Vimalakka, or Arunodaya Vimala, has released a new song that celebrates the beauty, the diversity and the importance of the flora and fauna of the Nallamalla area in southern India. This land is currently under threat of uranium mining.
The song is more than a celebration though. It is a protest. As Vimalakka explains in a recent interview the song follows a campaign already in process to save the Nallamalla land from uranium mining.
In the song, titled Bathukamma, Vimalakka sings:
“Nallamala Tangedu pulo bhagya nivo Bathukamma vo! Adivitalli paravashinche atalammavo, nemali natyanivo, dunkutunna jalapatam sangitamo samara nadamo! Uranium tavvutanante oppanantimo, pratigatana tappadantimo!”
which translates to:
“Oh mother of life, the gift of Nallamala’s Tangedu flower.. who cheers with ecstasy for the peacock’s dance, the music of waterfalls, and the songs of resistance. We don’t agree for Uranium mining… We say, resistance is inevitable.”
Cover photo taken from the YouTube video above.
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Halldór is the managing editor of Shouts - Music from the Rooftops!, an investigative journalist, audio engineer, and animal rights activist. Currently based in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
