At the age of 24, MC Tod Fod aka Dharmesh Parmar from Mumbai hip-hop group Swadesi had accomplished a lot but always toiled away knowing there was more work to be done.

Growing up in the locality of Dadar, Tod Fod had strived to become a professional artist who stood on his own, commanding respect for his work with Swadesi, the fusion/hip-hop group Ta Dhom Project with Viveick Rajagopalan and his solo material.

On 20 March, news arrived via social media stories of hip-hop artists and followers that Tod Fod had died earlier in the day. While some attribute his passing to a heart attack, others have speculated a stroke, even as the rapper’s last rites were performed in Dadar on the afternoon of 21 March. He leaves behind a powerful, authentic, and unwavering legacy of protest rap in India. 

While Swadesi were often clubbed together with Mumbai’s Gully rap movement which made stars out of artists such as DIVINE and Naezy, there was a lot more to them, especially Tod Fod. Rapping in Gujarati and Hindi, he originally came to Swadesi and offered to rap in English. The artist recounted in an interview for the 2019 Vice documentary, Kya Bolta Bantai, “We used to go to Aarey, Mahakali Caves, this was when I was in Class 11 and 12. This was all about hip-hop, this is where I learned. That’s where we started talking about our future. We discussed and shared different artists we discovered.” 

He met MC Mawali, having heard his 2014 Marathi rap track called 'Laaj Watte Kai' – a song about the nation’s shame when Nirbhaya was raped and murdered. Tod Fod says he went back home and wondered what to write. It allowed him to draw a parallel between his neighbourhood and the environment which birthed a rap legend like Tupac, putting in context the (then) new wave of Indian hip-hop that has seen a meteoric rise in the last five to seven years. 

In that way, Swadesi were part of that movement which made rap in India more authentic than it had previously been, given the success of artists like Yo Yo Honey Singh. Tod Fod said in a previous 2016 interview for 101 India’s series Hip Hop Homeland,

“When people hear the word rap, they think of Honey Singh and ‘Chaar Botal Vodka’ and partying every day. But in real life, I’m getting pushed around in a local train. How can I take a shot of vodka there?” 

Tod Fod’s inspiration for writing, as he mentions in the 2016 interview, was people. He said about his conscious rap, “When I’m out on the streets, I observe the people around me. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This will always be the case in Mumbai.” The streets and the injustices meted out to the common man by corrupt governments were a constant theme in Tod Fod’s rap right from the beginning, heard on surging Swadesi songs like 'Khabardaar,' 'Kranti Havi,' 'Dikhati Sapne Sadke,' 'Kathore Satya,' 'Khaari Baat' and several more. Among the most hard hitting remained 'The Warli Revolt,' featuring vocals by Adivasi activist Prakash Bhoir. The song took them to clubs and festivals across the country, but Swadesi also made sure they hit up local events and organised their own gigs with free entry to keep their message accessible to all. 

On the Gujarati front, Tod Fod is best remembered for infusing a kind of devotional rap in the song 'Dakla,' produced by Bandish Projekt aka Mayur Narvekar. It was part of Swadesi’s collaborative EP with Narvekar, called Katal Kalaa. That was only the beginning of Tod Fod’s itch for trying to place his rap in different sonic settings – he learned Konnakol, and joined Ta Dhom Project, who even performed in Europe, and also matched his energy with bass producers like Chromaderma and metal band Providence.

In 2019, he teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Jose Neil Gomes for 'Fever,' an acerbic takedown of the powers that be, and all the dirty laundry that was being washed in front of a seemingly oblivious public. Elsewhere, he joined for a verse on Swadesi crewmate 100 RBH’s solo record 'Chadta Suraj,' with producer Raakshas flipping an old Marathi song. Announcing his entry with the signature line 'Tod Fod Mein!,' the rapper returned to Gujarati, questioning ideas of so-called nationalism. 

With Swadesi, Tod Fod had released two EPs and their 2020 full-length album Chetavni, even as more singles and another record was in the works. They had also just returned from hosting their DIY festival Swadesi Mela in Sandhan Valley in Maharashtra. An empowering and encouraging voice to stood for self-empowerment and betterment against all social, political, and inner demons, Tod Fod was mourned by many on social media. 

Swadesi’s label Azadi Records said in their Instagram post, “Gone too soon, rest in power young King. Your words will live on to spark the revolution. Kranti Havi!” Bandish Projekt aka Mayur Narvekar said on his Facebook, “I don’t have words to express what I am going through. Still can’t believe.” Rajagopalan added on his profile, “Shocked out of my head and broken. Stay blessed my child. Will miss you. 

Online radio station Boxout.fm, who had previously hosted Tod Fod, remarked on the uniqueness that was lost with the rapper’s passing. “Read in between the lines, and you find a conflicted and determined young man with an unwavering artistic impulse to highlight some of the most timely issues plaguing our country today.” 

Anurag Tagat is a Bengaluru-based independent music journalist, covering artists nationwide and around the globe. He is also an assistant editor at Rolling Stone India.

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