This song is a musical response to cultural intolerance. My words are aimed at reminding us that we all bleed the same red; our tears taste of the same salt – we’re the root of one tree – we’re all part of the same human species, but can we call ourselves humans when we lack humanity? The impetus for this song is the rise of Hindu fundamentalism. This movement marginalizes Muslims and other ethnic minorities and is an ideology embodied in the political party which currently governs India. This wave of religious hatred has also spread in the Indian Diaspora, and many who are against it do not speak out for fear of repercussions. Social preservation dictates that they stay quiet even in the face of injustice to others. The wound I refer to in these lyrics is the partition of India and Pakistan – once a united people – it is the story of the loss of brotherhood. I wrote the song for my motherland but I see the same tribalism in my adopted homelands of Canada and the USA and in other parts of the world.
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