Imagine a music band draped in the Marxist motto and passionately soaked in the tunes of social justice. If the idea sounds appealing, don’t look too far to spot these rebels with a cause. They exist just across the border in neighbouring Pakistan.
Defeating stereotypes, Laal, a Communist rock band, is creating musical wave in a country that is currently perceived as a hotbed of extremism. Taimur Rehman, a member of the Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party and front man of the band, plays down the surprise element with the words: “Perhaps a communist band from this part of the world is as unconventional as the birth of leftist poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib in Pakistan. It is probably because of the political repression that the voice of the socialist movement finds its strongest expression in poetry and music.”
Taimur, who teaches political economy at Lahore University, reserves the credit for Laal’s success to its revolutionary spirit and introspectional essence. “The band echoes the feelings of the man on the street and is reflective of contemporary times. Call it music with a conscience.”
A recent visit to Kolkata, the city still considered a citadel of communism, has left a lasting impression on him. “The intellectual climate is unbelievably rich. And it is inspiring and wonderful to see the popularity of socialist ideas. I could not believe the response to our music. Everywhere I performed, I was greeted with warmth and affection. It convinced me that the best way to bring peace to the region and break barriers between people is through music,” he says, underlining that peace remains an undeniable quest on both sides of the divide.
The conversation steers back to the band which traces its inception with the coming together of like-minded people like Shahram Azhar (lead vocalist), Haider Rahman (flute), Jamal Rahman (guitar). Mahvash Waqar (backing vocals) and Taimur (lead guitarist). “We became a Marxist by reading Karl Marx, Fredrick Engels, Lenin and others and then rediscovered the revolutionary thought of Faiz, Jalib and later on Ahmed Faraz. Perhaps it would be quite correct to say that these Urdu poets were pivotal in the development of the band because the manner in which they capture and express the socialist movement is one of the key aspects of Laal’s musical experience,” says Taimur, who perceives the band as a musical extension of the Progressive Writers Movement.
Initially, the band functioned sans a name but eventually it acquired a title. Laal is an obvious reference to their affiliation with the red brigade.
Riding high on emotion and substance, Laal’s compositions like Umeed-e-Seher (Hope of new dawn), Sadaa (Call), Zulmat (Cruelty) have reached a cult status. Or, for instance, their latest creation, Doob Gaya Hai, dedicated to the flood victims, is yet another endeavour that has managed to strike a chord. “It is a constant struggle for survival for the common man, who is battling issues like roti, rozgaar, riwayaat, (food, livelihood, feudal customs). Besides, corruption and violence are playing havoc on a daily basis. And amidst all the chaos, our music acts as a catharsis. The first album succeeded in giving vent to people’s emotions and no wonder, it was endorsed wholeheartedly,” he says.
Taimur insists their creativity and activities follow a similar path: “I have been engaged as a grassroots political and social activist for the last 13 years. We live the music we sing,” comes the declaration.
“In the early days we mainly played at meetings with workers, at demonstrations and rallies. During the last leg of Musharraf’s rule when the Emergency was imposed, our music became mainstream in the charged political atmosphere of the time. It gathered momentum and gradually caught the collective consciousness of the people, right from the lawyers to students to pro-democracy activists,” he recalls.
And yet the band is aware of the risk factor involved: “The religious extremists have strict reservations to Laal while the authorities do not find the content flattering either. To begin with, it’s natural for corporate houses to overlook us. After all the group opposes the capitalist system. And, frankly, Laal band has never knocked on doors for sponsorships either. A majority of our performances are free of charge. Our radical views have landed us in trouble but then that’s part and parcel of being a revolutionary. Socialists have a very strong presence in the arts and among the intelligentsia but a relatively small presence in terms of an organised political party. But we are going to change all that,” Taimur concludes on a defiant yet optimistic note.