There is no doubt
our lives have fallen
to such depths
that people, unconscious
think about killing themeselves at night
I think
I should be a watchman
and keep them awake.
—Translated by Jasdeep Singh
isa ch koi shakk nahin
jivan ene dumghe
toian ch digg pia hai
ki behosh lok ratam nun
khudakushiam baare sochade ne
main sochada ham
chaunkidara karam
te inhan nun jagade rakkham
Lal Singh Dil, Punjab
(Lal Singh Dil was a Dalit Sikh poet from Punjab. A rebellious poet coming from a hard-working, environment in Punjab, Dil’s life was punctuated by hardships and his zealous efforts to overcome them. In the midst of his radical politics, it was his poetry that struck an emotional chord with readers.)
(Jasdeep Singh is a translator, film writer, and technology worker based in Mohali, Punjab. He has written dialogues and scenarios for Panjabi cinema and theater. His writings and translations have appeared in the Scroll.in, Cafe Dissensus, India Today, and 91st Meridian. He was part of the editorial team that brought out Trolley Times, a newsletter from the farmers' protest site. He curated Parchanve, a blog on translated Punjabi poetry. During the COVID years, he started an online reading group to study the poetry of the 16th-century poet Madho Laal Shah Hussain.)
