Millions of Chinese are taking inspiration from a popular Indian song from the 1980s to voice their frustration at Beijing’s draconian zero-Covid policy.
“Jimmy, Jimmy, Aaja Aaja”, a hit Hindi song from Disco Dancer movie that was released in 1982, is being widely used by the people on short video app Douyin —the Chinese name for TikTok—to mock the regime.
The Jimmy, Jimmy song—composed by the late Bappi Lahiri and sung by Parvati Khan—is sung in Mandarin “Jie mi, jie mi”, which translates into “Give me rice, give me rice”, highlighting how they have been unable to purchase even essential items during the lockdown. The Hindi song is itself inspired by Ottawan’s T’es OK, T’es Bath.
In the video, users are shown wearing a “bindi” and makeshift saree—a traditional attire of Indian women—and carrying an empty vessel while dancing and lip-syncing to the popular Hindi song.
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Surprisingly, the act has managed to avert the watchful gaze of Chinese censors who are quick to take down anything that they perceive to be critical of Xi Jinping and his policies.
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The zero-Covid strategy, which is a combination of lockdowns, vaccinations and contact tracing, is being used by the local government to clamp down on sporadic outbreaks.
The strict policy has left the public fuming due to restrictions on freedom of movement, food shortages and lack of access to essential medical services.
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Recently, people working at Apple’s iPhone manufacturing facility in Zhengzhou city in central Henan province were seen deserting the place en masse after the authorities imposed strict lockdown in wake of rising Covid cases.
Visuals shared on Twitter showed people walking on the streets with luggage on their shoulders, seemingly in the absence of public transportation.
Hundreds of Foxconn employees are believed to have fled the factory in China’s central province of Henan. It comes after workers raised concerns about insufficient medical care and under-reported COVID infections put them at high risk.pic.twitter.com/8XBZa4eGc3
— Bang Xiao 萧邦 (@BangXiao_) October 30, 2022
According to local reports, the mass exodus was triggered by a lack of food supplies inside the Foxconn factory.
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