A music video titled, Beta Sweater Pehno by Swarathma urges parents to not put their kids under the pressure of academics, in a humorous way. By Team Viva
Indian kids are mostly under a lot of academic pressure throughout their school days. Parents want their kids to be either a doctor or an engineer and that results into an Olympics of academics. Putting on the school uniform in the morning feels like wearing a track suit and going to a zone where they have to deal with the hurdles of expectations of parents and relatives.
In order to highlight this issue, Bengaluru-based band Swarathma has joined the Release The Pressure movement in collaboration with Mirinda for their No More Pressurepanti, Only Pagalpanti, campaign. “The song is rooted in our experiences, much like every other academics oriented middle-class Indian family’s. There was always pressure to perform academically, but don’t get us wrong on the song. We’re not against parents, who almost always mean well. It’s just that sometimes though they want the best for their kid, the way they end up making it happen doesn’t always work well. It is this sense of isolation that kids go through that we’ve tried to talk about,” said bass guitarist of the band, Jishnu Dasgupta. He believes that their song is another way to give vent to what students go through at this difficult time.
The band is known for their inclination to perform for social causes and their music speaks of a change which must be bought. “I have always believed that music and art are the two things which are capable of adding positive value in the society. So through our music we try and speak of the topics which need people’s attention. And since we are lucky enough that our voice is heard by many, then why not make them hear something they really should listen to,” said Vasu Dixit, vocalist and rhythm guitarist in Swarathma.
The music video features the band members of Swarathma in school uniforms going through the motions of school life with comic melancholy. It highlights the struggles every student has to face on a daily basis because of an over competitive environment at educational institutions. “The video idea came while we were jamming. The initial idea was to have five teenagers dressed like us and have them play/sing the song. But then the logistics of getting that done seemed farfetched. We decided the costume for the video as uniforms, though initially we all were to wear different costumes but then it wouldn’t have looked like a ‘uniform’. And also we didn’t want to represent any one particular institution. So, white was the next best bet. At the same time we wanted them in a very tight fit, as if we’ve grown wearing them. Hence, we got a tailor who usually stitches for shoots, we gave him reference of the 80’s styling, which is what most of us relate to,” shared Vasu, who has also directed the video.
Swarathma makes music for their personal joy ultimately, unlike films, where the beats and tunes are attuned for particular reasons and to impress an audience. “This makes more sense when we call ourselves independent. We’re expressing our feelings more organically,” said Vasu.
The band has an undeniably unique sound, combining Indian folk music with western rock. Vasu believes that since all the members of the band come from different background of music, the mix of all that makes for unique ‘Swarathma sound’. While the music video takes the viewers back to school days, Vasu hope that it will make parents and teens talk to each other more openly regarding this unwanted pressure.