As a poet, I can perhaps best support the fight against Indian government and Parliamnet's education policy by providing poems and songs like this. I am dismayed that meritocracy is being sacrificied for the sake of political mileage, and casteism is being sanctioned and encouraged by some regressive, ill-thought measures of caste based reservation even in elite educational institutes. The collective anger and will of people is must to rout the vestiges of caste-based politics as well as caste-based hiring. Many good articles, especially by commentators like Subash Kak, TVR Shenoy, Arjun Singh's interview by Karan Thapar, and "Are Brahmins dalits of today" (http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/may/23franc.htm ) and my own attempts at voicing opinion as an educationalist and alumni are already out on the net. Many of our friends are on strike, protesting, and my whole support and solidarity lies with them. I am publishing the poem here in Roman script and I have posted it in Devanagri script here: http://viveksharmaiitd.blogspot.com/2006/05/krantigeet.html . Please pass this poem on, and I will be extremely delighted and honored if this can inspire more people to join the fight, and if striking doctors can draw more inspiration from my words. (I will update a recited version on my blog as soon as I can record it).
Krantigeet
Nirbheek hokar, barr chalay chal,
hai yuvak tera, yeh pareeksha samay,
jab bhi satta ho, apna dharam karam bhooli,
kranti ki koshish hai tera ikmatra kartavya.
shaashakon ka jab samarthya,
hai swaarthon mein lupt hua
jaage guruvar, jaise ik Chanakya
ke pran se paida Chandragupta hua.
Aurangzeb se bhide thay Gurugobind Singh
shahidi khalason ki ab bhi kya kameen
aatatayi shakatiyon se bhidnay ko hi
Azaad, Pratap, Shivaji janamti yeh jameen.
Dhritrastra, Duryodhana ki sabha ke
sabhi santri mantri hain paap ke ang
bhaarat maa draupadi-si pukarti krishan ko
raajniti mein dus-shashanon ka punarjanam.
Koi kans hai, koi Kaichand
Changez Khan koi, toe koi Ravana hai utha
Prashuram-sa prakope lekar
de ikki-ees baar inko mitaa.
Nishchay yahi kar, barr chalay chal
jaatibhedh se bharat ko mukt karna hai
vivek kehta hai ikki-eeswin sadi mein
hamin yuvaon ko akhand, smridh Bhaarat rachna hai.
Vivek Sharma
May 26, 2006
A revolutionary song (my own translation for non-Hindi speakers)
Fearless be, walk on, march on,
o youth, this is your testing time.
When the ruler descrate their powers,
revolution is the only duty thine.
When the abilities of the governors
are trampled by their self-interest,
Arise Guruvars, like one Chanakya
whose one vow created Changragupta, the first.
Gurugobind Singh had challenged Aurangzeb
sacrificing Kahalasas are still here in plenty;
To fight against the rule of oppressors
if why Azaad, Pratap, Shivaji procreated this country.
In the court of Dhritrastra and Duryodhana
each sentry and minister is perpetuator of sin.
Bhaarat-ma like Draupadi calls for a Krishan
in politics, the Dusshashans are born again.
They are the Kans, Jaichands they are
Changez Khan as well Ravana of our times they are
With Parshuraam's valor and ire
twentyone times you light their pyre.
Determined you walk on, march on
to liberate India from the demon of caste
vivek reasons that in twentyfirst century
making India prosperous, united, is the youth's task!
Translated on May 30, 2006
1 comment:
From Dud Sea Scrawls:
Vivek
By Pradzie on Tue, 2006-05-30 17:01
Thats like pure hindi you’ve used here. It was tough but i liked reading it, felt like reading a passage from a school text. Very pat feeling.
Now i wonder what the Supreme Court is going to do if the places the medicos in contempt? Take away their stethescopes? Also its really sad to see the the saffron part has woken up and is furiously writing up their POV as i write, on this subject a month after protests turned vocal on such a sensitive issue. The communists in kerala and WB are yet to read about reservation, forget ahev a opinion.
http://www.ambedkar.org/News/reservationinindia.pdf
came across this link and found some facts(?) and issues on the same and how it came about. its an 81 page docutment and thought it might be helpful if you wer planing on writing something on the same topic.
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In defense of poor Genghis Khan
By atrakasya on Wed, 2006-05-31 04:24
Dude,
I liked the poem - the idea of an anthem is really good.
However, but I must object to the negative portrayal of Genghis Khan (I take this task upon myself, since no living relatives of poor Genghis khan seem to be around to protect his reputation and honor. And since I have a pet named in the honor of Genghis, I must rise to the occasion) Smiling
Genghis has been maligned unduly - Poor Genghis loved his mother dearly and was scared of her, he established a democratic and secular code of governance even before the Magna carta and was a great man who certainly does not deserve the notoriety that the historians employed by his ertswhile enemies gave him.
Okay, wrong place to say all this, but what the hell, I like the guy Smiling
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Atra and Pradzie
By Vivek on Wed, 2006-05-31 12:45
Pradzie: I am reading War and Peace these days and it is quite evident that only when Napolean invaded Russia, Russian started to find favor with everyone. Somehow, I think we all have failed to give Hindi as much value: I am a culprit likewise and everytime I write I am thinking badi ee, ya choti? But dost, shayad itni bhi mushkil nahin yeh hindi bhasa:)
Atra, your point of view always forces a smile on my Angry) Why not suggest an alternative villain (more acceptable to all sections of society, and related to noone in particular?) Having pet named after a famous person reminds me of Rushdie’s Moor Sigh, where a dog is named Jawahar and after the dog dies, they stuff it, and keep it. Rushdie’s satire finds an unfogettable sentence then, “After all, Jawahar is just a stuffed dog.”
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