I was sitting at a birthday party when my sister asked, ‘Hey you heard the new song?’ I was oblivious to this new rage of a song that was spreading like wildflower across the world. I heard the song, feeling baffled as I watched my 4-year-old niece lip-sync to it. The word ‘Cuckoo’ stood out for me and so I registered the song’s name as that in my head. The next day my friend tells me ‘Hey, there is this song that people in my office are going gaga over. Have you heard this Enjoy Enjami song?’ Unassumingly, I searched for it online and realized that it was the same track. My friend lives in Kuwait!
I started Googling to find out just how big of a reach this song has. I watched two Caucasians do a reaction video for the song. They swayed their hands and heads, and you could tell the beat was not just in their heads, it’s everywhere and they were vibing to no end. One guy even made that crazy screeching noise so passionately along with the singer. Isn’t it crazy what one song can do to 7 billion people across the world? What is it that music has that suddenly strikes a chord of unity and you have 42 million people listening to it, who knows, at the very same time!
If you heard the song and tried to gauge the meaning like me, I understand that it’s talking about our ancestors toiling in the earth, who form part of the earth now, and importantly every other beast and fowl that makes its mark to make the earth rich. It’s interesting to see how at a time when our farmers have relentlessly tried to appeal to the government, and in a way to us, to pay heed to their requests and needs, we have been given a song that celebrates the hard work of people who cultivate and nurture the land.
As city-bred people, it doesn’t take us much to ignore the farmers’ cries. Turn off the news updates in our phones and we’re pretty much shut off from their cries. A cry that has crossed the 100-day mark. But thanks to the power of music, we cannot escape the call to remember the people who cultivate this land, making it a rich inheritance for the future generations. I hope every time we hear this song; we don’t just sway our heads and bodies to the beat, but also our minds toward the people out there toiling in our land for our food, who just want to be heard, much like the song.
God has created the earth for us to enjoy. He says, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” We have been given power, for sure, but not the right to exploit it. Now more than ever, we are called to show where we stand in our understanding of power. With great power comes great responsibility.
Our Daily Masala 