Sex, Drugs, and Politics (SDP) If ever an epitaph has to be carved on the tombstone of Tapta, it will definitely be read as ‘Sex, Drugs, and Politics (SDP)’. One may wonder why but the answer is not far from one’s complete understanding of the man and his craft. Tapta’s music in a broad sense covers issues related to sex, drug abuse and de-principled politics in Manipuri society. Beginning with the album The Power of Attraction, Tapta’s songs represent flamboyant messages to spread awareness and protest against what he considers degenerating elements in the society. The Power of Attraction sketches vivid illustrations of spiteful sex; Vol 4 delivers memorable dialogue on dreadful impact of drug abuse; and Vol 8 raises slogans against the politically corrupt order of the system.
Sex
Do some audios of Tapta need Parental Advisory tag to protect innocent ears from obscenity or explicit contents in his lyrics? “I don’t think my songs contain any pornographic elements,” Tapta reasoned. A closer look at the contents of his lyrics shows that they do not have connection with eroticism. Some international rock bands in general and modern day rap music groups are known for their raunchy moaning, screaming and breathing sounds to make their songs sell like hot cakes. Tapta does not create erotic lyrics to draw perverted minds. He is just a commentator of what he sees and experiences around the society. His strident comments on sexual mores and practices including sex crimes should be viewed as a vivid criticism of the same. Within this framework, Tapta sings for the cause of the society and what he thinks it ‘ought to be’.
Tapta comments after judging an issue with open-minded attentions. Whether his lyrics possess explicit contents or not, have been debated ever since the release of The Power of Attraction. For instance, the sexual parables in the song like Last Warning stunned many listeners for its unorthodox lyrical style. Saatlamba leiraang maana satkaairakpa
Nganglamba khoimudoosoo paaisillakpa
(When the blossomed flower blooms
The wasp buzzing around zapped upon it)
What exactly is the meaning of an already bloomed flower blooming further? Tapta’s metaphoric expression is deep rooted. The song refers to the life of a prostitute—a bloomed flower. The way a prostitute entertains her customer is articulated in a magnificent spectra using available words from the Manipuri lexicon. 100 Bulb in The Power of Attraction unpacks another sexual fantasy.
Ho! Leirang maana saatlamba
Leinaa choina kellamba
Namliboi ningee monkhumda
Maagee chenghee manams
(The flower was blooming,
Petals spread all over.
The fragrance of the pillow cover,
It is like the scent of her chenghee1)
Without attaching importance to the patriarchal middle class morality, Tapta wants to meaningfully convey his idea of sexuality. At the scratch, 100 Bulb may sound like narrating the vision of a youth making love to a former lover. But the central idea of the song is not all about sexual deceit but about a youth who is an obsessive observer of the sordid and the sensational.
Drugs
Being located on the periphery of the infamous Golden Triangle, the North East India region has been reeling under spells of narcotics trade. From being a transit route, Manipur became a consumer region with many youth resorting to drug abuses due to reasons ranging from peer group pressures to self gratification. And the impact was for all to see. HIV/AIDS virus quietly spread its tentacles via many drug addicts who shared syringes while injecting themselves with heroin or No. 4 as is locally called. It is no accident Tapta would pick a current topic which indeed was and is one of the most important social problems in Manipur. So when one thinks of an issue like drug addiction and HIV infection, Tapta would instinctively come out with his views on the subject. Every Manipuri knows Moreh town, bordering Myanmar or Burma, is the primary transit point of drugs and AIDS. Tapta’s famous number Tumu (Tamu) is a description of how drugs and the fatal disease AIDS find their place via Moreh. Located at a half an hour journey from Moreh, the town of Tumu or Tamu in Myanmar is notorious for both drugs and prostitution. In the number Tumu (Tamu), Tapta sings about those youth who chose a suicidal mission of going to the place only to acquire and bring home the deadly virus.
Tumuda leihoubee maheek sang-goo
Pooraknei lonna-thoopna
Maaphaao khangda lonna
Hakchaang manoong-gee indrida
‘Doodadoom addoowaaida adoom leijaningee
Amritana hoo onkhrasoo
Thakningdoonata lei
(At Tumu, there are viruses aplenty,
They are brought home secretly
Without anyone noticing.
The virus inside the human body
Wishing to live there forever.
Even when nectar turns into poison
The thirst still lingers on)
The number Doctor in Vol 4 succinctly describes the repressive and oppressive experience of a drug addict infected with AIDS. In the song, Tapta wants to say: instead of prejudice against them, they must be treated with compassion and pity. In fact, the lack of medical facility and counseling units in the state resulted in the rapid increase of HIV/AIDS population. As most members of the society ostracize drug addicts and HIV/AIDS victims, some medical practitioners end up doing the same in most circumstances. Tapta says an HIV positive is not only a victim of the virus but also of the society that does not understand their pangs. The following song Doctor also highlight the encounter between a doctor and an HIV positive.
Hera doctor! Mei houringeida ghee heinoo
Hera doctor! Chaaba yaaba, thakpa yaaba amatasoo eeyoona
Hidaak gooli amatashoo idana
Phani kaaina haairidoo
Ei angaaoba shiriro?
Khangdraga khangde haai-yoo
Heitra-ga heite haai-yoo
(Hey doctor! Don’t make things more complicated
Hey doctor! Write something that I can consume
Without prescribing any tonic or medicine
You say it will be alright
Are you making fun of me?
Talk straight, if you don’t know
Talk straight, if you can’t do
Politics
Contemporary social issues in Manipur can only be understood through the prism of political impotency. More or less, Tapta’s every song indicts corrupt politicians and their malevolent politics. Since the last few decades, the political leadership seems to have smuggled in more instability besides twisting all sectors upside down. Tapta’s voice represents the agony of the distressed people who are having a harrowing time under the parasitical political system. Election in Vol 5 is a condemnation of the leaders who have betrayed the cause of the people.
Eenkhat-lee, eenkhat-lee naantharakpana helli
Shidaboomook laaorookhidro
’Khoi mantri yaam phei?
Shemjeelli-jeelli thoogaairakpana helli
Shidaboomook haairookhidro phajeida Manipur
Thaang-gatlee, gatlee loomtharakpana helli
Shidaboomook laaorookhidro
’Khoi mantri yaam phei?
Shaajillee-jillee shidoklakpana helli
Shidaboomook haairookhidro phajeida Manipur
(The more we pushed them up, the more they fall
At this point, should we shout
“Our ministers are great?”
Forming the government and dismissing it!
At this point, should we say
“Our Manipur is beautiful?”
Lifted them up high but the more heavier they become
At this point, should we shout
“Our ministers are great?”
Reforming the government and destabilising it!
At this point, should we say
“Our Manipur is beautiful?”)
Over the years, legendary Manipuri singers and composers like Hijam Irabot, Nongmaithem Pahari, Sanaton Sharma etc have experimented with various political songs. But it is with the emergence of Tapta and his direct lyrical comments and music that have struck a chord with the people of Manipur from the Hills and the Valley, cutting across all age group and musical genres. While composing patriotic, protest and political music, Tapta ensured that he did not make the mistake made by the legends – of not revolutionising the musical form and the content.
1. An indigenous natural shampoo prepared from rice.
