The rebel musicians fighting India’s caste system

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Tenma and Arivu are members of The Casteless Collective - an ensemble protest band from the city of Chennai in southern India. They channel their outrage towards caste oppression into song. Arivu has seen that oppression first hand growing up in a Dalit - sometimes called ‘untouchable’ - community, and rapping became his outlet. As The Casteless Collective they blend traditional Gaana music with hip hop and rock, to challenge the caste system through their music. Colin Butcher is a pet detective based in the UK - he and his cocker spaniel Molly track down missing animals through scent-matching - Colin will get a sample of hair from the missing pet and Molly will sniff the animal out. In 2019 Emily Webb travelled to Surrey in the south of England to meet them and see Molly in action. Emily also spoke to Colin this week to find out why he and Molly have been busier than ever during the Coronavirus pandemic. Music courtesy of The Casteless Collective and Gana Palani. Picture: Tenma (left) and Arivu (front right) performing as The Casteless Collective in Chennai, 2020 Credit: Palanikumar Manisha