“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance,” said Jawaharlal Nehru to the Indian Constituent Assembly on the eve of India’s Independence. That was to be the dawn of a new morning for India and Indians. But by the time India celebrated its first independence day, Mahatma Gandhi had been assassinated and the country had witnessed a communal bloodbath during the partition.

sunrise

Believing that the worst was now history, Majaz wrote :

Hindu Muslim Sikh Eesai aman ke moti ro lenge
Khoon ki holi khel chuke hain rang ke dhabbe dho lenge

(Hindu, Muslims, Sikh , Christians will cry tears of peace
Having played Holi with blood, they will wash the red stains)

It wasn’t long before the dream started souring and the same poets who had fought for freedom from the British now used their pen to fight against the socio-economic problems plaguing our society. There were signs of restlessness amongst the populace as the magic wand, which they thought would wipe out poverty, did not materialise. Nothing epitomises the hope and despair of our society than two of Sahir Ludhianvi’s nazms. The first, Woh Subah kabhi tau aayegi written for the independence movement but used in the film with same name in 1958 as disillusionment started to set in.

In kaali sadiyon ke sar sey jab raat ka aanchal dhalkega
Jab dukh ke badal pighalengey jab sukh ka saagar jhalkegi
Jab ambar jhoom ke nachega jab dharati naghame gayegi
Woh subah kabhi to aayegi…

(When the veil slips from the head of these dark centuries,
When the clouds of despair will disperse and oceans of happiness overflow,
When the sky dances and the earth sings, songs of joy
That morn will surely come one day)

The second, his satirical take off on Iqbal’s Saare Jahan Se Achcha.

Chiin-o-arab hamaara
hindostaanN hamaara
rahne ko ghar nahiiN hai
saara jahaaN hamaara

(China and Arabia are ours
Hindustan is ours
We have no place to stay
The whole world is ours)

A decade later in a poem titled 26 January, written on Republic Day, Sahir lamented:

aao ke aaj ghaur karen is sawaal par
dekhe thhe hum ne jo, wo haseen khwaab kya huye…
bekas barehnagi ko kafan tak nahin naseeb
wo waada-haa e atlas o kamkhwaab kya huye…
jamhooriyat-nawaaz, bashar-dost, amn-khwaah
khud ko jo khud diye thhe, wo alqaab kya huye

(Come, and let us ponder on the question
Those beautiful dreams we had dreamt, what happened to them
Helpless nakedness does not even merit a shroud
What happened to those promises of silk and satin
Democrat, humanist, pacifist
What happened to all those self-conferred titles?)

Instead we have a parliament, that is adjourned more often than it functions and the pictures of rowdy behavior are telecast across the world. The credentials of our representatives leave much to desire. It is no wonder that Hindi Poet Ramnath Singh, who wrote under the pen name of Adam Gondvi said:

Kaju bhune hain plate mein whiskey gilaas mein,
utra hai Ram Rajya vidhayak niwas mein.
Pakke samaajwaadi hain taskar ho yaa dakait
Itna asar hai khaadi ke ujale libaas men

(With roasted nuts in the plate and a glass of whiskey in their hands,
Ram Rajya once again descends once again in the Legislative residences.
They are diehard socialists, be they smuggler or dacoit,
So much is the effect of the white khaadi they wear.)

Contrast the behaviour of our leaders of today with the pledge made by Jawaharlal Nehru on 14 August 1947, “It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.” But our politicians are not solely to blame. The urban elite of the world’s largest democracy treats elections as a public holiday for well deserved getaways and utilises its energies only in outraging on social media, television channels or maybe their blogs. The people who turn up to vote lack proper information about the candidates and often vote as per the dictate of the village and religious elders. They end up as hostages of the social evils of caste and communalism ailing India. No surprise then that we end up getting the government we deserve.

Kalim Ajiz says it much better:

Yeh shahswaar-e-waqt hai’n, itna nashe mein choor
Gir jaaye’n ge, agar yeh utaare na jaaye’n ge

(These are riders on back of opportunity, in such a drunken stupor,
They will tumble headlong, if they are not brought down)

With general elections looming in the horizon we once again see the bankruptcy of ideas, lack of concrete programs for betterment of the populace and attempts at polarisation of voters. In the words of Munawwar Rana:

Tawaif ki tarah hukumat apni badkarion par
Mandir o masjid ka parda daal deti hai

(Like a prostitute sells herself,
our government sells faith)

It is distressing that Muslims are not seen as individuals like the rest of the populace of India, but as a vote bank. They call it the ‘M’ factor. There are attempts by multiple political parties to appease the approximately 13 percent muslim vote. The hardliners in both majority and minority communities are flourishing, spreading hatred and at times inciting violence. This has only resulted in alienation, ghettoisation and a feeling of insecurity amongst the Muslims. Quoting Adam Gondvi:

Hindu ya Muslim ke ahsasaat ko mat chhediye
Apni kursi ke liye jazbaat ko mat chhediye

(Be it Muslim or Hindu, don’t tamper with feelings,
For the sake of your ‘chair’ don’t tamper with emotions)

Throughout history, India has witnessed countless instances of communal violence. These have only affected the common man.

Ghalatiyaan Babar kii thiin; Jumman ka ghar phir kyun jale
Aise naazuk waqt men haalaat ko mat chhediye

(Babur made the mistakes, why then did the Jumman’s house burn?
In such a delicate time, don’t tamper with the situation.)

The recent communal violence and loss of lives in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh only demonstrates what Munawwar Rana said,

bohat sii kursiyan is mulk mein laashon pe rakhi hain
ye voh sach hai jise jhoota sa jhoota bol sakta hai

(Innumerable chairs in this country rest on corpses
This is that truth which every liar can testify to)

Have our politicians failed us? Saaghar Siddiqui perhaps got it right:

Be-wajah tau nahin hai’n chaman ki tabaahiyaan,
Kuch baaghban hai’n, barq-o-sharar se mile huye

(Destruction of the garden is not inexplicable,
Some gardeners are friends of lightening and storms.)

In these troubled times, it is hard to disagree with Adam Gondvi :

Sau main sattar aadmi
Filhaal jab nashaad hai
Dil pe rakh kar haath kahiye
Desh kya aazaad hai

(When seventy out of a hundred people
Are currently unhappy,
Keep your hand on your heart and say
Is the country really Independent?)

But we have hope.
We must have hope.
Woh Subah Kabhi Tau Aayegi.

(Published in Pragati Magazine http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2013/09/woh-subah-kabhi-tau-aayegi/pendence, Hope

by Rana Safvi — August 16, 2013 4:53 pm

The role of Urdu poetry in the Indian independence movement.

Any struggle across the world for freedom or rights reverberates with “We shall overcome”. It was the unofficial anthem of the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the United States. In the subcontinent, that honour would go to Inqilaab Zindabad. It was the poet Hasrat Mohani (1875 – 1951) who coined the phrase Inqilaab Zindabad, which became the chant of Indian revolutionaries. Though Mohani is remembered today for his romantic ghazal Chupke chupke raat din, his poetry reflected his passionate love for his country and his goal of total freedom from the British rule. He was in fact the first person to demand Azadi-e-Kaamil or complete independence for India in 1921.

Rasm e jafa kaamyaab dekhiye kab tak rahe,
Hubb e watan mast e khwaab kab tak rahe,
Daulat e Hindustan qabzah e aghyar mein
Be adad o be hisaab dekhiye kab tak rahe!

(How long will tyranny succeed, let us see
Till when will freedom be a dream*, let us see
Hindustan’s riches are in the clutches of plunderers
Till When will this continue, let us see)
[*dream here alludes to awakening of Indians from their slumber]

Red Fort

Art and literature—and in particular, revolutionary poetry—have always played a significant role in any movement for independence. African – American protest poetry is accepted as a complete genre in itself. Yet bar a few books in Urdu—which means limited readership—the role of Urdu poetry and poets in India’s freedom struggle has been sadly neglected. Urdu poetry is renowned for its romantic ghazals and it has unfortunately become the victim of its own image. We rarely read about the inspirational nazms and ghazals written on social issues of the day.

Whether it is Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai, which Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev were humming as they marched to the gallows or Allama Iqbal’s Saare jahan se achcha Hindustaan hamaara, which became an anthem of the freedom struggle, Urdu poetry played a huge role in our freedom struggle. The most well-known poets of our freedom struggle in the last century were Altaf Hussain Hali, Brij Narain Chakbast, Hasrat Mohani, Zafar Ali Khan, Mohd Ali Jauhar and his brothers Shoukat Ali, Allama Iqbal, Durga Sahai, Suroor Jahanabadi and Trilok Chand Mehroom.

The first major poet to put forward the theory that literature should be harnessed into the service of the community was Altaf Hussain Hali (1837–1914). He used poetry to advance the cause of social welfare and betterment. His poem Hub e Watan emphasised the virtues of patriotism and became very popular with children.

Teri ek musht e khaak ke badle
Luu’n naa hargis agar bahisht mile

(In lieu of one fistful of your dust
Refusal of Paradise in exchange is for me a must)

Though Akbar Allahabadi (1846 –1921) was a leading intellectual of his time, his satirical style of writing meant that often people didn’t get the very deep, underlying philosophical message in his words. The initial years of Mahatma Gandhi’s peaceful movement coincided with Akbar’s later years. He embraced Gandhian philosophy and worked hard to bridge the gap between Hindus and Muslims, which was widening in the early twentieth century.

Budhu miyan bhi hazrat-e-Gandhi ke saath hain,
Go khaak-e-raah hain magar aandhi ke saath hain

(Even those without much sense are convinced by Gandhi,
They may be specks of dust but are with this powerful philosophy)

Chandrashekhar Azad (1906 –1931) was a mentor to many revolutionaries including Bhagat Singh. His unforgettable lines inspire soldiers even today.

Dushman ki goliyon ka hum saamna karenge
Azaad hi rahe hain, azaad hi rahenge

(The enemy’s bullets we face and feel no pain,
Free we were and free we shall remain)

One of Azad’s contemporaries, Ram Prasad Bismil (1897-1927) wrote patriotic poems under the pen names Ram, Agyaat and Bismil. He inspired the masses with both his words and deeds.

Naujawaano ye hi mauqa hai, utho khul khelo!
Khidmat e qaum mein aayien jo balaayein, jhelo,
Phir milengi nay eh mata ki duayein le lo,
Qaum ke sadqe mein mata ko jawaani de do!
Dekhun kaun aata hai irshaad baja lane ko!

(O Youth, this chance, wake up, you won’t get it again,
You must face all perils that come your way, in the service your nation.
Ask for you mothers’ prayers for you may not have them in future.
Sacrifice your today for your motherland’s tomorrow.)

Equally powerful were the words of Bismil’s fellow revolutionary, Ashfaqullah Khan(1900 –1927). In his last poem Shorish e Junoon (Roar of Frenzy), he described his chosen path setting an example for others who followed him.

Sabhi samaan e ishrat thay, maze se katti thi
Watan ke ishq ne hum ko hawa khilwaai zindaan ki

(All the provisions of pleasure for a good life, had I
I bore tortures of jail for the love of my country)

In contrast to Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan, Brij Narain Chakbast (1882–1926) was a moderate. But he also used his pen to inculcate patriotism in his fellow countrymen.

Yeh khaak e Hind se paida hain josh ke aasaar
Himalaya se uthe jaise abr-e –daryabaar

(Hark, the swell and surge of youth on Indian dust,
As if from the Himalayas it was a cloud burst)

While remembering revolutionaries, it is hard to forget Josh Malihabadi (1894 -1982) who was known as Shair-e-Inqilaab or poet of the revolution.

Kaam hai mera taghayyar, naam hai mera shabab
Mera naara, inqilaab o inqilaab o inqilaab

(My name is Youth, my job to bring about change,
My slogan: revolution, revolution, total revolution)

Ali Sardar Jafri (1913 – 2000) joined the national movement and went to jail several times because of his political activities. It is behind bars that many of his early poems were penned.

Raqs karai rooh e azaadi, ke raq sam hai hayat
Ghoomti har waqt ke mahwar pe saari kainaat

(Dance, O spirit of liberty, for life is eternally dancing,
The universe revolves in the orbit of times, in an eternal dance.)

Urdu poetry has witnessed and recorded the struggle for Indian Independence since 1857. Whether the shahr e ashob (laments) written after the fall of Delhi in 1857 or the subsequent protests against the British, Urdu poets, through their verse have faithfully recorded the tyrannical oppression by the rulers and given voice to the aspirations of the masses. It is time people realised that there is more to Urdu poetry than just the romantic ghazals. To quote Faiz Ahmed Faiz, aur bhi dukh hain zamane mein mohabbat ke siwa (There are more concerns in this world other than love).

(Published in Pragati Magazine http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2013/08/inqilaab-zindabad/