Kolkata Clubs Dance to Politics
Catchphrases like 'Hamba Hamba' and 'Khela Hobe' have become dance anthems, with local DJs and music production houses creating and amplifying these songs on social media and streaming platforms
In a unique trend, political catchphrases have been turned into dance anthems in Kolkata, with songs like 'Hamba Hamba' and 'Khela Hobe' becoming popular among club-goers and social media users. A video uploaded by IndicSociety on X showed club-goers in Kolkata dancing to the song 'Hamba Hamba' inside Roots, a nightclub in the city.
The song 'Hamba Hamba' was uploaded in January 2024 on Apple Music, JioSaavn and Spotify by Bajania Ghar, a music production house. The phrase 'Hamba Hamba' was originally taken from a speech delivered by Mamata Banerjee in Murshidabad ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections.
The trend of political techno remixes in Bengal arguably began in 2021 with 'Khela Hobe', the Trinamool Congress anthem written by their youth leader Debangshu Bhattacharya and remixed by DJ Bulbul. The phrase 'Khela Hobe' was originally adapted from a slogan popularised by Bangladeshi politician Shamim Osman.
The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has also released tracks like 'Mach Chor' and 'File Chor', aimed at certain former ministers and members of the TMC. The BJP had a landslide victory in Bengal, but the trend of political techno remixes continues to grow.
## Why it matters The trend of political techno remixes in Bengal has given rise to a strange but sticky new genre, built on repetitive choruses, meme-friendly punchlines and danceable beats. This genre has escaped politics and entered everyday speech, with songs like 'Hamba Hamba' and 'Khela Hobe' becoming popular among club-goers and social media users. The fact that these songs are being created and amplified by local DJs and music production houses shows the growing influence of social media and streaming platforms on the music industry.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) lost the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections in 2026, but the popularity of 'Hamba Hamba' and 'Khela Hobe' shows that political catchphrases can have a life beyond politics. As the trend of political techno remixes continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how it evolves and what impact it has on the music industry and politics in Bengal.
