Poems: 'Naxalite' And 'Culprits'
Through 100 pages of 'Poetry as Evidence', Outlook presents a selection of poems and verses that have moved us, and we feel these serve as evidence of our bleak times and lives. The poems below are the 67th and 68th from the series.
Yes, Naxalite Naxalite
If I say something, they call me a Naxalite
If I ask for my rights, they call me a Naxalite
If I breathe, they call me a Naxalite
They kill me and call me a Naxalite
They can’t stand my songs
When I protest, they beat me with batons
They run from public service
Shooting in the back, they won’t fight me to my face
Ask for your rights, you won’t get them
Success comes from serving the people
No (Sarna Dharma) Code, no vote
I swear on my mother, no black notes
Siddhu-Kanhu, Chand-Bhairo, Veer Tana Bhagat
I forge my path with a pen, not a weapon
I fight, I die, I fall, I rise, I go on
Will never leave my mother-soil, and forest
I sip of my toil, I live on it
I swear on Sarna Mai, that is the truth
Naxalite Naxalite, oh yes, Naxalite Naxalite
—Translated from Hindi by Kaushika Draavid
नक्सली
हां नक्सली नक्सली
कुछ बोलो तो कहे ना नक्सली
हक मांगों तो कहे ना नक्सली
सांस लेबे तो कहे ना नक्सली
जान लेके कहे ना नक्सली
मोर गाना के सहे नय पारे ना
धरना देबे तो लाठी से मारे ना
जनता सेवा से इ मन भागै ना
गोली पीठ पीछे सामने लड़े नय पारै ना
हक कर बात मांगे नई मिलेला
जनता कर सेवा से सफलता मिलेला
कोड नही, तो वोट नहीं
माय कसम ब्लैक नोट नहीं
सिद्धु कान्हू, चांद भैरो, वीर ताना भगत
मोर हाथ में हथियार नहीं कलम से आगे बढत
मोय लड़त मरत गीरत उठ आगे बढ़त
माय माटी जंगल के कभी नहीं छोड़ब
पीयत जीयत मोय मेहनत कर घूंट
सरना माय कसम बोलबो नय झूट
नक्सली नक्सली हां हां नक्सली नक्सली
Aman Kachhap, Jharkhand
(Aman Kachhap is a tribal rapper from Jharkhand.)
Culprits
Governor, How loud should I speak?!
I am indigenous to this land
This land, this forest, these plants and trees
On these Flora-fauna, mountains, rivers and little ponds
My heart resides
There’s a little right that I have over these!
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A tribal young man…
With folded hands
Was requesting the government officer.
His wife in torn clothes
Lay prostate in front of the police van
His naked children were crying
Bastard! you are anti-national… Criminal!
The police -hitting them with batons…
Sent the Adivasis to the jail…
They had their eyes on the Adivasi women…
The naked children kept crying…
“Where there are no such vultures…
Take us there, Mother…in the lap of nature
Or else…
The way they tore apart Mom and Dad
Similarly we
would be torn apart by tomorrow’s first rays…
Culprits…Culprits…”
—Translated from Hindi by Pratyush Pushkar
गुन्हेगार
सरकार, कितलाक नल्ला तानू रं...
हायी भूमीना मय मुलमालक सं
हायी, भूमीवर, जंगलवर, झाडझूडपसवर
आठला चीडामुंगीवर, डोगर, नदी, तलाववर
मन जीव रमना सं
तश्या जरुका हाक्क मन्हा तेस्नावर सं
कवला उम्र मं थोबाडाना चामडा वढायल
हाडकूला मुसडान्हा
आदिवासी जीवान
रक्षकण्या रावण्या करी रयनात
डोका आन् पोट झोडी रयनाल
तेन्ही फाटका खांडोल्यामधली बायको
पोलीस गाडीसामन आडीधट पडी रयनील...
नागड पोर रडी रयनलत...
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भडवा तू देशद्रोही आहेस, गुन्हेगार आहेस !
सोटाघाई ढूरसा मारीसन पोलीस
आदिवासीस्ला कच्चुरीम ली गेत कोंडाला
तेसनी नजर आदिवासी बायासवर आसील
उघड, नागड, उघड आदिवासी पोरस्ला रडू फूटता...
माडे जठे आस गिधाड नाहा,
तेठे पली जाऊत... निसर्गमं...
नाहात... माय – बावनागत आमना कथडा तोडीत...
उगवणारा सूर्य ना कालमं
आमनीबी नाव री... बापनागत...
गुन्हेगार.... गुन्हेगार....
Sunil Gaikwad, Maharashtra
(Author of 12 books, Sunil Gaikwad is an Adivasi poet from the Bhil community. His works have documented the struggles of the Adivasi community and have upheld the values of Adivasi lives, far beyond the deterministic civilisational ethos.)
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