment with different sounds and instruments, to create new forms of protest music that can speak to contemporary times.

Kabir Kala Manch
Deeply affected by the communal carnage of 2002 in Gujarat and the prevalent caste and religious
divisions, KKM resolved early on that the artist has to be an activist too. Despite continuing state harassment, the group continues to perform, and sing fearlessly.

Shankar Mahanand
Shankar’s theatre and music are rooted in the struggle of indigenous people against development. Having been involved in the worker’s struggle in Chhattisgarh in the 90’s, Shankar is now actively involved in the Niyamgiri struggle in Orissa.