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Now this is an everyday
"war" that an individual has to fight in his daily
routine. Everyday one is injured or he hurts others in this
battle. Everyday one wins or loses it.
Bhattal is a
rebel of sorts but a very calm and composed one. He does not
shout or scream. He never lets others notice the turmoil in
his mind.
An
autobiographical strain in one of his poems goes like this,
"Us ne dhupp de geet gae/Us ne havavan de geet gae/Par
apni teh di ikk vi geet na gaia/Sadian ho gaian han/Jeebh nu
jeban ‘ch pai phirdian/Te sathon gall vi/Aap akhi na gai."
(He sang songs of the sun and the wind but never sang the
songs of his desire. He carried his tongue in his pocket for
ages, though could never utter a word about himself.)
The poet
spells out his paradoxical feelings through his poems, and not
through his lifestyle. In life he is known for his quiet
disposition. He says, "Mai kafran di dhaani da
mahan-kafar/Kali pustak da rachita te pathak vi khud han/Merian
aalne vargian akhan vich/Masuum ghuggi de bot vi palde han/ Te
ghirjh dian khuun-khaar nahundran de nishan vi han". (I
am an infidel of infidels; both a writer and reader of the
black book. In my neest-like eyes, an innocent dove’s
fledglings are reared as also the scars of the bloody claws of
a vulture.)
The poet
nurtures both sweet and sour memories. He has been patted on
the back by some but has been battered and bruised by many. He
has an intense longing for the beyond which lies across the
black horizon. He yearns for the company of the sun to
transcend this world while walking on the embers of fire.
In the poem
"Borh", the rebel in the poet is aroused. He
addresses his poetic progeny thus, "Mere vaarso! Je main
adhura mar gia/Mere hathiaran de maalak tusin banna hai/Ho
sakia tan /Is borh da nabuud khatama kar dena/Kyunke jinna
chir takk/Is di sanghani chhan hai/ sutte lokar jaag nahi aegi."
(O my heirs! If I die halfway, you have to wield my weapons.
Uproot this banyan tree if possible since the people will not
wake up so long as they lie asleep under its cool shade.)
The poet has
an inkling of the impending storm. He is worried about tender
plants and small children. .He says "Nikke butian nu kaho/
Oh chheti hi rukh ban jaan/Nikke bachian nu kaho/oh chheti hi
manukh ban jaan/Haneri vagan hi vali hai!" (Tell the
tender plants to grow fast into mighty trees and the little
children to grow into strong adults; the storm is about to
break out.)
Then the poet
goes on warning the people monopolising all privileges of
society. The people and classes dominating an unjust social
order and institutions are warned of the impending disaster
for them as a consequence of their misdeeds. The suffering
people are not spared either. They are indicted for their
inaction and lethargic tolerance of injustice and oppression.
He avers,
"Dosh sarhkan nu kyun daie/Ki inhan de vagan di/Taseer
mar gai hai/aap aje asin apne pairan nu/Vakat bevakat turn di
jaach nahin dassi/Sarhkan de kinare khalote rukh/ Sadi
bevakuphi de gavah han/ki je kadi sanu turna pia hai/Asin pabb
hathelian te rakhe han/Te akhan, meet ke turre han/Aao mathe
ch suhi laat jaga ke turie/Aao pairan ‘ch bijlian tarhfa ke
turie." (Why blame the roads for not being full of
agitated people. In fact, we have not yet trained our legs to
walk at inconvenient hours. The trees along the roads are
witness to our stupidity and servility. Whenever we had to
walk, we walked blindfolded on all fours. Come on! Let us
fight with a crimson blaze in the forehead and walk with a
streak of lightning emanating from the feet.)
This
consciousness about the social conditions in India and the
confusion and inaction of the masses is the subject matter of
many poems. Like other revolutionary poets of the seventies of
last century, Bhattal too seeks inspiration from the life and
deeds of Guru Gobind Singh. He invokes his blessings in these
words:"Guru ajj ton mai tera Sikh hain/Apna ik hath dob/Is
seet vagdi Godavari de pani vich/Duja hath mere sir te rakh/Tan
ki nadi de pani te mere lahu vich/koi garmi jihi aa jave..../Kalgi
valia mainu teer bakhsh de/Hun tan Lalo ne vi/paran Vagah ke
maala mankian di/Tese nu chandd lia hai." (I have become
your Sikh from today O, great Guru! Dip one of your hands in
the cold waters of the Godavari and place the other in
blessing on my head so that the cold water of the river and
the blood in my veins are roused and electrified. O the one
with the plume on the head, bestow your arrows on me, I yearn
to swim across the river of fire. Now even Lalo has cast off
the rosary and has sharpened his adze.)
This poem
gives out a revolutionary message with clear class and
political overtones. Many naxalite poets during the heyday of
the movement used such religious motifs from myth and history.
The entire Sikh movement right from its beginning has remained
a movement against oppressive socio-political order so that a
radical transformation of society based on equity and social
justice is brought about.
Countless
Sikh martyrs, including two Sikh gurus, sacrificed their lives
to uphold these principles. It is a different matter that most
of the Sikhs today have forgotten their legacy.
Bhattal through his poems
tries to relate such references to the present conditions. His
message to the people is "to wake, rise, understand and
struggle for your rights, to carve a living space under the
sun." Herein lies his place in the Punjabi world of
letters.
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