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When Imran Pratapgarhi, the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Maharashtra, addresses a huge rally in Raiganj, West Bengal, waving to crowds chanting his name, his boyish face creases into a big smile and he belts out: “Kahan soya hai chowkidaar / Vijay Mallya aankhon ke neeche se kahan ho gaya hai farraar / Chai beechnewala poora Bharat bechch raha hai / Issi kaam mein haath Rail bikk gayi, Tel bik gaya, patta Hawaii adda / Sab kuch bikta dekh ke khush hain apne J P Nadda / Janata mehengai ki waari, karti haa-haa kaar / Kahan soya hai chowkidaar.” An ode to the watchman who has gone off to sleep, who knows where.
Demonstrating the power of poetry, sheer simplicity of Hindustani words, to not only challenge the powers-that-be but fearlessly attacking the elites, Imran Pratapgarhi gets the crowd roaring.
“Every vote counts! I appeal to every brother, sister, and mother here to ensure they step out, stand in the queue and vote for the Pannja,” he exhorted the audience holding up his open palm, mentioning how Congress leader Dr CP Joshi lost the Rajasthan Assembly 2008 elections by just one vote: it was later known his wife could not cast her vote. Using humour, quotes from leaders past and present, a poet like Imran, barely 36, has taken 2024 general elections to poetic highs.
In Raiganj, once a prestigious Lok Sabha constituency of West Bengal, which fielded towering personalities like Congress’ Siddharth Shankar Ray in the 1970s, CPI-M’s Md Salim and Priyaranjan Dasmunshi of Congress in the 1980s, Pratapgarhi announced with abandon that a new government was now ready to replace the NDA in New Delhi.
“Na humsafar na hum nasheen kisi safar se nikelega / Hamaari paaon ka kaanta hum hiin se nikelega / Watan ki reet mujhe aidheeyan ragadne / mujhe yaqeen hain paani yahin se nikelega…” A call of hope and determination, through a passage of pain as he campaigned for the Congress candidate Imran Ali Victor.
The Appeal
Close on the heels of World Poetry Day 2024 was released the 48-page Congress manifesto titled Nyay Patra, which ends with ‘an appeal’: “It is time to remind ourselves of Tagore’s immortal words in Gitanjali: Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high / Where knowledge is free / Where the world has not been broken up into fragments / By narrow domestic walls / Where words come out from the depth of truth / Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection / Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way / Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit / Where the mind is led forward by thee / Into ever-widening thought and action / Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”
While millions of school-children across India know the Tagore’s Gitanjali 35 poem by heart, the Congress as a 139-year-old political institution has been questioned, and ridiculed by their opposition, on its abilities to preserve, nurture and develop the ideals, ‘heaven of freedom’ which Gurudev penned.
Said Basudha Banerji, New Delhi-based veteran Akashvani broadcaster, “Full marks to the Congress for giving Gurudev Tagore’s poetry the final word in their Manifesto.” She underlined the significance of ‘clear stream of reason’, ‘the depth of truth’ in an age when propaganda, fake news, WhatsApp influencers are manipulating information and news, especially during elections.
“In sharp contrast was our AIR election reporting experiences in Meghalaya,” recalled Banerji. “In Shillong there were no loudspeakers blaring political messages nor posters disfiguring walls in 2014. District Commissioner Sanjay Goyal cordoned off the entire Police Bazaar area and let musicians, dancers and Shillong Chamber Choir take over! Amazing performances transformed the energy of the city, with people soaking in peace and happiness through music. Come to think of it, the only political message were lasers lighting up the night sky ‘Please Vote’!” she said.
Shillong, across Meghalaya and in many other parts of North East India, the tradition continues of bringing people together through music and dance, creating an atmosphere where voting would be peaceful, free, and fair. Considered the music hub of India, Meghalaya is where music and culture are on the streets, in its cafes and picturesque homes. There is music in the air, as the locals love to say.
Also read: Lok Sabha election 2024: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka see history come alive
Political parties are busy preparing their musical scores, bringing youthful talent to the fore. Many may not be aware of the musical talent of chief minister Conrad Sangma, and also the opposition leader Mukul Sangma. “Not just wonderful singers but they are good dancers too,” said a young musician, who added the former deputy chief minister, Prestone Tynsong, rarely misses an opportunity to dance in public. They have their own following.
Celebrating Renu
From the Bihar heartland, once the badlands where more bullets were fired than ballots polled, is the news of Apna Party, a fledging political body in Biharsharif, celebrating the anniversary of Phanishwar Nath Renu, the legendary writer.
Apna Party leaders organised a function for school-children, paid their homage to Renu, the freedom-fighter, highlighting his acclaimed works to engage minds of young audiences. Renu is often seen as carrying the legacy of Munshi Premchand, depicting village life and India’s age-old customs.
For millennials who may be questioning: Phanishwar Nath Renu, who? Worth introducing the long-haired bespectacled Bohemian writer, born in 1921 in a village near Forbesganj in Bihar’s Araria district, who gave Hindi writing and literature a regional turn, not to say, a new literary identity.
‘Maila Aanchal’, ‘Parti Parikatha’, ‘Juloos’, ‘Krishay ki Kahani’, ‘Kitne Chaurahe’, ‘Paltu Babu Road’, ‘Is Jal Pralay Main’ are considered classics till date for portrayal of village life and small-town politics. His short story ‘Maare Gaye Gulfam’ was adapted into ‘Teesri Kasam’, a national award-winning film starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman.
Said Ashok Talwar, 79, who directed ‘Maila Aanchal’ serial for Doordarshan in 1991, “Renu remains relevant and alive till date, especially when our social fabric, the aanchal, has become truly dirty. When we shot in the interiors of Bihar, we could capture the caste-ridden, hierarchical world for TV audiences,” he said, acknowledging ‘Maila Aanchal’ was commissioned during DD’s finest days, the serial winning national awards. Renu will be remembered for having fought with both the pen and the sword, said Talwar.
When the irrepressible Lalu Prasad Yadav went public with his litany of ‘jhoot’ or lies as his bete noire Narendra Modi traversed Bihar in early April 2024 holding election rallies, the media went to town.
“Naukri par jhoot / Itihas par jhoot / Vikas par jhoot / Vaadon aur iraadon mein jhoot / Har jagah har baat, har sochh vichaar mein jhoot / Idhar udhar jhoot / Daayen bhi jhoot baayen bhi jhoot / Parivarwaad par jhoot / Bhrashtachaar par jhoot bol rahe voh log / Agar koi banda BJP mein aaye to rajnitik dhanda aur vipaksh mein hai to voh hai ganda”: Lalu’s rap-lyrics on lies, and all-round lies, would inspire young singers. To sway Bihar’s voters, young and old, the Yadav brigade will have to sing and march to different tunes in the crucial weeks ahead.
Mann in Assam
Though Assam is a long way off from Punjab, its chief minister Bhagwat Singh Mann, a tireless Aam Aadmi Party foot-soldier, campaigned for AAP candidates as part of INDIA alliance.
“Hukumat voh karte hain jinka dillon pe raaj hota hai / Yun to kehne ko to murge ke sar pe bhi taaj hota hai,” the poet in him recited the couplet at a Tinsukhia rally, appealing to find a place in the hearts of AAP’s potential voters.
Mann, a seasoned performer and once-a-comedian, uses his theater and film experience to catch audience attention. Using ‘lollypop’ as an example, he explains to a largely rural audience how the Modi government doles ‘lollypops’ during elections, makes a hue and cry of these gifts, after ruthless taxing and impoverishing the citizenry for years. “Prime Minister reduced the price of gas cylinders by ₹100 after having hike the prices by ₹1000!” Mann drives home key messages of the AAP – free electricity, free medical treatments and quality education in government schools – with wit, humour, and poetry.
In Parliament and TV studios, Manoj Tiwari has recited and popularized Bhojpuri: “Maana ki Corona aiyil hai…chinta janni kara, harre gi ye bimaari kewal saavdhaani se” is still remembered. He has struck a chord with fellow Poorvanchalis or easterners from UP and Bihar, understanding their angst of living in a metropolis, and vowing to work for them. The Manoj Tiwari-Kanhaiya Kumar contest in north-east Delhi is set to witness a war of verses as electioneering picks up more heat in the coming weeks.
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