Zohran Mamdani’s rise sparks a thought: What if Mumbai’s rappers had a platform for change?

If you told us a rapper named Young Cardamom would one day become the Mayor of New York City quote Indiarsquos first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his winning speech and finish it with the Dhoom title track all while standing alongside his wife Rama Duwaji whom he met on online dating app Hinge wersquod call it a Gen Z fever dreamNew York Cityrsquos Mayorelect Zohran Mamdani with wife Rama Duwaji left after his address at the Election Night Watch PICGETTY IMAGESAmong other commendable feats Zohran Mamdani aka Young Cardamom might have created history by being the first NYC mayor who has a street rapper alias Closer to home in Mumbai a small section of young ambitious rappers have been using their voice to bring attention to civic issues With the muchdelayed BMC elections expected to be announced soon the artistes remind us of the issues that matter for MumbaiWersquore in a soupThere might be a reason behind Mumbairsquos infamous annual waterlogging In many localities inadequate garbage disposal and the lack of dustbins leads to clogged drains and thus low lying areas bear the brunt of floodingThese waters are also ideal breeding grounds for disease I would like to see better waste management and clean toilets in every neighbourhood Itrsquos exciting to see someone from the hiphop community in a position of power It gives us hope that hiphop can be a gateway to change But letrsquos not forget that Mumbaikars are equally to blame for incompetent administration I would like to urge voters to not sell their future for freebiesVedant Chorge lawyer and rapper Dockyard Road emcee_vc_School chalein humSaniya Qaiyummuddin Mistri centre raps on the streets of DharaviChange must begin in the civic bodyrun schools in the city Mumbairsquos children deserve better infrastructure where they feel safe and motivated Over the past few years I have seen politicians make promises to renovate old schools which they conveniently forget once power reaches their hands Additionally skill development must become a part of the syllabus as early as middle or high school Many students cannot spend years in universities before shouldering financial responsibilities Basic training before they graduate from school will help them find internships and parttime jobs easilySaniya lsquoMQrsquo Qaiyummuddin Mistri rapper Dharavisaniya_MQAdivasi rights matterAklesh Sutar centre with the tribal women of Aarey in a music videoGrowing up in and around Aarey Forest I have seen the forest shrink firsthand With multiple infrastructural projects lined up the native Adivasis living in the padas hamlets will be the first to feel the heat We are already seeing rising cases of debris from the city being dumped in our backyards Our green lungs cannot be turned into dump yards Mumbai might look swankier five years from today but it cannot come at the cost of the trees wildlife and tribal families that call the forest their homeAklesh Sutar aka MC Mawali rapper and SaveAarey activist Aarey mc_mawaliLove thy neighbourThere is a marked increase in homeless children and families on the streets of Kurla where I am from One might question their legal status but how can you expect these young children to preserve paperwork A balanced solution must be reached upon Until then Irsquod like to see the administration treat the homeless with empathy It doesnrsquot take much to be kind but you need the right people for the job Setting a lower limit on the level of education when it comes to candidature doesnrsquot sound like a bad ideaShafi Shaikh rapper and social worker Kurlastreet_hiphop__Itrsquos in the airI have been travelling across the country to collaborate with artistes and perform at events One thing that you notice when you enter the city limits is the sorry state of the air quality While the air becomes unbreathable across the city the space jam in Mumbai makes it worse People deserve to live in dignified spaces with room to move and breathe I would advocate for a cap on maximum rental prices in the cityAshwini Hiremath aka Krantinaari rapper Andheri krantinaari