Bharat’s Lamentations
Today morning I received a video clip of a very old movie song which was one of my favorites. I remember singing this song on Independence Day every year in the school in which my father was one of the founders. This song was able to penetrate and communicate the sense of patriotism even among non-literates in my village and every passerby, since my school was on the road and school had no boundary walls. On screen the song was choreographed on Manoj Kumar who responds to his father played by legendary Pran who didn’t consider India (Bharat) as worthy for his love because in his view it was lethargic, corrupt, and poor. And the song goes like this : –
जब जीरो दिया मेरे भारत ने, दुनिया को तब गिनती आयी, तारो की भाषा भारत ने, दुनिया को पहले सिखलाई
देता ना दशमल भारत तो, यू चांद पे जाना मुश्किल था, धराती और चांद दूरी का अंदाजा लगाना मुश्किल था
सभ्यता जहा पहाले आयी, पहले जन्मी है जहापे कला, अपना भारत वो भारत है, जिस के पीछे संसार चला
संसार चला और आगे बढ़ा, यू आगे बढ़ा, बढ़ता ही गया, भगवान करे ये और बढे, बढ़ता ही रहे और फूले फले
है परीत जहा की रीत सदा, मै गीत वहा के गाता हू, भारत का रहने वाला हू, भारत की बात सुनाता हू
काले गोरे का भेद नही, हर दिल से हमारा नाता है, कुछ और ना आता हो हम को, हमे प्यार निभाना आता है
जिसे मान चुकी सारी दुनिया, मै बात वही दोहराता हू, भारत का रहने वाला हू, भारत की बात सुनाता हू
जीते हो किसी ने देश तो क्या, हम ने तो दिलो को जीता है, जहाराम अभीतकहै नरमे, नारीमे अभीतक सीता है
कितने पावन है लोग जहा, मै नीट नीट शीश जूकाता हू, भारत का रहने वाला हू, भारत की बात सुनाता हू
इतनी ममता नदियो को भी, जहा माता कह के बुलाते है, इतना आदर इंसान तो क्या, पत्थर भी पूजे जाते है
उस धरती पे मैने जनम लिया, ये सोच के मै इतराता हू, भारत का रहने वाला हू, भारत की बात सुनाता हू
I listened to this song 3 times today and every time I couldn’t stop my tears. Today while having breakfast with my father this morning I shared this song and he too couldn’t control his tears. The discussion on the table centered around — how these songs gave us our identity because these songs didn’t tell how many rich, millionaires India has, but how loving and caring community she has. India was known for the peaceful co-existence of its varied citizens. India has been known for its tolerance of the others and she was also known for its beauty in variety of people and cultures. I do not approve of many of it’s societal norms especially those related to stringent caste system which only dehumanizes the identity of a person and has been the bane of Indian society. But it is also true that Bharat has been known for the diversity of cultures where there was no hegemony of one culture. . This peninsula was the largest habitat of Jews and Parsis much before the idea of nation started to germinate.. Many foreign invaders invaded many small kingdoms but they liked so many things of the land that they stayed on and became part of this land and subjects of the particular kingdom accepted them as their kings and rulers. Most of the kings (ancient or medieval) were the same in their conduct. They would penalize their subjects for their mistakes, many a foolish decisions they took, and caused great loss to the economy by their greed or lust. Most of the wars those days were fought not because of issues of sovereignty or to protect the subjects of their own kingdoms but to protect their own self-interest. Even the so called first war of Independence in 1857 was not an exception in this regard. However the common men and women of this land have contributed in making this land called India or Bharat..
While listening this song from Hindi movie called Poorab au rPashchim, I started conversation with my father on how does he feel listening to this song in today’s India. His response was very sobering. . He said I find it difficult to recognize my India. He said, “India was not only beautiful in poems or songs but in reality. People from different religions were courteous towards one another. Holy, Christmas and Eid were celebrated as common festivals. It was the same milk supplied by the same farmers to Muslims’ home for Eid and for Diwali to Hindu homes. In case of festivals some time falling on the same day, the farmer will ensure that both the houses get milk and celebrate their respective festivals. Sivaiyan (सिवाइयाँ) of Eid and sweets in Diwali were regularly exchanged. .” I remember my childhood. Once the news of moon appearing came very late in faraway town and my uncle wasn’t prepare for this festival to supply enough milk as per the demand which was coinciding with a marriage in our family. Next morning when all of us got up for the daily chores to welcome our guests who had started coming for the last few days. A guest arrived. We all were surprised to see a guest so early in the morning. Later we came to know that he was not any guest but someone who came to buy milk for his festival Eid. My uncle came out from inside and exchanged pleasantries with him and asked for the reason of him visiting him so early in the day. He responded and said, “I know there is wedding in your family and I also didn’t know until midnight that today is Eid, but your family has always given us milk for sivainyan(सिवाइयाँ) for our Eid so we came to take milk”. It didn’t take much time for my uncle to bring milk from inside who gave milk not only to him but in two more containers for two other families. My father lamented about those days in light of what we hear happening now..
He lamented about the song writer and his hopes which lie completey shattered today defiling the truth of this song:
”है परीत जहा की रीत सदा, मै गीत वहा के गाता हू, भारत का रहने वाला हू, भारत की बातसुनाता हू
काले गोरे का भेद नही, हर दिल से हमारा नाता है, कुछ और ना आता हो हम को, हमे प्यार निभाना आता है
जिसे मान चुकी सारी दुनिया, मै बात वही दोहराता हू, भारत का रहने वाला हू, भारत की बात सुनाता हू”.
Listening this song even I started contemplating what this song writer would think about today’s India. . India looks completely different today from the words this song. Both I and my father have seen and experienced horrific caste based discrimination. In the class room many times I had been ridiculed because I came from a village and belonged to a particular caste. My parents raised us with the idea of not talking about caste and if I didn’t tell my caste I was mocked as if was from Bhangi (scavenger)caste, but my father would , let me overlook those comments without getting angry. He always followed the ideals of Late Shri Ram Swaroop Varma ( ArjakSangh) , Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia and Chaudhary Charan Singh. He always encouraged me to develop thick skin against such behavior and not allow them to disturb me from my future goals.
Sometimes I wonder where was this song composed. Did the lyricist know the real India because though he writes that here there is no color based discrimination काले गोरेका भेद नही but we are all aware of I this stark reality of Bharat, where people are killed in caste based violence and many face discriminatory attitude on account of their dark colour and complexion. Now those tendencies seem to have descended to a new low where people are getting killed for what they eat or are suspected to eat. In today’s Bharat cow is more valuable than man and even more valuable if the man is from a lower caste. Gau mata is is still struggling to survive due to lack of proper care but her so called protectors are flourishing. There is another Maa who is crying for the loss of her son who has been lynched by a mob. Another mother cries for the loss of her unborn girls whom she was forced to abort because they were girls- Sita, Saraswati, Durga and Laxmi). Is this too part of the same Bharat that has celebrated in in this song?
I wonder what would be the state of mind of the lyricist who composed this song when he sees our present day India. Maybe the words of the song may glorify the wonderful properties of cow urine and the new initiative of a state which is recruiting astrologers to diagnose and treat diseases.
