Random Thoughts
Thursday 6 June 2024
The Lok Sabha Verdict 2024 - My Takeaways
Sunday 21 January 2024
यह एक नए युग की शुरुआत है!
यह एक नए युग की शुरुआत है!
क्या हम जानते हैं कि अयोध्या में मूल राम मंदिर को ध्वस्त करके बनाई गई बाबरी मस्जिद के स्थान पर राम मंदिर का निर्माण संभवतः मानव जाति के इतिहास में एक अभूतपूर्व घटना है?
मैं इतने व्यापक कैनवास पर इसकी चर्चा क्यों कर रहा हूं?
दोनों बड़े अब्राहमिक धर्मों ने अपने आविर्भाव के समय से ही यह रीत बनाई कि हमसे पहले जो था वह "pagan" या "zahilliyat" था और उसके प्रतीकों का नष्ट होना लाज़मी था।
अब हागिया सोफिया को लें। पहले यह एक कैथेड्रल था अब मस्जिद है। लेकिन क्या आप जानते हैं कि यह कैथेड्रल बनने से पूर्व एक pagan मन्दिर था जिसे ध्वस्त करके कैथेड्रल बना था? रोमन साम्राज्य को परास्त करके ईसाई समुदाय ने अपने पूर्ववर्ती धर्मों को अवैध घोषित कर दिया था। इसी प्रकार यूरोप और उत्तरी अफ्रीका के तमाम पूजास्थल नष्ट कर दिए गए।
इस्लाम के उदय के बाद यही प्रक्रिया और अधिक उग्रता (ferocity)से, अधिक हिंसक तरीके से, दोहराई गई। इसका गुणगान करते हुए मुहम्मद इक़बाल ने अपनी नज़्म *शिकवा* में लिखा है:
हम से पहले था अजब तेरे जहाँ का मंज़र
कहीं मस्जूद थे पत्थर कहीं मा'बूद शजर
ख़ूगर-ए-पैकर-ए-महसूस थी इंसाँ की नज़र
मानता फिर कोई अन-देखे ख़ुदा को क्यूँकर
तुझ को मालूम है लेता था कोई नाम तिरा
क़ुव्वत-ए-बाज़ू-ए-मुस्लिम ने किया काम तिरा
........
थे हमीं एक तिरे मारका-आराओं में
ख़ुश्कियों में कभी लड़ते कभी दरियाओं में
दीं अज़ानें कभी यूरोप के कलीसाओं में
कभी अफ़्रीक़ा के तपते हुए सहराओं में
और दुनियां के अधिकांश हिस्सों से पूर्व अब्राहमिक धर्म मिट गए, उनके मानने वाले या तो कन्वर्ट हो गए, या मार डाले गए, और उनके पूजास्थल नष्ट कर दिए गए। उदाहरण के लिए ईरान, जो पारसियों का मूल स्थान था। इक़बाल की गर्वोक्ति देखिए:
तोड़े मख़्लूक़ ख़ुदावंदों के पैकर किस ने
काट कर रख दिए कुफ़्फ़ार के लश्कर किस ने
किस ने ठंडा किया आतिश-कदा-ए-ईराँ को
किस ने फिर ज़िंदा किया तज़्किरा-ए-यज़्दाँ को
भारत एकमात्र अपवाद है जहां अब्राहमिक धर्म पूर्व स्थापित धर्म, जिसे हम सनातन कहते हैं, को समाप्त नहीं कर सके।
भारत में कुछ असामान्य घटित हुआ ह, कुछ ऐसा जिसे विश्व-विजेता एकेश्वरवादी विश्वास ने पहले कभी नहीं देखा था। पहले से मौजूद, बहुदेववादी (बहु ईश्वरवादी नहीं) धर्म - बहुकेंद्रित, देवी-देवताओं से भरा, त्योहारों में धूप जलाना और नृत्य करना - जीवित रहा। और केवल छोटे इलाकों में नहीं, जैसे उत्तरी अमेरिका में मूल अमेरिकियों को सीमित कर दिया गया। लाखों-करोड़ों हिंदू उन्हें बुझाने के प्रयासों को नकारते हुए डटे रहे। अब्राहमिक आक्रांताओं ने उनके मंदिरों को तोड़ दिया और अपवित्र कर दिया और, कुछ मामलों में, उस स्थान पर (न केवल राम के जन्मस्थान पर, बल्कि कृष्ण के जन्मस्थान पर भी) एक नया पूजा घर बनाया। कभी-कभी उन्होंने अपने द्वारा तोड़े गए मंदिरों के पत्थरों के टुकड़ों से मस्जिद भी बना ली। अपमान के प्रतीक के तौर पर पूर्व के पूजा घरों के निशान भी बनाए रखे (ज्ञानवापी मस्जिद)। फिर भी हिंदू मंदिर बनाते रहे और पूजा करते रहे। औरंगज़ेब और टीपू सुल्तान जैसे क्रूर और बर्बर शासक अत्याचार करते रहे, हत्याएं करते रहे, मंदिर तोड़ते रहे, और आस्थावान पूजा करते रहे।
गौर करिए कि जिस काल में राम जन्मभूमि तोड़ कर बाबरी मस्जिद बनाई गई (1526 से 1530 के मध्य) उसी समय गोस्वामी तुलसीदास (1511 से 1623) ने रामकथा को संस्कृत की बजाय जनभाषा अवधी में रचकर राम को जनमानस में महानायक के रूप में स्थापित किया। कल्पना कीजिए बालक तुलसी दास का मानस कितना आहत हुआ होगा जब एक बर्बर आक्रान्ता ने उनके आराध्य का मंदिर तोड़कर मस्जिद बनाई। लेकिन उन्होंने, और उनके जैसे लाखों करोड़ों ने, अपनी निष्ठा की ज्योति जलाए रखी और पांच सौ सालों के संघर्ष की परिणिती आज हम देख रहे हैं।
Saturday 25 September 2021
Hum Dekhenge - In Support of Faiz
In late 2019, after the passage of the
Citizenship Amendment Act, when India was witnessing countrywide protests, with
Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh as the most prominent centre, there were protests in
several university campuses also. During this turmoil, in one of the campuses a
group of students took out a procession chanting Faiz’s nazm hum dekhenge.
All of a sudden, Faiz was in the line of fire of Facebook patriots. You
were made to feel as if Faiz was instigating some jihad or war against India.
Most of those crying hoarse would not have bothered to read the nazm or to
understand the context. Why bother? Some whipping boy was needed and Faiz,
being a Pakistani, was a readymade target. So what if he was dead long ago? So
what if there was no evidence of Faiz having dished out anti India rhetoric? Let us not place Faiz in the narrow compartment. He had a universal appeal.
Here, I want to
alert my readers to not get distracted into thinking about CAA and the
protests, the Government and the protestors, who was right and who was wrong,
and to please keep the focus on a great poet and this immortal piece of poetry.
Why I am writing in defence of Faiz, you
may ask. Well, Faiz, like Dinkar in India, was the voice of conscience of
the people. This nazm, ham dekhene, sounds
to me so similar to Dinkar’s clarion call
simhasan khali karo ki janta aati hai. The vilification of Faiz was neither
necessary nor warranted. I do not rule out the possibility of some elements
using the nazm as a provocative tool, fully knowing how those unaware of the
underlying meaning and the context would react, in an attempt to give themselves publicity and to gain sympathy as the name of Faiz would be involved.
If you pull certain words out of the context you are bound to misinterpret.
Even further, if someone deliberately chooses a few selected lines to misguide
and instigate, the outcome would be disastrous. So, let me, first of all
explain the context.
After staging a coup and seizing power in
Pakistan, Zia Ul Haq was looking to consolidate his hold on power. He thought
that the Mullahs, on the fringes of the Pakistani society till then, should be
encouraged to wield more clout. And this started hardline islamisation of the,
till then open and liberal, Pakistani society. It would be difficult to believe
today but the current Pakistani society is a far cry from what it once used to be,
progressive and enlightened. Faiz, an incorrigible rebel, revolted and faced
incarceration – including terms in prison and long terms of exile. This
powerful nazm is a call for revolt and arousal of optimism in an oppressed
society.
In the year 1985, a decree of General Zia-ul-Haq prohibited women from wearing sarees. Pakistan’s world-renowned singer
Iqbal Bano, clad in a black saree, protested against the decree singing this
nazm of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in front of a crowd 50,000 strong in a Lahore stadium.
The stadium echoed with chants of ‘Inqilaab Zindabad’.
Now let me come to the
nazm itself.
hum dekheñge
Lāzim hai ki hum bhī dekheñge
Vo din ki jis kā va.ada hai
Jo lauh-e-azal meñ likhkhā hai
We long to see, obviously we would see
The day of eternal justice promised to man
The day that is scripted on the page of eternity
Jab zulm-o-sitam ke koh-e-girāñ
Ruuī kī tarah uḌ jā.eñge
Ham mahkūmoñ ke pāñv-tale
Jab dhartī dhaḌ-dhaḌ dhaḌkegī
Aur ahl-e-hakam ke sar-ūpar
Jab bijlī kaḌ-kaḌ kaḌkegī
When the gigantic mountains of oppression
Will, like heaps of cotton, evaporate
When, underneath the feet of us, the ruled subjects
The earth will intensely vibrate
And, over the heads of those in power
The thunder of lightning will cannonade
The
beauty of poetry lies in perfect choice of words. Faiz has chosen ‘dhadkegi’ for the oppressed (mahkūmoñ). Dhadkana means throb – a state combining hope, excitement and anxiety.
For the oppressor (ahl-e-hakam) it is
kaḌkegī. Kadakana is the thunder of
lightning – something that generates the fear. That is what a revolutionary expects.
Jab arz-e-ḳhudā ke ka.abe se
Sab but uThvā.e jā.eñge
Ham ahl-e-safā mardūd-e-haram
Masnad pe biThā.e jā.eñge
Sab taaj uchhāle jā.eñge
Sab taḳht girā.e jā.eñge
When from the Kaaba on this earth of God
All idols will be removed
When we, the pure of heart,
Denied the glimpse to the seat of power,
Will be seated on the same high seat
When the crowns will be disgorged
And thrones of power, to dust flattened
This is where the trouble starts. If you read only the
first two lines, you would get an impression as if this is an Islamic call for
destruction of idols. And Indian Hindus, perennially nursing wounds caused by
the Islamic invaders having destroyed their places of worship, would certainly get agitated by these lines. However, if you read the lines together, it becomes
clear that ‘kaaba’ and ‘but’ are metaphors for the seat of
power and the occupants thereof. Why did Faiz use these metaphors, one may ask?
There are two explanations. Firstly, the imagery and metaphors used by a poet
are usually lifted from the immediate surroundings of his upbringing. Secondly,
the target audience. You have to speak a language that your audience understands.
(Let us look how similar these lines are to the opening lines
of the poem of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar:
सदियों की ठण्डी-बुझी राख सुगबुगा उठी,
मिट्टी सोने का ताज पहन इठलाती है;
दो राह, समय के रथ का घर्घर-नाद सुनो,
सिंहासन खाली करो कि जनता आती है ।)
Let me return to
Faiz and his nazm:
Bas naam rahegā allāh kā
Jo ġhā.eb bhī hai hāzir bhī
Jo manzar bhī hai nāzir bhī
The world will be only the Almighty’s domain
The Almighty who is both, invisible and in attendance
The Almighty who is both the spectator and the spectacle
Anyone
familiar with the basic tenets of Islam would not use terms like ‘hazir’ and
‘manzar’ for Allah. The Allah of Faiz was the Universal God, Omnipresent,
Omniscient and all pervasive.
uTThegā anal-haq kā na.ara
jo maiñ bhī huuñ aur tum bhī ho
Aur raaj karegī ḳhalq-e-ḳhudā
Jo maiñ bhī huuñ aur tum bhī ho
There will be a war cry of ‘I am the truth’ (Anal-Haq)
The Truth embodied in you and me
And only the creation of God will rule
The same creation, which are you and me
Let me explain ‘anal-haq’. This phrase was
coined by Hussain bin Mansoor Al-Hallaj (c. 858 – 26
March 922), a Sufi saint and mystique. Anal haq is a famous controversial statement which
led to a painful execution of its first narrator. Anal al Haq means “I am the
Truth.” This is similar to the sanatani concept of ‘aham
brahmasmi, denoting the presence of Brahm
in everyone. The orthodox Muslims interpreted this to mean that he was
claiming to be God himself, an act of blasphemy, whereas he had proclaimed,
in his sublime spiritual ecstasy, simply a total annihilation of ego. Mansoor
Al-Hallaj climbed the gallows with his head held high, not the least daunted by
his imminent death. So, there should not be no doubt
left about the nazm being a ‘faith neutral’ rebellious war cry.
I am not going to delve into whether the nazm, hitherto not known to a large section of Indian masses, was deliberately chosen by the agitators to give the oppressor-oppressed feel to the agitation, but the anti-agitation crowd certainly got unnecessarily agitated. I wanted to put the record straight by explaining the nazm with a proper perspective. As I have said above, a poet invariably makes use of metaphors and images that come naturally to him.
My conclusion: This nazm, like the rest of Faiz's poetry, is an absolutely faith neutral piece of poetry, the type that defined the great progressive poets of the era - Sahir Ludhianavi being another one. You could agree or disagree with Faiz's political leanings and ideology, but please don't read what he has not said.
Monday 13 September 2021
Sansar Hai Ek Nadiya Dukh Sukh Do Kinare Hain - Raftaar (1975)
मेरे प्रिय गीत (6)
It is a purely
personal choice because, to me, this song should be right up there among the top 5
or 10 songs of Mukesh and among the songs of the year 1975. However, if I try to match my personal preference with the popular choice, there would be a mismatch. Those days Binaca Geetmala, the most popular ranking program on radio, was the standard parameter. This song was not among the top 32 songs of the year and, if I recall correctly, not even a Sartaj Geet.
The reasons are not difficult to understand. Firstly, the factors driving the mass appeal are not always the ingredients of the song in aesthetic terms. Secondly, those days, barring exceptions, the success of a song/album was directly linked to the success of the film. This film did not have a great run on the box office and the song failed to shoot up on the charts. Let us look at the basic information about the film. The movie was directed by Dinesh-Ramanesh (I do not think many would have heard the names), starring Vinod Mehra, Moushumi Chatterjee, Danny Denzongpa and Madan Puri. Vinod Mehra was not a big draw at the box office, and never graduated to the big league as a solo lead. The film was a mediocre melodrama and got branded as a B Grade film, having average run in theatres.
The music was composed by Sonik-Omi and the lyricist was Abhilash. As regards Sonik-Omi, in spite of composing some great songs in films like Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya, Mahua and Dharma they were mostly stuck in B-Grade films. To their credit they have one of the best qawwalis ever - Raaz ki baat kah doon to (Dharma). As regards Abhilash, the lyricist, apart from this song, he has to his credit Itni Shakti Hame Dena Data (Ankush), one of the best ever bhajans in films. But, the fact remains, Sonik-Omi were no RD Burman or Laxmi-Pyare and Abhilash was no Anand Bakshi, and their names could not push the sales of albums. As I say this, I do not want to show any disrespect to them. But commercial success is documented and tangible.
Now, let me discuss my
reasons for loving the song. Basically I go for a song for three key ingredients – the quality of poetry, the quality of composition and, of course, the
quality of rendition. The quality of picturisation would be an icing on the
cake but these three are the main deciders.
I will discuss these
elements in the reverse order, singers first. This song has been sung by Mukesh and Asha Bhosle,
with chorus in support. I do not think my readers can recall many great duets
of Asha-Mukesh. There may not be more than a couple of dozen songs sung together
by them. I can list some popular ones: Phir na keeje meri
gustaakh nigaahi ka gila, Nain tumhaare mazedaar o
janaabe aali , Teetar ke do aage teetar , Wo subsh kabhi to
aayegi , Hum dono milke kaaghaz pe
dil ke. The two
had their unique styles. Mukesh was master of melancholy, and his reputation rests predominantly on that. Asha Bhosle has, in
an illustrious career of several decades, sung songs of every genre with
remarkable ease but her best came in peppy songs. In this song, melancholic-philosophical in tone, Mukesh is at
his best in a familiar terrain and Ashaji has complemented him absolutely
superbly. So, the effect is magical.
As regards the tune,
Sonik-Omi have composed this song in Raag Shivranjani in Kaherva taal, which is
ideal for its soothing pace. This is a pretty good example of Shivranjani, mostly sticking to the standard notes with only minor deviations. The most remarkable feature of
the composition is brilliant use of violin in solo pieces, in the opening
instrumentation as well as between the stanzas, giving it a space independent of the multi-piece orchestra which accompanies the chorus. Those who have seen the movie
would know that Madan Puri is a musician in the film and he is seen with a
violin on the screen in the song. The song is a bit long with four stanzas but
the composers have managed to retain absolute control throughout the song, which
was quite remarkable during those days without computers aiding the recording.
Now let me
discuss the most important of the three reasons, my biggest reason for loving
this song, the lyrics. Hindi film industry presents such a wide spectrum of
lyrics. At one end of the spectrum are songs penned by poets and lyricists like
Sahir, Shakeel, Kavi Pradeep, Shailendra, Neeraj and many more, which can
qualify for genuine poetry of high order. At the other end you would find a lot
of meaningless garbage without substance. This song is, in my view, genuine and
sublime poetry with philosophical flavour. Let us discuss and analyse the
lyrics.
ना जाने कहाँ जाएँ, हम बहते धारे हैं
These lines make a statement about man being driven
by the vagaries of destiny and reminds me of the following Rubai of Omar
Khayyam:
Into this Universe, and Why not knowing,
Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing:
And out of it, as
Wind along the Waste,
I know not Whither, willy-nilly blowing.
चलते हुए जीवन की, रफ़्तार में इक लय है
इक तार पे गर्दिश में, ये चाँद सितारे हैं
This stanza conveys that behind the apparent randomness there is a harmonious design, a pattern about everything in the universe. Once, while reading a poem titled The Rhythm Of Life by George Krokos, a contemporary Australian poet, I felt how similar was the poem to this stanza:
and goes on regardless of where we might be.
Throughout the day and all during the night
it never stops tho’ it’s not obvious to sight.
धरती पे अम्बर की, आँखों से बरसती है
इक रोज़ यही बूँदें, फिर बादल बनती हैं
इस बनने बिगड़ने के, दस्तूर में सारे हैं
This stanza takes the philosophy of life to the next level,
talking about the cyclic nature of creation, evaporation and recreation, about
the indestructibility of the “elements”. The natural process of rain is
symbolic of the essential processes of life. Having been a student of literature I
often think about similar pieces. And this stanza reminds me of Walt Whitman’s
poem The Voice of the Rain:
I am the Poém of Earth, said the voice of the rain,
Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,
Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely formed, altogether changed, and yet the same,
I descend to lave the drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,
And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn,
And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin, and make pure
and beautify it:
How much more can be compressed in one song? In the next two
stanzas we witness a switch – from the cosmic whole to the individual
components, from the universe to the central component of the universe, the individual human being.
कोई भी किसी के लिए, अपना न पराया है
रिश्तों के उजाले में, हर आदमी साया है
कुदरत की भी देखो तो, ये खेल निराले हैं
The philosophical content of these lines is not as lofty as the first two stanzas. However, those who have watched the film would realise that these lines represent a transition establishing a new phase of relationship between the characters played by Madan Puri and Moushumi Chatterjee, both trapped in the agonies of the past.
है कौन वो दुनिया में, ना पाप किया जिसने
बिन उलझे काँटों से, हैं फूल चुने किसने
बेदाग नहीं कोई, यहाँ पापी सारे हैं
These lines make a very strong statement that the journey of life presents both – thorny pains and rosy delights. The lines inspire for continuing the journey of life with equanimity towards pains and pleasures as they unfold. Let there be no guilt for the errors and life must keep moving on.
Lastly, though the movie was a mediocre, run of the mill, melodrama, this song's picturisation is absolutely fantastic and both the actors are extremely impressive on the screen.
So, that is all about the song and its appeal. I doubt if the song has ever captured so much attention of my readers. Here is the YouTube link of the song. Please listen to it again, with a fresh outlook:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvZop3HFgwc
(For the trivia lovers here is some additional information. Mukesh has another brilliant song in Shivranjani to his credit - Kai Sadiyon Se Kai Janmon Se from film Milaap, another one set in Kaherva taal. If you hear the two songs one after another, the two sound so similar.)