On the occasion of Independence Day, Mumbai-based funk rock and Hindi R&B duo MAFAKA released their three-months-in-the-making music video #377Teri on YouTube. The five-minute long video is a comment on the archaic section 377 of the IPC that deems carnal intercourse as an unnatural offence.

The music video shows MAFAKA members, singer/songwriter Joshua Thomas and poet/journalist Ramneek Singh don a different avatar to break gender stereotypes. Joined by their friends and collaborators, everyone starring in the music video cross-dresses to drive home the notion of forced identity and sexual bias that exists in the country.

Says Ramneek Singh, poet and songwriter of #377Teri, who is also head of event company Culture Shoq’s literature section, “Some three months ago Joshua and I were writing a poem through music and we came up with the line ‘#377Teri maaki choodi, pehan kedekhi muj heaay ina hipoori.’ We had a clear idea about Section 377 and its futility would relate with the people who felt dejected after the courts turned down their plea to repeal the section.  We are well aware of the fact too that it is the constitution of this country that allows us to voice our resentment. And that we could do it using an art form as the tool is something we feel really satisfied about.”

But the idea of the song is not incite any religious or political fervor, but simply to offer a logical argument. Bandmate singer/songwriter Joshua Thomas, who is also head of music programming of Culture Shoq, adds, “The song is meant to be the common sense argument for how unnecessary section 377 is, hopefully in all its glory, and the cross-dressing in the music video hopefully implies how clothes don't necessarily have to have any bearing on our sexual identity.”

Shot at The HIVE Studios and produced by Culture Shoq, the music video has been directed by filmmaker Rohan Sabharwal, who is also head of film at Culture Shoq and curates a weekly film club called The Fourth Wall at The HIVE. He says, “Our way of protest is through music and dance. We've done away with locations and just let a few of our friends identifying with various sexual leanings and some, with no particular sexual leaning, have fun with it, dance to it and express to it. The best part is that we were all in our comfort zone. It's a hat tip also to those who feel comfortable dressing in whichever way they want. Cross dressing also doesn't mean one identifies with a particular sexuality.”

Ray Iyer, who is one of the bands’ friends starring in the video says, “I chose to be part of this music video because I do not like the forced heterosexuality that our society shoves down our throats. The message of this song is mainly that it is absolutely unjust, unfair and disgusting to criminalize love if it does not fit the popular notion of 'man and woman make a couple. This music video celebrates us owning our identities and respecting the will of others who choose to do so.”

You can watch the music video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY2FkbNmaQk

Listen to the track here:

https://soundcloud.com/mafakanation/377teri