If you spent a considerable amount of time (read live) on the internet then there is no way you’ve missed this Tamil number that has crossed over 60 million views in less than 20 days.
Enjoy Enjaami, by Dhee ft. Arivu is a catchy, feet-tapping number with an import message behind it. Shot surrounded by nature, the song is about land labourers, acts of violence against Dalits, taking nature forgranted and existing alongside nature that came before us.
Across the river banks, and on the fertile fields, our forefathers have sung through their life. The lakes and ponds belongs to the dogs, foxes, and cats too.
The song is heavily influenced by Arivu’s grandmother, Valliyamma’s very own journey. She was a bonded labourer, shipped to the tea plantations of Sri Lanka and when she returned to India, she was landless. She spent her entire life with nature, working on land and never got any of it to her name. She even makes an appearance towards the end of the video, clad in a beautiful silk saree.
I planted five trees, nurtured a beautiful garden. My garden is flourishing, yet my throat remains dry.
The song’s title can be interpreted in different ways. Yeh Thaai means ‘mother’ in Tamil and was interpreted to form Enjoy (celebrate) and Enjaami, comes from En Saami, meaning my sir, my dear, a term used by land slaves to refer to their landlords.
Twitter users, including celebs, can’t stop gushing over the song:
Watch the full video here:
All images in the story are screenshots from the YouTube video.