Melody meets misery: Pahari singer Ajay Chauhan takes on ‘highway horror’ in viral song

The perils of road widening between Paonta Sahib and Shillai have found a stirring voice in the form of a heartfelt Hindi song by popular Pahari singer Ajay Chauhan. Titled with a raw poetic line—“Route hai purane wala Paonta to Shillai... ye road hai narak dikhaega”—the 5.35-minute track was released on Tuesday at Paonta Sahib and has since gone viral across Himachal Pradesh.

Chauhan, a native of Shilla village near Kafota, was moved by the rampant environmental degradation and poor construction practices plaguing the highway project. His song not only lends voice to local anguish but also serves as a visual chronicle of the suffering brought on by reckless muck dumping, unsafe retaining walls and violations of basic safety norms.

At a time when the National Highways Authority of India is under fire for infrastructure failures—most recently, the collapse of buildings in Shimla due to unchecked excavation—the song has struck a deep chord with residents. Locals have long endured crumbling hillsides, dried-up water sources and the loss of fertile land. The video juxtaposes scenic beauty with disturbing visuals of erosion, blasting and half-finished stretches of road.

Chauhan doesn’t hold back. His lyrics directly call out politicians, contractors, and officials for their apathy and negligence. He questions who will challenge those in power, hold contractors accountable and undo the damage being inflicted on the region’s fragile ecosystem and its people.

Describing travel on the road as a harrowing experience, the song resonates with thousands who use the highway daily and now see it as a symbol of institutional failure. Through his lyrics and haunting visuals, Chauhan has managed to distill both environmental and emotional trauma into a powerful protest—one that blends melody with an unmistakable cry for justice.