Okay.
I’ve officially gone MAD.
The intensity of the campaign didn’t infect me as soon as it did my classmates. I thought of it as a campaign for a great cause, that we felt strongly about. But the anger, the passion and the enthusiasm was something that had yet to hit me.
But I went about my tasks, thinking of the various ways we could get people to wake up and hear us loud and clear. Naveen was the main inspiration behind this campaign and I’d like to think that he’s giving us guidance from up there.
However, just around this Independence Day, the Punjabi folk-rock artiste Rabbi Shergill released a song called ‘Bilquis (Jinhe Naaz Hai)’. I didn’t quite pay attention to it until I heard the melody right. He uses a sample of the national anthem’s tune. That made me sit up and search for the lyrics to understand more of the song.
Bilqis (Jinhe Naaz Hai)
Rabbi
Mera naam Bilqis Yakub Rasool
Mujhse hui bas ek hi bhool
Ki jab dhhundhhte thhe vo Ram ko
To maen kharhi thhi rah mein
My name is Bilqis Yakub Rasool
I committed just one mistake
That I stood in their way
When they were looking for Ram
Pehle ek ne puchha na mujhe kuchh pata thha
Dujey ko bhi mera yehi javab thha
Fir itno ne puchha ki mera ab saval hai ki
First, one asked me but I knew nothing
Then another but my answer was the same
Then so many that now I have a question
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
Mera naam shriman Satyendra Dubey
Jo kehna thha vo keh chukey
Ab parhey hain rah mein
Dil mein liye ik goli
My name gentlemen is Satyendra Dubey
I’ve already said what I wanted to say
Now I lie on the road
With a bullet in my heart
Bas itna kasur ki hamne likha thha
Vo sach jo har kisi ki zuban thha
Par sach yahan ho jatey hain zahriley
My only fault being that I wrote
A truth that was on everyone’s lips
But truth here turn poisonous
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
Mujhe kehte hain anna Manjunath
Maine dekhi bhatakti ek laash
Zamir ki beech sarhak Lakhimpur Kherhi
My name brother is Manjunath
I’ve seen the corpse of conscience lying
In the middle of the road at Lakhimpur
Adarsh phasan jahan naaron mein
Aur chor bharey darbaron mein
Vahan maut akhlaq ki hai ik khabar baasi
Where ideals are stuck in slogans
And the royal courts are full of thieves
There the death of righteousness is old news
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
Mazha nau aahe Navleen Kumar
Unnees june unnees var
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees vaar
My name is Navleen Kumar
Nineteenth June and nineteen wounds
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen wounds
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees vaar
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen wounds
Looto dehaat kholo bazaar
Nallasopara aur Virar
Chheeno zameen hamse hamein
Bhejo pataal
Loot the villages and open markets
Nallasopara & Virar
Snatch our land and send us to
Hell
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiGSKT9m9SE&feature=related
Of course, translating something always tends to lose some essence of the original message. But watching the video, hearing the song (repeatedly as I am doing so right now!) and understanding what it’s about has really fueled my rage. Rabbi here talks about Bilqis Yakoob Rasool, a victim of gang-rape who lost 14 family members in the Gujarat massacre of 2002
A litany of institutional failures added to the suffering of women like Bilqis Yakoob Rasool and prevented justice being done against their assailants. During the attacks, police stood by or even joined in the violence. When victims tried to file complaints, police often did not record them properly and failed to carry out investigations. In Bilqis Yakoob Rasool's case, police closed the investigation, stating they could not find out who the rapists and murderers were despite the fact that she had named them earlier. Doctors often did not complete medical records accurately.
Also named in the song are Satyendra Dubey, a highway inspector who was killed after he tried to fight corruption, and Shanmughan Manjunath, killed in much the same way.
Meanwhile, Rabbi plaintitively reitarates “Where are they who have pride in India?”
Here are people who fought against injustice. They were brave enough to stand up for the truth and they got punished for it. Yet, we have people who document and write about such things, unafraid. They are making a difference in their own way, the way they know best.
Whether it is following traffic rules when others don’t…
Whether it’s throwing a tissue paper in the dustbin when the whole ground is littered anyway….
Whether it’s telling a rowdy youth to lay off eve teasing a girl you don’t even know…
Whatever it is. Just try. You are not going to be awarded a gold medal or a a special prize. No one will come up to you and congratulate you for not smoking or for throwing that chewing gum wrapper where it’s supposed to be. But, keep trying. You are contributing.
You are making a difference.
I’ve officially gone MAD.
The intensity of the campaign didn’t infect me as soon as it did my classmates. I thought of it as a campaign for a great cause, that we felt strongly about. But the anger, the passion and the enthusiasm was something that had yet to hit me.
But I went about my tasks, thinking of the various ways we could get people to wake up and hear us loud and clear. Naveen was the main inspiration behind this campaign and I’d like to think that he’s giving us guidance from up there.
However, just around this Independence Day, the Punjabi folk-rock artiste Rabbi Shergill released a song called ‘Bilquis (Jinhe Naaz Hai)’. I didn’t quite pay attention to it until I heard the melody right. He uses a sample of the national anthem’s tune. That made me sit up and search for the lyrics to understand more of the song.
Bilqis (Jinhe Naaz Hai)
Rabbi
Mera naam Bilqis Yakub Rasool
Mujhse hui bas ek hi bhool
Ki jab dhhundhhte thhe vo Ram ko
To maen kharhi thhi rah mein
My name is Bilqis Yakub Rasool
I committed just one mistake
That I stood in their way
When they were looking for Ram
Pehle ek ne puchha na mujhe kuchh pata thha
Dujey ko bhi mera yehi javab thha
Fir itno ne puchha ki mera ab saval hai ki
First, one asked me but I knew nothing
Then another but my answer was the same
Then so many that now I have a question
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
Mera naam shriman Satyendra Dubey
Jo kehna thha vo keh chukey
Ab parhey hain rah mein
Dil mein liye ik goli
My name gentlemen is Satyendra Dubey
I’ve already said what I wanted to say
Now I lie on the road
With a bullet in my heart
Bas itna kasur ki hamne likha thha
Vo sach jo har kisi ki zuban thha
Par sach yahan ho jatey hain zahriley
My only fault being that I wrote
A truth that was on everyone’s lips
But truth here turn poisonous
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
Mujhe kehte hain anna Manjunath
Maine dekhi bhatakti ek laash
Zamir ki beech sarhak Lakhimpur Kherhi
My name brother is Manjunath
I’ve seen the corpse of conscience lying
In the middle of the road at Lakhimpur
Adarsh phasan jahan naaron mein
Aur chor bharey darbaron mein
Vahan maut akhlaq ki hai ik khabar baasi
Where ideals are stuck in slogans
And the royal courts are full of thieves
There the death of righteousness is old news
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
Mazha nau aahe Navleen Kumar
Unnees june unnees var
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees vaar
My name is Navleen Kumar
Nineteenth June and nineteen wounds
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen wounds
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees vaar
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen nineteen nineteen nineteen
Nineteen wounds
Looto dehaat kholo bazaar
Nallasopara aur Virar
Chheeno zameen hamse hamein
Bhejo pataal
Loot the villages and open markets
Nallasopara & Virar
Snatch our land and send us to
Hell
Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain
Where are those who are proud of India
Where are those who are proud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiGSKT9m9SE&feature=related
Of course, translating something always tends to lose some essence of the original message. But watching the video, hearing the song (repeatedly as I am doing so right now!) and understanding what it’s about has really fueled my rage. Rabbi here talks about Bilqis Yakoob Rasool, a victim of gang-rape who lost 14 family members in the Gujarat massacre of 2002
A litany of institutional failures added to the suffering of women like Bilqis Yakoob Rasool and prevented justice being done against their assailants. During the attacks, police stood by or even joined in the violence. When victims tried to file complaints, police often did not record them properly and failed to carry out investigations. In Bilqis Yakoob Rasool's case, police closed the investigation, stating they could not find out who the rapists and murderers were despite the fact that she had named them earlier. Doctors often did not complete medical records accurately.
Also named in the song are Satyendra Dubey, a highway inspector who was killed after he tried to fight corruption, and Shanmughan Manjunath, killed in much the same way.
Meanwhile, Rabbi plaintitively reitarates “Where are they who have pride in India?”
Here are people who fought against injustice. They were brave enough to stand up for the truth and they got punished for it. Yet, we have people who document and write about such things, unafraid. They are making a difference in their own way, the way they know best.
Whether it is following traffic rules when others don’t…
Whether it’s throwing a tissue paper in the dustbin when the whole ground is littered anyway….
Whether it’s telling a rowdy youth to lay off eve teasing a girl you don’t even know…
Whatever it is. Just try. You are not going to be awarded a gold medal or a a special prize. No one will come up to you and congratulate you for not smoking or for throwing that chewing gum wrapper where it’s supposed to be. But, keep trying. You are contributing.
You are making a difference.
- Prarthana Rao
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