“Indian Culture Isn’t A Caricature Or Costume To Put On”

November 2, 2017

Depicting India, as well as different facets of the country, often ends up unintentionally projecting an exoticized version of it, in film, music and art.

Singer and songwriter Svetha Rao aka Raja Kumari has just released her new single, ‘City Slums’, featuring Mumbai-based rapper Divine. The video shows the streets, the people and their living conditions as it is.

“I’ve always had a lot of respect for the culture. It isn’t a caricature or a costume that can be put on. My work has been to show it in an authentic and real way,” shares Raja Kumari, who will perform in the city at Laxmi Lawns on November 5.

Hailing from California, the 31-year-old artist has earlier written songs for Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea and Fifth Harmony. “I grew up being trained in classical dance forms. I was raised very traditionally. I also grew up watching Bollywood films. The dance,music and fashion in Indian films is amazing. But, I started to notice a lack of portrayal of local traditions in the mainstream later on. My effort has been to try and bring the ancient traditions to the future,” she explains.

The collaboration with Divine, a rapper who is known for hits like ‘Mere Gully Mein’ and ‘Jungli Sher’, came about when he sent Raja Kumari the idea for the song. “We’ve been each other’s fans for a while. He sent me the idea. I wrote my part and he wrote his. We wrote the bridge of the song together. Divine is so proud of where he comes from. I wanted to help amplify that,” says the artist who has also studied comparative religions and tries to incorporate a universal message in her lyrics.

Raja Kumari’s music isn’t genre specific. It is a fusion of hip-hop with influences from Indian classical melodies. On asking her whether there is resistance to promote diverse music, she says, “There may have been in the past but I have received a lot of encouragement and support from the diaspora.

It feels great to receive messages from young girls who want a confident and strong role model. The youth is constantly in growing especially with the internet.

Hip-hop has found its way to India, becoming an underground movement that speaks to the masses. The songs speak of issues being faced by people and most importantly, in a language they understand. “Indian hip-hop isn’t well-known internationally yet, but we need to give it another year.

Artists like Divine have been pushing boundaries and crossing over. It will surely find international acceptance,” states Raja Kumari.