Gorakh Pandey’s Lines

23-05-2013

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He did not interact much with people whom he did not know well, and who were outside the Uttar Pradesh- BHU-Hindi speaking circle.\r\nI didn’t socialize much with him. Not beyond ‘namaskar’, ‘kaise hai’ etc. He was very affectionate towards me. Language was a barrier between us. He was uncomfortable in English. And I hardly knew any Hindi those days to strike a meaningful conversation.\r\nHe looked a troubled mind; a forlorn personality.\r\nI came to know later that he killed himself.\r\nA friend of Pandeyji, who was also in JNU, interviewed Amitabh Bachchan about his illustrious father Haribans Rai Bachan. And as a token of gratitude for the interview, he gifted Pandeyji’s poem to Amitabh. An impressed Amitabh translated it himself and posted it in his blog. And he humbly said that he could not do justice to Pandeyji in his translation.\r\nI want you to read Pandeyji’s original Hindi poem. If you can understand and appreciate Hindi and its idiom, you can skip the English translation.\r\nBut if you are not sure that you have understood Pandeyji’s import fully, read the English translation. But quickly go back to the Hindi original with that help from the English translation to fully appreciate Pandeyji’s lines.  \r\nHere it is.\r\nसमझदारों का गीत  \r\nहवा का रुख कैसा है, हम समझते हैं\r\nहम उसे पीठ क्यों दे देते हैं, हम समझते हैं\r\nहम समझते हैं ख़ून का मतलब\r\nपैसे की कीमत हम समझते हैं\r\nक्या है पक्ष में विपक्ष में क्या है, हम समझते हैं\r\nहम इतना समझते हैं\r\nकि समझने से डरते हैं और चुप रहते हैं.\r\n \r\nचुप्पी का मतलब भी हम समझते हैं\r\nबोलते हैं तो सोच-समझकर बोलते हैं\r\nबोलने की आजादी का\r\nमतलब समझते हैं\r\nटुटपुंजिया नौकरी के लिए\r\nआज़ादी बेचने का मतलब हम समझते हैं\r\nमगर हम क्या कर सकते हैं\r\nअगर बेरोज़गारी अन्याय से\r\nतेज़ दर से बढ़ रही है\r\nहम आज़ादी और बेरोज़गारी दोनों के\r\nख़तरे समझते हैं\r\nहम ख़तरों से बाल-बाल बच जाते हैं\r\nहम समझते हैं\r\nहम क्यों बच जाते हैं, यह भी हम समझते हैं.\r\nहम ईश्वर से दुखी रहते हैं अगर वह सिर्फ़ कल्पना नहीं है\r\nहम सरकार से दुखी रहते हैं कि वह समझती क्यों नहीं\r\nहम जनता से दुखी रहते हैं क्योंकि वह भेड़ियाधसान होती है.\r\nहम सारी दुनिया के दुख से दुखी रहते हैं\r\nहम समझते हैं\r\nमगर हम कितना दुखी रहते हैं यह भी\r\nहम समझते हैं\r\nयहां विरोध ही बाजिब क़दम है\r\nहम समझते हैं\r\nहम क़दम-क़दम पर समझौते करते हैं\r\nहम समझते हैं\r\nहम समझौते के लिए तर्क गढ़ते हैं\r\nहर तर्क गोल-मटोल भाषा में\r\nपेश करते हैं, हम समझते हैं\r\nहम इस गोल-मटोल भाषा का तर्क भी\r\nसमझते हैं.\r\nवैसे हम अपने को\r\nकिसी से कम नहीं समझते हैं\r\nहर स्याह को सफेद\r\nऔर सफ़ेद को स्याह कर सकते हैं\r\nहम चाय की प्यालियों में तूफ़ान खड़ा कर सकते हैं\r\nकरने को तो हम क्रांति भी कर सकते हैं\r\nअगर सरकार कमज़ोर हो और जनता समझदार\r\nलेकिन हम समझते हैं\r\nकि हम कुछ नहीं कर सकते हैं\r\nहम क्यों कुछ नहीं कर सकते\r\nयह भी हम समझते हैं\r\nAnd now, here is the English Translation by Amitabh Bachchan.\r\nTHE SONG OF THE SENSIBLE\r\nWhat way the winds blow, I can understand\r\nWhy we show our backs to it, I can understand\r\nI understand the meaning of blood\r\nThe value of money I understand\r\nWhat is for and what is against, I can understand\r\nI even understand this\r\nWe are scared to be able to understand, and remain silent.\r\nI can understand the meaning of remaining quiet\r\nWhen we speak we speak with thinking and understanding\r\nThe freedom to speak\r\nIts meaning, I can understand\r\nFor a pathetic and measly employment\r\nTo sell our freedom, the meaning of that I can understand\r\nBut what can we do\r\nWhen unemployment\r\nRises faster than the injustice\r\nThe dangers of freedom and unemployment, I understand\r\nWe narrowly escape the dangers of terror\r\nI can understand\r\nWhy we escape and get saved, this too I can understand.\r\nWe remain disappointed and are pained by the Almighty if he does not just remain an imagination\r\nWe remain disappointed and are pained by the Government why it does not understand\r\nWe remain disappointed and pained by the common man because it succumbs to a herd mentality.\r\nWe remain pained by the pain of the entire world\r\nI can understand\r\nBut how much we remain pained by this pain this too\r\nI can understand\r\nThat opposition is the desired step to take\r\nI can understand\r\nAt every step we make compromising understandings\r\nI can understand\r\nWe make deep commitments for this understanding\r\nEvery deep commitment we present in ambiguous language\r\nI can understand\r\nThe reason for this ambiguous language also\r\nI understand.\r\nIncidentally, we do not consider ourselves\r\nLess than anyone, I can understand\r\nEvery black to white\r\nAnd white to black we are capable of converting\r\nWe are capable of creating a storm in a tea cup\r\nIf we want we can start a revolution also\r\nIf the Government is weak and the common man understanding\r\nBut I can understand\r\nThat there is nothing that we can do\r\nWhy there is nothing that we can do\r\nThis too I can understand.\r\n \r\n</body>\r\n</html>","tags":"Amitabh Bachchan, Gorakh Padey, Hindi Poetry, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Parakala Prabhakar","url":"/literature/gorakh-pandeys-lines","thumbnailratio":"16_9","english_url":"/literature/gorakh-pandeys-lines","created_by":"5bdbf59db8fc62471b160869","modified_by":"5bdbf59db8fc62471b160869","created_dt":"2013-05-23T00:00:00.000Z","img_alt_description":"","short_description":"I am posting a poem written by Gorakh Pandey. Pandeyji and I lived in the same hostel in Jawaharlal Nehru University. On the same floor, I remember. I too was a late riser like him. We often ran into each other while brushing at the washrooms when the entire hostel was quiet and everyone had either gone off to their classes or to the library.","embedded":"","english_title":"Gorakh Pandey’s Lines","modified_dt":"2018-11-03T07:20:30.867Z","__v":0}

I am posting a poem written by Gorakh Pandey.

Pandeyji and I lived in the same hostel in Jawaharlal Nehru University. On the same floor, I remember. I too was a late riser like him. We often ran into each other while brushing at the washrooms when the entire hostel was quiet and everyone had either gone off to their classes or to the library.

Pandeyji was a pleasant person. He did not interact much with people whom he did not know well, and who were outside the Uttar Pradesh- BHU-Hindi speaking circle.

I didn’t socialize much with him. Not beyond ‘namaskar’, ‘kaise hai’ etc. He was very affectionate towards me. Language was a barrier between us. He was uncomfortable in English. And I hardly knew any Hindi those days to strike a meaningful conversation.

He looked a troubled mind; a forlorn personality.

I came to know later that he killed himself.

A friend of Pandeyji, who was also in JNU, interviewed Amitabh Bachchan about his illustrious father Haribans Rai Bachan. And as a token of gratitude for the interview, he gifted Pandeyji’s poem to Amitabh. An impressed Amitabh translated it himself and posted it in his blog. And he humbly said that he could not do justice to Pandeyji in his translation.

I want you to read Pandeyji’s original Hindi poem. If you can understand and appreciate Hindi and its idiom, you can skip the English translation.

But if you are not sure that you have understood Pandeyji’s import fully, read the English translation. But quickly go back to the Hindi original with that help from the English translation to fully appreciate Pandeyji’s lines.

Here it is.

समझदारों का गीत

हवा का रुख कैसा है, हम समझते हैं

हम उसे पीठ क्यों दे देते हैं, हम समझते हैं

हम समझते हैं ख़ून का मतलब

पैसे की कीमत हम समझते हैं

क्या है पक्ष में विपक्ष में क्या है, हम समझते हैं

हम इतना समझते हैं

कि समझने से डरते हैं और चुप रहते हैं.

चुप्पी का मतलब भी हम समझते हैं

बोलते हैं तो सोच-समझकर बोलते हैं

बोलने की आजादी का

मतलब समझते हैं

टुटपुंजिया नौकरी के लिए

आज़ादी बेचने का मतलब हम समझते हैं

मगर हम क्या कर सकते हैं

अगर बेरोज़गारी अन्याय से

तेज़ दर से बढ़ रही है

हम आज़ादी और बेरोज़गारी दोनों के

ख़तरे समझते हैं

हम ख़तरों से बाल-बाल बच जाते हैं

हम समझते हैं

हम क्यों बच जाते हैं, यह भी हम समझते हैं.

हम ईश्वर से दुखी रहते हैं अगर वह सिर्फ़ कल्पना नहीं है

हम सरकार से दुखी रहते हैं कि वह समझती क्यों नहीं

हम जनता से दुखी रहते हैं क्योंकि वह भेड़ियाधसान होती है.

हम सारी दुनिया के दुख से दुखी रहते हैं

हम समझते हैं

मगर हम कितना दुखी रहते हैं यह भी

हम समझते हैं

यहां विरोध ही बाजिब क़दम है

हम समझते हैं

हम क़दम-क़दम पर समझौते करते हैं

हम समझते हैं

हम समझौते के लिए तर्क गढ़ते हैं

हर तर्क गोल-मटोल भाषा में

पेश करते हैं, हम समझते हैं

हम इस गोल-मटोल भाषा का तर्क भी

समझते हैं.

वैसे हम अपने को

किसी से कम नहीं समझते हैं

हर स्याह को सफेद

और सफ़ेद को स्याह कर सकते हैं

हम चाय की प्यालियों में तूफ़ान खड़ा कर सकते हैं

करने को तो हम क्रांति भी कर सकते हैं

अगर सरकार कमज़ोर हो और जनता समझदार

लेकिन हम समझते हैं

कि हम कुछ नहीं कर सकते हैं

हम क्यों कुछ नहीं कर सकते

यह भी हम समझते हैं

And now, here is the English Translation by Amitabh Bachchan.

THE SONG OF THE SENSIBLE

What way the winds blow, I can understand

Why we show our backs to it, I can understand

I understand the meaning of blood

The value of money I understand

What is for and what is against, I can understand

I even understand this

We are scared to be able to understand, and remain silent.

I can understand the meaning of remaining quiet

When we speak we speak with thinking and understanding

The freedom to speak

Its meaning, I can understand

For a pathetic and measly employment

To sell our freedom, the meaning of that I can understand

But what can we do

When unemployment

Rises faster than the injustice

The dangers of freedom and unemployment, I understand

We narrowly escape the dangers of terror

I can understand

Why we escape and get saved, this too I can understand.

We remain disappointed and are pained by the Almighty if he does not just remain an imagination

We remain disappointed and are pained by the Government why it does not understand

We remain disappointed and pained by the common man because it succumbs to a herd mentality.

We remain pained by the pain of the entire world

I can understand

But how much we remain pained by this pain this too

I can understand

That opposition is the desired step to take

I can understand

At every step we make compromising understandings

I can understand

We make deep commitments for this understanding

Every deep commitment we present in ambiguous language

I can understand

The reason for this ambiguous language also

I understand.

Incidentally, we do not consider ourselves

Less than anyone, I can understand

Every black to white

And white to black we are capable of converting

We are capable of creating a storm in a tea cup

If we want we can start a revolution also

If the Government is weak and the common man understanding

But I can understand

That there is nothing that we can do

Why there is nothing that we can do

This too I can understand.

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