Enjoy Enjaami is the word hummed by everyone. In fact, the heat generated by this indie single by singers Dhee, Arivu and musician Santhosh Narayanan is more than that of Tamil Nadu’s pol(l)itics and the scorching sun, so to speak. Pickle gives you 10 interesting facts about the song that has gone hugely viral on all possible platforms.

Political Punch

Enjoy Enjami, an independent Tamil song featuring Dhee and Arivu, is a viral sensation, with admirers across languages and pop cultures. Interestingly, it is a political song and not just an entertaining dance number.

Good Mourning

Fused with Oppari (lament song sung during a mourning), the song is a celebration of the ancestors who toiled in the forests and led to human civilisation.

A R Rahman’s Support

Produced by A.R. Rahman’s Maajja — a platform for South Asian independent musicians, Enjoy Enjaami has even got Netflix giving it a meme status and celebrities cooing.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CMwk4NnplkT/?igshid=zu3rd6cxzjtp

Grandma’s Song

Enjoy Enjaami was inspired by the experience of Arivu’s grandmother, Valliamma, as a bonded labourer in Sri Lanka. The lived experience of Valiamma and generational loss of experiencing landlessness are aptly depicted as Oppari.

It’s Everywhere

The song is played everywhere — in local markets, malls, cafes, cars, households. Not just younger people, even grandmothers and grandfathers are humming the main tune — cuckoo cuckoo.

La La Land

While there is a universal theme of celebrating the ancestors in the song, Arivu clarifies that his celebration of ancestors is not about ‘pride’, ‘supremacy’ and ‘jingoism’ — but a tribute to his ancestors who belong to marginalised communities — who are deprived of land.

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Dhee Factor

Dhee (Dheekshitha Venkadeshan), 22 is a Sri Lankan-Australian playback singer. The music is by composer Santhosh Narayanan, Dhee’s stepfather, and the song is the first release under the Maajja banner.

Jungle Book

The lyrics bring alive a tropical forest filled with flora, parakeets, insects, birds and animals. One can only imagine how fantastic the song’s video will be. The lyrics also talk about how forests made way for civilisations.

Symbols Aplenty

The video, directed by Amith Krishnan, is full of rich symbolism as the main characters move from forests to fields and back. It ends with Valliammal, flanked by her people, seated as if on a throne.

Freedom Flavour

Independent music is a symbol of freedom. The coming together of Dhee and Arivu, two artists from different social strata, is perhaps the best way to champion the “indie-cause”. Entertainment through art is important, but limiting art to mere entertainment would undermine its power.