‘Patriotism Pop’, sub-standard music videos promoting jingoism is the new music trend in India

Music videos promoting jarring jingoism have started flooding social media after Modi government scrapped Article 370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir. This kind of music is a growing trend in India which is called ‘Patriotism Pop’. Patriotism Pop promotes the idea of mindless nationalism and the country’s growing sentiments for the right-wing ideology.

These songs give a message to India’s millions of YouTube users to move to Muslim majority regions, marry their women (specifically in Kashmir), and buy land to reclaim the Hindu majority in the region.

The idea of reclaiming the region by marrying women is rooted in a patriarchy that dehumanizes and objectifies Muslims and Kashmiris in India.

Indian media missed no chance to portray Kashmiri women as ‘fair-skinned one’ claiming to be helpless and ones who need to be saved from their own men, says political anthropologist Ather Zia.

These songs used to promote the rise of Hindus and Hindutva in India, defaming and defeating Pakistan, but now they are asking Hindus to settle in Kashmir.

This kind of songs flooded YouTube after Modi led right-wing BJP government revoked Article 370 from the Constitution of India taking away the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir. This was a major promise made by the BJP before Lok Sabha elections to attract the Hindu voters.

According to Associated Press, one of Modi’s revisions allowed anyone from India to buy land in Kashmir. This has made some Kashmiris worry about the increase in Hindu population which may change the culture and demography of the region.

These songs are shared widely on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and a new growing app called TikTok.

Despite having below average production quality, failed lip-synch and repetitive beats, these songs have millions of views on YouTube.

With a simple search on YouTube, videos like ‘Bahu Kashmir Ki’, ‘Kashmir se bahuji layenge’ ‘Bahu Kashmir se lani’ will appear.

These self-proclaimed nationalists are more concerned about how to get a fair Kashmiri wife rather than any subject of national and political interest. These ideas show how the right-wing supporters think and show their patriarchy plagued minds where the women are mere objects to claim over and not an equal citizen.

Nitesh Singh Nirmal, a singer who is popular for his patriotic pop songs in YouTube with over 84 thousand subscribers says, “I am doing a service for the nation. People dance to these songs”.

Another popular singer, Nardev Bainiwal says, “I am personally against such declarations. But if we don’t make these songs, someone else will and we will lose out on money.”

These songs have become quite popular in the northern and eastern parts of the country. These are the parts where the BJP has a major influence in politics. Here are the links of some of these jarring music videos: