The Casteless Collective is an Indian indie band based in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, Tamil Nadu. The band was formed in 2017, with support from the Neelam Panpaatu Maiyam started by filmmaker Pa. Ranjith and filmmaker and film composer Tenma, founder of the label Madras Records.

Early years and band formation

Tenma, the leader and the music producer of the band was trying to put together a group of indie musicians and artists, the Madras Indie Collective, in 2017 when he received a call from Neelam's Pa. Ranjith, enquiring if he could train

Gaana Gaana (or Gānā) is a genre of Tamil music, which is sung in the Madras Bashai dialect of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is Rapping, rap-like "collection of rhythms, beats and sensibilities native to the Madras people." It evolved over the pa ...

singers and musicians from the Gaana genre. They put out calls for an audition and received about 150 applications. Since the band was embarking on a socio-political journey, the auditions were looking to understand the motivations of the performers, as much as their musical strengths. A blend of Gaana, hip-hop, rock, rap, and folk musicians were among the ~19 singers who formed the initial ensemble. The band's name originates from the usage, ''Jaathi Illadha Tamizhargal'', a phrase coined by 19th century anti caste activist and writer C. Iyothee Thass, who urged

Dalits Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for Untouchability, untouchables and Outcast (person), outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called ...

across

Tamilnadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

to register themselves without caste. The name of the band was inspired by a phrase – "jaathi bedha matra Tamilargal" – used by Tamil anti-caste activist and writer C Iyothee Thass. Iyothee Thassa Pandithar (1845-1914) was the first to moot the phrase "Jaathi Bedha Matra Tamizhargal" in the early 20th century by publishing the same in his Tamil Journal ''Tamizhan'' (1907-1914). The band's music is political, and their songs rebel against the inequality of the caste system, and the oppression of women and minorities by the state. The current lineup consists of 19 members including Tenma, leader and music producer, singers Muthu, Bala Chandar,

Isaivani Isaivani (Tamil: இசைவாணி; born 1996) is a gaana singer from Chennai, who performs with The Casteless Collective. In 2020 she was recognised for her achievements with one of the BBC 100 Women Awards. Biography Isaivani was bor ...

, Arivu and Chellamuthu, Dharani (Dholak), Sarath (Satti), Gautham (Katta molam), Nandhan Kalaivanan (Parai and Tavil), Manu Krishnan (drums) and Sahib Singh (guitar). As of November 2019, the band had released thirty-five songs. In 2020 Gaana singer,

, who is the only woman in the band was recognised for her role by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. She was included in the BBC's 100 Women because she inspires others because she has sung and performed for a long time in a space that is dominated by men. The "Magizhchi" video song album, directed by Pa Ranjith, features choreography by Sandy Master and costumes designed b
Prince Phinehas

Singles

* Jai Bhim Anthem - 2018 * Quota - 2018 * Magizhchi - 2018 * Vada Chennai - 2018 * Thalaiva - 2019 * Dabba Dabba - 2019

Albums

* Magizhchi - 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casteless Collective, The Musical groups established in 2017 Indian musical groups 2017 establishments in Tamil Nadu