Suryodaya: An Ode To Prem Acharya

By Mannu Shahi, Utsaha Joshi, better known by his stage name Uniq Poet, is a Nepali rapper presently based in Melbourne, Australia, who rose to prominence through the iconic Hip-Hop show ‘Raw Barz.’ Inspired by musicians like Eminem, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Jay-Z, MGK and Tupac among others, Uniq ventured into writing and composing his own material from his teenage years. 

With over two dozen singles, a full-length album “Kaalo” (2021), and numerous free verse poetry sessions published on his YouTube handle brimming with innovative, accessible and engrossing content, the emcee has also partaken in numerous collaborations, including the 2020 grandiose all-star alliance ‘Kalamkranti Cypher – The Biggest Hiphop Collaboration Ever’ presented by Halla, ‘Wondergods’ with Rohit Shakya x The Underdogs, ‘Makassam’ with Indian rapper Void and ‘Jheli’ featuring KaviG, while simultaneously working with numerous prominent figures such as Albatross, Sacar, Balen, Neetesh Jung Kuwar, Mc Flo, Robin Tamang to name a few. 

And in the spirit of collaborations, on Friday, January 12, the emcee aligned his poignant lyrics with French film-maker Anna Deluche and poet Prakriti Bhattrai Basnet to create the astounding masterpiece ‘Suryodaya’. Directed by Anna, this ethically driven piece is an ode to late Prem Acharya, and its video features actors JLson Adhikari and Surabhi Sapkotha.  Similarly, Stellarstudios is credited with the video production and Realkpass with music production. 

On January 24, 2023, Prem Acharya, an entrepreneur from Ilam, trying his best to support his family through his earnings and fed up with the degrading political state of the country decided to put everything on the line. In a horrendous turn of events, the civilian set himself on fire in front of the gate of the parliament building as a form of protest against the ruling political force. Acharya left behind 32 pages of notes detailing his struggles and the perceived lack of fairness prevalent in the country. 

Learning of this tragic incident from the news, Anna, who has been in Nepal since 2018 working on a documentary about the living goddess Kumari, felt disturbed and unsettled as the images of the incident kept flashing in her memory. So, she decided to dedicate a tribute art-piece to this late patriot. And, while searching for the right voice for this project, Anna stumbled upon Uniq and his socio-politically inclined ventures like his 2020 single ‘Mero Desh Birami’.

The filmmaker shared her vision with the emcee, hoping his expressions might justify the frustrations of the Nepali working class. Anna explains, “We both visualised the symbol of fire as the nucleus to the project; the very fire that Prem Acharya used as a symbolic gesture to end his life, but also the fire that can be encountered everywhere around Nepal, especially Kathmandu. The fire of trash burning, fire of ritual ceremonies, fire is omnipresent in Nepal, in contrast to the west.”

“We further decided that this theme of fire could mean several things: the destructive and scary fire that can take everything including our lives, but also the fire igniting deep within us fueling our will for existence.”      

Accordingly, the story arc of the video starts with the protagonist being triggered by the fire omitted from his lighter as it rejuvenates the memory of Prem Acharya and concludes with his realisation of the fire within him that can also fuel the inherent need for change. 

The title ‘Suryodaya,’ penned by Uniq, was chosen to represent fire in the context of hope, as the dawn of a new day and a new beginning. Anna further explains her team’s emphasis on developing this project ethically, with the full consent of Prem Acharya’s family, and without any intention of exploiting his gesture for personal profit. 

Furthermore, poet Bhattrai Basnet, who also contributes in the outro section, adds a further dimension to the already ingenious piece. The song feels like one of the rapper’s best works in my opinion, a must-listen tune for its creative brilliance and empathetic social message.