The poems of Legendary Pakistani poets are taking center stage in Indian Protests against controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The revolutionary rhymes and poetry of iconic Pakistani poets are becoming the spirit of the students who are protesting against BJP government for changing the status quo. The play cards with sentences and rhymes of Pakistani poets and videos of students chanting and singing these poems are going viral, which is causing agitation among many in India.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur professor Vashi Mant Sharma filed a complaint in the institution against students, who were singing the lines of famous Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The university professor was in distress and objected on the lines of Faiz:
Jab arz-e-khuda ke kaabe se, sab but uthvaaye jayenge
Hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-haram, masnad pe bithaye jayenge
Sab taaj uchhale jayenge, sab takht giraaye jayenge
Hum dekhenge…
Meanwhile, these lines, that were sung by the students of IIT Kanpur, were among the most popular poems that students across India are chanting and singing.
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In his complaint the Professor said while talking to an international news channel, “It calls for the removal of all idols and says that only Allah’s name will remain at the end,”
“I don’t know what is the context of the poem but what matters is what is being said”. He further added.
Faiz Ahmed Faiz was one the most popular poet of his era. He was famous for his revolutionary and resistance based poetry. His poem, ‘Hum Dekhenge’, which he wrote against former dictator Gen. Zia ul Haq, became people’s voice in 1979. ‘Hum Dekhenge’ along with ‘Bol Ky Lab Azad Hain Tere’ quickly became popular among people in Zia’s regime.
‘Hum Dekhenge’ spread like wildfire in 1986, after late Iqbal Bano, against the ban of Faiz’s poetry, sung it before a huge crowd in Lahore.
The main fact about the poem that maybe causing so much discontent among government ranks and university officials is its Pakistani origin and the name behind it. But to the people, it doesn’t matter who the poet or author is, all that matters is that it represent people’s voices and rhyme their feelings.
Habib Jalib, another revolutionary poet of Pakistani decent also inspiring students. His poem ‘Dastoor’ was sung by Shashi Bhushan Samad, a visually-impaired student of New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, he sang it during a protest on the campus. It spread a new wave of excitement among students.
Jalib, the left wing activist, who was jailed after opposing the military rule in Pakistan, was immensely popular among common people after resisting Zia rule after the death of ZA Bhutto.
Nevertheless, Poetry truly has no borders and boundaries. The Indian state oppression against students massively backfired for the government. Meanwhile, death toll rises to 30. BJP is struggling to find an escape door, after it alters the status quo by enacting CAA and NRC in India.
