Pinjar (The Skeleton) by Amrita Pritam

Today is Amrita Pritam’s 105^th Birth Anniversary, and this is a humble tribute by this blogger, in continuation of the recent blog: Punjab’s Song of Sorrow and Hope… (Link: https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2024/08/punjabs-song-of-sorrow-and-hope-to.html)

Once again, I read Pinjar, Amrita Pritam’s novel published on 1 January 1950, after watching for a second time Pinjar the critically acclaimed 2003 film directed by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, and wondered what took more than five decades for a film to be made on one of the most profound stories of Partition told from the perspective of the woman victim and protagonist- Puro.

(Source: Film Poster by Impawards: https://en.wikipedia.org)

Millions of people suffered the trauma of Partition, but the women suffered in a terrible way that no man can ever suffer; through their body, for in situations of conflict and war, a woman is a war trophy. A commentator has aptly observed that the novel was far ahead of its times.

Amrita Ji might be pleased to note that as I write this blog, 296 people are currently reading ‘The Skeleton’, Khushwant Singh’s translation of Pinjar, and 5087 people want to read this novel (at www.goodreads.com). A novel published in 1950 still resonates with people. That is a loving tribute to the author.

The novel wrote itself

Amrita Pritam tells how this novel was born: 

"The most terrible happening of the times was the Partition. I still shiver when I think of those blood-drenched days. I had already spoken of the fate of women in the frenzy in my poetry. After Partition, Shahnawaz Khan and Mrinalini Sarabhai were involved in the rehabilitation of abducted girls. I would listen to the stranger than fiction stories that they told me. It was thus that Puro of Pinjar took shape and the novel wrote itself.”[i]

The novel

It is a short but deeply moving novel (Hindi-112 pages, English-80 pages). The story begins in 1935 in village Chhattoani of Gujarat (now in Pakistan), and ends soon after Partition at Lahore. Puro, daughter of the Shah family is engaged to be married to Ramchand of Rattowal, a neighbouring village; but is abducted by Rashid on the eve of the marriage. Puro escapes from her abductor and runs to the safety of her home. Sadly, she is disowned by her parents who fear reprisal by the dominant Muslim community in the area.

Why did the author name Puro’s prospective husband Ramchand? Is that merely coincidental? Ramchand’s wife-to-be abducted by the evil one; and Puro rejected and spurned by her own parents as tainted and defiled for no fault of hers, like Sita? Puro is the tragic heroine, a victim of her times to forces far too potent and diabolical for her or any other individual to confront and win. In the film, Ramchand sings the following song, with an echo of Ram-Sita relation in the epic, and ominous in retrospect in this novel:

सीता को देखे सारा गांव

आग पर कैसे धरेगी पाँव,

बच जाए तो देवी मां

जल जाए तो पापन ।

Link:

https://youtu.be/iLfeHFvZGV0?si=jvmRYgoNNxX8Vazn

Rashid, too, is an unlikely villain, coerced by his domineering uncle, the family patriarch, to avenge an ancient wrong inflicted on the Muslim family by the Shahs. He redeems himself by readily adopting the dead Pagli’s new-born son, and risking his life to steal the abducted Lajo and return her to her husband and family. An atonement for his own sin!

The Skeleton

Who is the Pinjar (the skeleton) in this novel? Puro, of course; but she is not the only one. In fact, she is leading a procession of pinjars, as it were. Puro, Lajo, Pagli, Puro’s son, Pagli’s son -each is a skeleton. Puro’s helpless parents who disown Puro (hiving off an ‘infected’ limb to save the body) are pinjars. Rashid, manipulated like a kathputli by his vengeful family is a pinjar. Puro’s brother who burns Rashid’s harvest is a skeleton fired by hatred and revenge. The Hindu elders who snatch Pagli’s orphaned son from Puro’s breast are also skeletons.

Yet, life can reclaim, redeem, and revive skeletons: Rashid’s unwavering love for Puro, and his everlasting shame and regret for his sin of abduction; Puro and Rashid adopting Pagli’s son; Puro and Rashid plotting and succeeding in stealing Lajo and reuniting her with her welcoming family on the other side of the border; and in the climactic scene, Puro deciding: This is my home!

"चाहे कोई लड़की हिन्दू हो या मुसलमान, जो लड़की भी लौटकर अपने ठिकाने पहुंचती है समझो कि उसी के साथ पूरो की आत्मा भी ठिकाने पहुंच गई।" पूरो ने अपने मन में कहा...”

Politics sucked out the lifeblood of a whole country and created two pinjars- India and Pakistan; but eventually love defeated hatred, and life returned to the skeletons; the wounds healed though the scars remained forever. Pinjar was a horrible, traumatic phase, but mercifully in the past.

Humans can descend to the dark depths of devilry to harm, hurt, negate life, and create pinjars; but they, too, have the capacity to infuse love and bring pinjars back to life. Love is amrit- the distilled divinity in the heart that holds hope for humanity.

My salutations to Amrita Pritam Ji on her 105^th birth anniversary.

Punjabi Folk-Songs

The author has deftly woven several popular Punjabi folk-songs into the plaintive, mournful story. The opening chapter itself has two short traditional songs (quoted below) sung on the eve of marriage of a girl and her farewell from her parents’ home for pardes. In Puro’s life, the pardes is not the village of her husband, but a life from which there is no return- a permanent vanvas.

लावी ते लावीं नी कलेजे दे नाल माए

दस्सी ते दस्सीं इक बात नीं।

बातां ते लम्मीयां नी धीयां क्यों जम्मियां नीं,

अज्ज विछोड़े वाली रात नीं।

Translation:

Hold me close to your heart, O mother,

No time now for a long conversation,

Just tell me,

Why are daughters born?

For tonight is the night of separation.

 

चरखा जु डाहनीयां मैं छोपे जु पानीयां मैं,

पिड़ियां ते वाले मेरे खेस नीं।

पुत्रां नू दित्ते उच्चे महल ते माड़ियां

धीयां नू दित्ता परदेस नीं।

Translation:

The spinning wheel that I set,

The knots on the spindle that I put,

In checkered designs are my khes (thin blankets) planned;

Sons are bequeathed tall palaces and mansions,

Daughters, alas, are despatched to distant places.

In the film, the plaintive song charkha chalati ma, written by Amrita Pritam herself, is based on these traditional ditties.

https://youtu.be/1ZJL4NR1EjM?si=HOE9WMYmZw63r7c_

Amrita Pritam's iconic song Aaj Aakhan Waris Shah Nu, sung by Wadali Brothers, is used to great effect in the film.

Link: https://youtu.be/FHxMi5d5XCk?si=NQtZ8d5ycHYS0teL

The film

The film has an impressive cast- Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Isha Koppikar, Farida Jalal, and others. It won the award for Best film on National Integration, and Manoj Bajpayee’s acting received critical acclaim. Excellent performance by Urmila, too.

A film worth watching. It is available at YouTube.[ii]

Conclusion

Have you read the novel and watched the film? If not, I recommend both; I guess you might like both.

Acknowledgement

The English translations of the Punjabi folk-songs quoted above are by Mr Satinder Singh, HoD, Punjabi Language, DPS, Amritsar with help from his friend, Mr Inderjit Singh, Lecturer in English.

---

[i] 'Pinjar: a novel ahead of its times' by Nirupama Dutt:

 https://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050220/spectrum/book3.htm

 

[ii] Link for Pinjar, the film: Link for Pinjar: https://youtu.be/vtapCrARMZk?si=ircXR4zm6RRp_vb7

 

How to attain Krishna?

“Krishna literally means dark. That is why the dark phase of the moon is called Krishna paksha in the Hindu calendar. His other name, Ghana Shyama, has a similar meaning: dark as a rain-bearing cloud. He was born during the varsha ritu.

Krishna killed Kamsa, his maternal uncle, to end his sinful rule. Later, he became Arjuna's charioteer, and counsellor during Mahabharata war. Bhagavad Gita, His sermon delivered to Arjuna, before the commencement of the war, is a neat summary of the Vedic principles for a righteous life.

Krishna emerged as the most enchanting avatar of Vishnu during the Bhakti movement, and deeply influenced literature, painting, dance, and music.” [i]

Navadha Bhakti[ii]

Srimad Bhagavatam (07.05.23) describes navadha bhakti, the nine ways of offering prayers:

sravanam kirtanam vishnoh smaranam pada-sevanam

archanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam

The nine ways are: 1. Sravana (hearing), 2. Kirtana (chanting), 3. Smarana (remembrance, meditation), 4. Pada sevana (worshipping His lotus-feet), 5. Archana (ritualistic worship, as in a temple), 6. Vandana (offering prayers), 7. Dasya (becoming His servant), 8. Sakhya (becoming His best friend), and 9. Atma-nivedana (surrendering all that one has).

How to attain Krishna?[iii]

Vaishnavism provides for a variety of ways of attaining Krishna, the Supreme Godhead- total surrender, nama japa, Leela smarana, Krishna Katha shravana, etc. Each devotee also chooses, as per her own preference and predilection, an equation with Krishna, a specific relation with the Godhead. Krishna could be Vishnu, the Paramatma, Bala Gopal, the little adorable child, Rasa Bihari Krishna Nagar, the lover extra-ordinary, a sakha, friend, guide, and counsellor, as he was to Arjuna and the Pandavas.

According to the equation, the devotee would assume or acquire a bhava or mood, to be Yashoda, Radha, Arjuna, or even Krishna. Mirabai had become so immersed in Krishna that she had become Radha. Chaitanya became Krishna, and Jagannath Das (who composed the iconic Odia Bhagavata) became Radha. In that heightened state of devotion and consciousness, the devotee no longer perceives any distinction or duality between the God and herself. There is total merger and oneness. Such devotion or bhakti is the simplest way to attain Krishna, according to Vaishnavism.

Gita Govinda

Gita Govinda by Jayadeva is among the finest Sanskrit kavyas, and possibly the best in shringara rasa, celebrating the celestial love between Krishna and Radha. This lyrical poem inspired a genre of miniature paintings aspiring to capture a glimpse of that divine love and convey visually what the kavi had done through words.

There is an interesting story about how Jayadeva completed his kavya. Some readers have read this story in my previous blog: Invisible Poet.[iv]

Pichwai: Nathdwara style of painting

During the later part of the 17^th century, the idol of ShriGovardhanNath Ji was brought from Govardhan mountain of Braj bhumi, installed in Rajputana, to be thereafter worshipped as ShriNath Ji of Nathdwara.

Pichwai, a local tradition of a hanging a ceremonial piece of painted cloth behind the idol created a new school of painting- the Nathdwara style of painting.

I was privileged to receive a complimentary copy of ‘Pichwai: Nathdwara Chitrashaili par Ekagra’ Edited by Narmada Prasad Upadhyay (an erudite scholar and a much-awarded author), and L.N. Tiwari. Though brief, this monograph provides an excellent introduction to the beautiful Nathdwara style of painting.[v]

(Krishna-Janma; Nathdwara style of Painting; Source: Pichwai, Edited by N.P. Upadhyay & L.N. Tiwari)

ShriKrishnashtakam

Composed by Adi Shankaracharya, ShriKrishnashtakam is one of my favourite bhajans. For the Sanskrit lyrics, my English translation of the bhajan, and references to a few excellent renditions; you may check the link below.[vi]

Happy Janmashtami!

---

[i] Extract from this blogger’s book: O Krishna, O Son! Yashoda’s Sublime Song of Sorrow; First published in 2021, Fourth Edition in 2022. The book is available at Amazon, Kindle, and Flipkart.

 

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Link for my blog: Invisible Poet: https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/03/invisible-poet.html

 

[v] This monograph is published by Vraj Sanskruti Shodh Sansthan, Vrindaban, Mathura, email: bcrivrindavan@gmail.com

 

[vi] ShriKrishnashtakam:  https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/09/shrikrishnashtakam.html

 

 

Punjab’s Song of Sorrow and Hope:

To Waris Shah by Amrita Pritam

(Part I)

I will return for You! (Mein Tenu Pher Milangi)

Born in Gujranwala (now In Pakistan) on 31 August 1919, Amrita Pritam migrated on the eve of Partition from Lahore to Delhi via Dehradun. She passed away on 31 October 2005; but I met her a week ago, her voice ringing bold and clear from her fascinating works. For she had pledged: Mein Tenu Pher Milangi[i] (I will return for You!)

(Source: Aksharo ke Saaye)

I read her representative poems, translated a few into Sambalpuri, Odia, and English; and once again watched Pinjar[ii] (2003), the heart-rending film based on her novel. I heard her voice in her recital of the iconic poem Ajj Aakhan Waris Shah Nu.

Dear Amrita, I greatly savoured my very brief encounter with you. Thanks for opening a bit of your heart and soul to me.

Punjab’s Song of Sorrow and Hope

Ajj Aakhan Waris Shah Nu by Amrita Pritam (1919-2005), Punjab’s first and celebrated woman poet, is among Punjab’s most sorrowful songs, possibly second only to Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah (1722-1798), the famous Sufi poet. Waris celebrated in his tragic song the undying love between Heer and Ranjha that transcended the barriers of religion. Some have interpreted Heer Ranjha as more than a romantic tragedy; and as a mystical, devotional poem about the soul (Ranjha)’s eternal quest for the Supreme Divinity (Heer).

Amrita’s poem about the unbearable trauma of Partition is not entirely morose, despondent, and hopeless; the undying flicker of a determined diya radiates the hope for love and life despite the rapacious forces of darkness (आज्ज सब्बे कैदों[iii] बन गये, हुस्न इश्क दे चोर).

But why remember Amrita Pritam and her most famous poem now? Because her 105^th Birth Anniversary would be celebrated on 31 August 2024; and Ajj Aakhan … is a timeless creation as relevant today as it was in 1948 when the poet wrote it on a scrap of paper during her train journey from Dehradun to Delhi.

Why did the poet address Waris Shah? She mentions,

“From the moving train, small mounds of earth shrouded in darkness looked like numerous graves …. the dark, desolate night seemed to wail through the wind. I remembered Waris Shah’s plaintive ballad about Heer’s unrequited love, the song which people sang in every home. That is why I addressed Waris Shah…” [iv]

Partition Literature

Partition was no less traumatic than the forcible amputation of a healthy person without anaesthesia. Suddenly, millions of people became uprooted and homeless- watan se be-watan, in Amrita’s words. About fifteen million people fled across the hastily and thoughtlessly drawn border by Radcliffe, making Partition the largest forced migration in human history. Anywhere between 2,00,000 to 20,00,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the communal frenzy that ensued. It is a dark chapter in the history of our sub-continent and the world.

Several renowned authors including Amrita Pritam, Bhisma Sahni, S.H. Manto, Salman Rushdie, and Khushwant Singh have written novels, short-stories, poems about the trauma of partition.[v]

How I savoured the song

It would be impudent for me, an Odia with a modest capability in Hindi and none in Punjabi, to suggest how to savour this song; but here is how I went about it.

First, I read a few short but representative poems of Amrita Pritam in Hindi, and then learned that Ajj Aakhan.. is her most famous poem. I read it, liked it, and began translating it into English (my favourite method to compel myself to read the poem several times to appreciate the nuances of each word and phrase). Then, I found that Amrita Ji had herself translated this song into Hindi and English. I read those translations, too.

But I wanted more out of the poem, and located with the help of a friend (Thanks, Anjuly!) the text of the original Punjabi poem in Devnagari script. Taking a print out of the Punjabi, Hindi, and English versions; I read them in that sequence. I’m glad I did that, for I found the Punjabi nazm far superior to the Hindi and the English translations. Even with the author herself translating, the limitations of translation are evident.

Translation involves inescapable transmission loss; language is a vehicle of a culture rooted in geography and time; a different language cannot capture all the nuances of the original text, its earthy flavour, its proverbs, and words and phrases dripping with cultural memory.

Poetry is, truly, untranslatable. Translation will always be inadequate, at best an approximation of the original. Even Amrita Pritam’s own translation cannot fully capture the heart-rending horror, the searing sorrow, and the pathos of the original nazm.

Just one example will suffice to illustrate the limitations of translation:

The following line in Punjabi-

सने डालियां पींग आज्ज, पिपलां दित्ती तोड़

has been thus translated by the poet herself-

Hindi

हर पीपल से टहनियां टूट गई जहां झूलों की आवाज़ आती थी...

English

Branches heavy with swings,

cracked from peepul trees

In the Punjabi version, Peepul severs her own arms along with the swing she is cradling; the translations do not capture the heart-wrenching agony of the original!

Why merely read the poem, when amazing recitals by the author, and by Gulzar are available on YouTube? I played Gulzar’s recital more than once. The poem I had read came alive in Gulzar’s evocative recitation. Only a kindred soul, a poet, could recite it with such empathy.

The links are given in the endnotes.[vi]

What is special about this poem?

In this poem, the poet-narrator suffers the trauma of Partition- she sings, sighs, sobs, weeps, wails, mourns, stutters, sobs, chokes; and the readers suffer vicariously the unbearable agony of Partition through the power of her poetry. Ajj Aakhan.. is a poem that presents a live telecast of the breaking news, as it were, long before the age of TV; almost like Sanjay giving to Dhritarashtra a blow-by-blow account of the horrible fratricide in the Mahabharata.

Quaido’s malice, hate, villainy, and poison killed Heer and Ranjha; but the lovers were resurrected by Waris Shah, the Sufi-Singer-Saint, the Balladeer of the Broken-Hearted (दर्दमंदा देया दर्दिया).

Why sing of sorrow?

Those who have suffered the trauma of Partition physically or vicariously are condemned to carry on the burden of living with a dagger permanently lodged in their heart and soul that no surgeon can remove; but the soul sprouts a song to share and lessen the sorrow. That makes the pain bearable and life liveable. Song is a balm that soothes the many scars with painful memories bubbling under them.

Song of Hope

This sad song, a mournful dirge, is ringfenced, as it were, with hope. The opening and concluding stanzas are like Amrita Pritam’s red shawl which she tore into two to protect her two kids from the biting cold when migrating from Lahore to Dehradun.  

Opening Stanza

आज्ज आखां वारिस शाह नूं

कित्थे कबरां विचों बोल ते आज्ज किताबे ईश्क दा

कोई अगला वर्का फोल

Concluding Stanza

आज्ज आखां वारिस शाह नूं

कबरां विचों बोल ते आज्ज किताबे ईश्क दा

कोई अगला वर्का फोल

In these stanzas, the poet solicits Waris to arise from his grave and usher in a new refrain in his immortal song of love. That is a mannat for a miracle! A song to soothe the suffering souls.

बोलो अमृता

Speak Amrita…

Sing a new refrain in the saga of love…

softly play the flute of love…and

vanquish the venom

spreading all over the world.

बोलो अमृता… गाओ…

एक नया तराना छेड़ो…

प्यार की एक फूँक से

दुनिया में फैल रहे ज़हर को काटो।

~~~

Comments

Anshu

Dear Prasanna,
I teared up last night with the beauty of your piece and the memory of my own mother's nostalgia for Jhang, the land of Heer-Ranjha. 
Your lyrical prose has surpassed itself this time! Comparing the trauma of partition to amputation without anaesthesia is just brilliant and utterly apt. Your words brought back to me my parents' recall of the Partition and their own days as refugees in Dehradun before my father landed a job - in Dibrugarh! 
Both my parents hailed from Jhang, and my mother's favourite music was Waris Shah's Heer, sung by the legendary Asa Singh Mastana. Obviously, it never held the same appeal for me while I was growing up. But as the years have gone by, I see and understand her rootedness and her refusal to let any other music dislodge Mastana's rendering of Waris Shah's Heer from the top of her chart.
Of course I had read Ajj Aakhan... before and heard Gulzar recite it. But it's your piece that has made me truly appreciate its meaning and its pathos. Likening it to Sanjay's account in the Mahabharata is a mind blowing idea! A few months ago, I visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, and the impact left me reeling. I felt much the same last night as I read Amrita Pritam's words coupled with your tribute.
Thank you, Prasanna 
Warmly,
Anshu.

Anjuly

My parents came through the partition. My mother (who came in just in time) served in the Gandhi Vanita Ashram for rescued women in Jalandhar. Although our parents protected us from the worst they had seen and heard, we still got to hear some horrifying stuff. 

Amrita Pritam’s poem is a cry from an anguished heart.

Inter DPS Punjabi Language Festival 2024

DPS, Amritsar organised the event on 24 Aug 2024 to commemorate the 105^th Birth Anniversary of Amrita Pritam. On this occasion, I spoke to the students and teachers. DPS Amritsar has shared a link for my speech:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/101ke4z-iHM9u_vnwQwmwf06qlFwMkCoX?usp=sharing

~~~

(Part II)

(Ajj Aakhan.. Original Punjabi poem & Hindi and English Translations by Amrita Pritam)

Punjabi Text in Devnagari*

वारिस शाह नूं

आज्ज आखां वारिस शाह नूं
कित्थे कबरां विचों बोल ते आज्ज किताबे ईश्क दा
कोई अगला वर्का फोल

इक रोई सी धी पंजाब दी तूं लिख लिख मारे वैण

आज्ज लखां धिया रोंदियां तैनूं वारिस शाह नूं कैण

उठ दर्दमंदा देया दर्दिया उठ तक्क अपना पंजाब

आज्ज वेले लाशा विछियां ते लहू दी भरी चिनाव

किसे ने पंजा पाणियां विच दित्ती जहर रला

ते उणा पाणियां धरत नूं दित्ता पानी ला

इस जरखेज जमीन दे लू लू फुटिया जहर

गिट्ठ गिट्ठ चड़ियां लालियां ते फुट फुट चड़िया कहर

 उहो वलिसी वा फिर वण वण वगी जा

 उहने हर इक बांस दी वंजली दित्ती नाग बना

 नागां किल्ले लोक मूं, बस फिर डांग्ग ही डांग्ग,

 पल्लो पल्ली पंजाब दे, नीले पै गये अंग,

 गलेयों टुट्टे गीत फिर, त्रखलों टुट्टी तंद,

 त्रिंझणों टुट्टियां सहेलियां, चरखरे घूकर बंद

 सने सेज दे बेड़ियां, लुड्डन दित्तीयां रोड़,

 सने डालियां पींग आज्ज, पिपलां दित्ती तोड़,

 जित्थे वजदी सी फूक प्यार दी, ओ वंझली गयी गवाच,

 रांझे दे सब वीर आज्ज भुल गये उसदी जाच्च

 धरती ते लहू वसिया, कब्रां पइयां चोण,

 प्रीत दिया शाहाजादियां अज्ज विच्च मजारां रोन,

 आज्ज सब्बे कैदों* बन गये, हुस्न इश्क दे चोर

 आज्ज कित्थों लाब्ब के लयाइये वारिस शाह इक होर

~~~

*(Source: वारिस शाह नूं - अमृता प्रीतम - आईना (hindireport.in)

~~~

Ajj Aakhan Waris Shah Nu (1948)

To Waris Shah

(Translated by Amrita Pritam)

Speak from the depths of the grave

to Waris Shah I Say

and add a new page of the saga of love

today.

Once wept a daughter of Punjab,

your pen unleashed a million cries

a million daughters weep today,

to you Waris Shah they turn their eyes.

Awake, decry your Punjab,

O sufferer with those suffering!

Corpses entomb the fields today

the Chenab is flowing with blood.

Mingled with poison by some

are the waters of five rivers,

and this torrent of pollution,

unceasingly covers our earth.

And heavy with venom were the winds,

that blew through the forests

transmuting into a snake,

The reed of each musical branch.

With sting afters ting did the serpents

suppress the voice of people.

A moment so brief and the limbs of Punjab turned blue

Threads snapped from their shuttles

and rent the songs at their throats

Silenced was the spinning wheel’s hum,

severed from their gatherings, the women.

Branches heavy with swings,

cracked from peepul trees

boats laden with trappings

loosened from anchors to sink.

Despoilers of beauty and love,

each man now turned a Kedu*

where can we seek for another

like Waris Shah today?

Only you can speak from the grave,

to Waris Shah I say

add another page to your epic of love today.

 ~~~

*Or Qaidon – The uncle of Heer, the villain in Waris Shah’s love story who got her to eat the poisoned sweets.

~~~

Ajj Aakhan Waris Shah Nu

(Hindi Translation by Amrita Pritam: Source- Aksharo Ke Saye)

उठो वारिस शाह—

कहीं कब्र में से बोलो और इश्क की कहानी का — कोई नया वरक खोलो...

पंजाब की एक बेटी रोई थी

तूने लंबी दास्तान लिखी

आज तो लाखों बेटियां रोती हैं तुम्हें—वारिस शाह से—कहती हैं...

दर्दमंदों का दर्द जानने वाले उठो! और अपना पंजाब देखो!

आज हर बेले में लाशें बिछी हुई हैं

और चनाब में पानी नहीं ...अब लहू बहता है...

पांच दरियाओं के पानी में यह ज़हर किसने मिला दिया

और वही ज़हर का पानी खेतों को बोने सींचने लगा...

पंजाब की ज़रखेज़ ज़मीन में वही ज़हर उगने फैलने लगा

और स्याह सितम की तरह वह काला ज़हर खिलने लगा...

वही ज़हरीली हवा वनों–वनों में बहने लगी

जिसने बांस की बांसुर– ज़हरीली नाग—सी बना दी...

नाग का पहला डकं मदारियों को लगा और उनके मत्रं खो गए...

फिर जहां तहां सब लोग– ज़हर से नीले पड़ने लगे...

देखो ! लोगों के होठों से एक ज़हर बहने लगा

और पूरे पंजाब का बदन नीला प़डने लगा...

गले से गीत टूट गए

चर्खे का धागा टूट गया

और सखियां — जो अभी अभी यहां थी जाने कहां कहां गई...

हीर के मांझी न — वह नौका डुबो दी जो दरिया में बहती थी

हर पीपल से टहनियां टूट गई जहां झूलों की आवाज़ आती थी...

वह बांसुरी जाने कहां गई जो मुहब्बत का गीत गाती थी

और रांझे के भ़ाई बंधु बांसुरी बजाना भूल गए...

ज़मीन पर लहू बहने लगा—

इतना—कि कब्रें चूने लगीं

और मुहब्बत की शहज़ादियां मज़ारों में रोने लगीं...

सभी कैदों में नज़र आते हैं हुस्न और इश्क को चुराने वाले

और वारिस कहां से लाएं हीर की दास्तान गाने वाले...

तुम्हीं से कहती हूं–वारिस! उठो! कब्र में से बोलो

और इश्क की कहानी का कोई नया वरक खोलो...

~~~

• Sansad TV: Ek Thi Amrita- https://youtu.be/jyng88pcU7g
• Aksharo Ke Saye (Hindi Edition) by Amrita Pritam
• Kavitakosh.org

---

[i] Mein Tenu Pher Milangi- a poem Amrita wrote for her soulmate, Imroz; recital by Gulzar: https://youtu.be/B6sxT3aGv68

[ii] Link for Pinjar: https://youtu.be/vtapCrARMZk?si=ircXR4zm6RRp_vb7

[iii] Quaido was Heer’s uncle who murdered her by poisoning her food.

[iv] Source: Pritam, Amrita. Aksharo Ke Saye (Hindi Edition), Rajpal & Sons. Kindle Edition. English translation of the quoted para is by this blogger.

[v] Here are some of the most celebrated works by renowned authors on the Partition of India and Pakistan:

1.       “Train to Pakistan” by Khushwant Singh - This novel vividly depicts the horrors and human tragedies of the Partition through the story of a small village on the border of India and Pakistan.

2.       “Tamas” by Bhisham Sahni - A powerful narrative that portrays the communal violence and chaos during the Partition, based on Sahni’s own experiences.

3.       “Ice-Candy-Man” (also known as “Cracking India”) by Bapsi Sidhwa - This novel provides a child’s perspective on the Partition, capturing the innocence lost amidst the turmoil.

4.       “Midnight’s Children” by Salman Rushdie - While not solely about the Partition, this Booker Prize-winning novel intertwines the story of India’s independence and Partition with magical realism.

5.       “Pinjar” by Amrita Pritam - A poignant tale of a Hindu woman abducted during the Partition, exploring themes of identity, trauma, and resilience.

6.       “The Shadow Lines” by Amitav Ghosh - This novel delves into the impact of Partition on individuals and families, spanning across generations and geographies.

7.       “A Bend in the Ganges” by Manohar Malgonkar - A gripping story that captures the violence and upheaval during the Partition, focusing on the lives of two friends caught in the conflict.

These works offer profound insights into the human experiences and historical complexities of the Partition.

(Source: CoPilot)

[vi] Recital by Amrita Pritam: https://youtu.be/aFkKOr08-jw?si=kACTBm7lKphcfIqA

Recital by Gulzar: https://youtu.be/rBvFabOMPVs?si=7WIOIoetB9YdViVp

 

Gulmohar: Best Hindi Film of 2023

Do you watch Hindi films? Have you watched Gulmohar, which won the Best Hindi Film award at the 70^th National Film Award, held on 16 Aug 2024? If you watched the film and loved it, read no further. Do not read this blog If you plan to watch and prefer to watch without being prejudiced by a review.

Sanjukta was keen on watching this web-film streaming on Disney-Hotstar, for which I bought a Subscription for 3 months for INR 299, but Hotstar insisted on ‘Auto-Debit’ to my bank account till 2049 (but why, and how does Hotstar know that I’ll be around till that date? I must raise a protest with the OTT provider and the Regulatory Authority, after I finish this blog.)

I am no film critic, and the views mentioned below are mine and mine only to which my spouse is unlikely to agree. Haan ki Na, if I ask, her reply is predictable!

Cast

The film has an impressive cast- Sharmila Tagore (Kusum), Manoj Bajpayee (Arun), Simran (Indu), Suraj Sharma (Aditya), Amol Palekar (Sudhakar), Kaveri Seth (Divya), and others.

The film, mimicking the metro city which is the venue, has a high-density of characters. I counted twenty-six and gave up! The leading characters are given reasonable space and time, but that for the other characters is strictly rationed by the writer who is also the Director. Why so many characters? Two plausible reasons: First, Gulmohar houses an affluent joint family of six which has hired three full-time household help not including the driver, three security guards, and three or more malis for the large, manicured garden of the sprawling mansion. Second, the film ends with a fun-filled Holi revelry for which several dancing bodies were needed.

Plot

The sale of Gulmohar, the House of Batras, to a builder (‘a goonda’ who apparently coerced Kusum, the widow, for sale of the property) is supposedly a symbol of the tragic disintegration of the fabled joint family; but the film fails to evoke any sense of loss. Three generations of Batras lived under the same roof, but without the glue of deep love and affection, respect, regard, and consideration for other members of the family who may have a different point of view. Is dissent disobedience? If the son thinks differently than his father, and if the daughter has a different sexual inclination; will that usher in anarchy and bring the roof down?

Anyway, the dissolution of the original joint family had begun much earlier when Kusum had successfully persuaded the patriarch to move over to Delhi from Jamshedpur where fourteen members of the family somehow lived in a one-bedroom house packed like sardines in a tin! That dispersal of the joint family does not at all look bad since the Batras blossomed in business at sadda Dilli, except to Sudhakar, the old man who still nurses a grievance for failing to achieve his dream of joining the IAS!

The plot revolves around Batra patriarch’s last will and testament hand-written by himself on the eve of his death. Gulmohar will pass on, not to Arun, his adopted son, nor to Kusum, his wife; but to Sudhakar, his brother who has the family’s khoon (blood). Arun is the ideal son- meek, obedient, deferential, devoted, sincere, hardworking, and successful at running his factory. So, why did the patriarch disinherit Arun? Was the old man punishing Sharmila for her three miscarriages and consequent failure to give him a son of his own? How cruel and misogynistic! How would the inheritance of Gulmohar by Sudhakar glorify the great Batra family? Isn't that an insensitive reiteration of exclusive patriarchal rights to family wealth and property and denial of women's rights? Why did the patriarch publicly adopt Arun, pretended to treat him as his own son, but disowned him just before his death? A mystery which the story shoves under the carpet.

The plot is littered with the debris of multiple abandonments- Premi Dhaba-wala (veteran actor Vinod Nagpal of "Hum Log' fame) abandoning his new-born son (Arun), Batra patriarch abandoning his adopted son (Arun), Aditya choosing to move out of Gulmohar and thus abandoning his father (Arun), Sudhakar seeking legal possession of Gulmohar and forcing Arun and his family’s abandonment of Gulmohar, and finally, Kusum sneaking away to Pondicherry, not to meditate and pray but to reconnect with Supriya Palekar, her old flame of adolescent days!

Sub-plots

Just too many. As though the writer has sought help of ChatGPT to write a story and script with a bunch of named sub-plots:  

Father-Son problematic relations (Deceased Mr Batra, the patriarch and Arun, the adopted son; Arun and his son Aditya; Arun’s biological father- Premi Dhaba-wala and Arun; Sudhakar Batra and his son; Sudhakar’s son and his grandson;

Spousal relations (Dead Batra and his wife-Kusum; Arun and his wife; Aditya and his wife; Arun’s cousin and his wife and their son and daughter-in-law). Mercifully, Sudhakar Batra’s wife, and Arun’s biological mother are not brought in to add to the crowd of characters.

Lesbianism: muted for Kusum who mentions the unseen hand of destiny (“It was meant to be!) exonerating any imagined blame for human agency! Her adolescent flash back is supposedly to ‘support’ Divya, the youngest of the Batra clan, who has just discovered her different sexual orientation.

Startup struggle and anxiety: what’s better- a low-paying salaried job or the uncertainty of startup funding and success but with potential of big bucks; further aggravated by Aditya’s very persuasive wife insisting upon booking a flat which is beyond their means.

Love-life of household help: Reshma-Devendra-Irfan love triangle, and the minor ‘communal’ skirmish.

Conclusion

Excellent performance by Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee, and Amol Palekar; but the story-line is weak, the plot convoluted, the numerous sub-plots a perplexing maze, progress slow and meandering, and the end abrupt with a deus ex machina brought in for a ‘happy ending.’

The table that overturned that toppled the glass of water that smudged the handwritten will and rendered it illegible and infructuous nullifying the evil machinations of the villainous Batra duo- the deceased patriarch and his aggrieved younger brother. Serves the deceased Batra patriarch right for public adoption of an abandoned child, and decades later, his pusillanimous denial of inheritance of Gulmohar to Arun, his one and only son!

Gulmohar (the Flame tree) is an ironical name for the film with an incendiary plot that unravels in a brick-and-mortar mansion sans love and bonding.

Of all the Hindi films of 2023 which the jury evaluated, they found Gulmohar the best. If this is the best film of the year, I'm rather disappointed. My Rating for the film is 5/10. Is that why they did not include me in the panel of juries?

Should you watch the film? Decide for yourself. Go ahead, you may enjoy the excellent performance by Sharmila, this blogger's demure dreamgirl with those adorable dimples in Aradhana (1969)!

***

 

How 15 August became our Independence Day!

(Independence Day Celebration at Red Fort, New Delhi, 2024)

Hearty Greetings on our Independence Day.

15 August 1947: Significance

How did 15 August become our Independence Day? Or rather, why did the British choose 15 August 1947 as the date for the independence of India and Pakistan? Ramachandra Guha writes:

“Every year after 1930, Congress-minded Indians celebrated 26 January as Independence Day. However, when the British finally left the subcontinent, they chose to hand over power on 15 August 1947. This date was selected by the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, as it was the second anniversary of the Japanese surrender to the Allied Forces in the Second World War.”[i].

Tryst with Destiny

A little before midnight on August 14-15, 1947, in the Constituent Assembly Hall in Parliament, Jawahar Lal Nehru delivered his ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech[ii] [iii], considered one of the great speeches of the 20^th century.

“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. (Italics by the blogger.)

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. 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."

It was a momentous occasion, a moment of great hopes and aspirations, and Nehru was possibly a little carried away; for all the world was not asleep and many countries were wide awake (US: 2.30 PM, UK: 6.30 PM, Germany 7.30 PM, Aus: 5.30 AM). But Nehru was entitled to a little poetic fervour and flourish on such a historic occasion.

During Aug 14-15, 1947, Gandhi was not at New Delhi; but at Calcutta to douse the communal fire. When Nehru delivered the ‘tryst with destiny’ speech, Gandhi was fast asleep at that hour.

More seriously, the solemn pledge was: ‘we shall redeem our pledge,’ and we as citizens of India need to introspect whether we have redeemed the pledge, and to figure out what we need to do now and in future to realise the dreams that were dreamed then and thereafter.

It may be useful for us to recall what B.R. Ambedkar said to the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949:

“By independence, we have lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.”

Some astrologers claim that India’s birth as a free nation at the midnight hour of Aug 14-15, 1947 was inauspicious since it was Rahu Kala at that hour. However, Nehru had possibly performed a puja to offset the malefic influence of rahu; and the midnight event commenced with the auspicious sound of conch, which would have rendered rahu ineffective!

The trauma of Partition, and the many difficulties of the early years after our freedom are now painful memories of the past. India is now a strong, confident country holding its head high in the comity of nations, and capable of fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of all its citizens.

Happy Independence Day!

***

Postscript

* Rahukalam

A friend informs me that in Tamilnadu, there is no rahukalam during 6.00 PM to 6.00 AM. That is so reassuring. Rahu did not cast his evil eye when India was born!

Note

Last year, I had shared a blog: Patriots of Pollibetta. In case you missed it, here is the link:

https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/07/patriots-of-pollibetta.html

---

[i] (India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha, First published in 2007 by Macmillan, 10th Revised Edition published in 2017 by Picador India.)

[ii] Here is the full text of Jawaharlal Nehru’s iconic “Tryst with Destiny” speech, delivered on the eve of India’s independence, August 14, 1947:

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. 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. 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.

At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her successes and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?

Freedom and power bring responsibility. That responsibility rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India. Before the birth of freedom, we have endured all the pains of labor, and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now. Nevertheless, the past is over, and it is the future that beckons to us now. That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving so that we might fulfill the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall take today.

The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over. And so we have to labor and to work and work hard to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart. Peace has been said to be indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this One World that can no longer be split into isolated fragments.

To the people of India, whose representatives we are, we make an appeal to join us with faith and confidence in this great adventure. This is no time for petty and destructive criticism, no time for ill-will or blaming others. We have to build the noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell."

[iii] Link for You Tube video: https://youtu.be/2Cudc5Mhlcc?si=UkHjrXJ-sa2-V1ik

 

***