Subah

I had written this poem in 2002, when an event occured and shook the whole country, and definitely me… its been sometime…things have changed for worse, we still have such a long way to go… until that that Morning dawns..

(Its Hindi written in english alphabets…English Version below)

Kabhee to hogee subah woh jo dikhtee nahi hai,
Kahan hogee ek aisee jagah, jo is jahan mein nahin hai,
Jahan pyar ho dilon mein sabhee ke, jahan nafrat nahin hai,
Kabhi –na-Kabhi to aayega samay jab hum pyar kar lein,
Par yahan to logon ko nafrat se phursat nahin hai.

Milte jo Raam jangal mein mujhko, to main baith jaatee tapasya mein,
Ki sawaalon ka jawab to denge wahi, jaanein woh ke hum hain samasya mein,
Jaane kitne saalon se , naam pe unke, lad mar rahe hain log yahan,
Gar Raam hain to jaanein woh bhee, kya hum rahe hain bhog yahan..

Jahan har savere, prasadon ke dhere, aur bhakton ke ghere mein ho archana,
Usee mandir ke bahar, desh mein mere, lapton kee, logong kee aahon kee garjana,
Bhagwan to dekhe nahin hain kabhee, ab to insaan bhee kitne chand hue,
Ab to us pyar bharee subah ke, sapne bhee aana band hue

Dharm se Insaaniyat hai? Ki insaaniyat se dharm hai?
Kya dharm banaataa hai humko bada, ya humko banaate hamaare karm hain?
Jab har dharm ne kaha hai yahee ,ki sabka bhagwan ek hee hai,
To kyon naamon ko lekar, nafrat aur jang hai jaaree,
Kya desh kee mahima aur insaniyat, is jang mein nahi hai haari?

Kya hum banein hain bade kuchal kar kuch insanon ko?
Kya dharm humara hua hai bada?
Kya milee khyati humare bhagwanon ko?
Hum bane hain bade, yeh desh humara huaa hai,
laga hai jo daag iske maathe par, woh bhee humara diya hai,
tarakkee nahin dee desh ko par kuch to diya hai!
Dekha nahin hai use par uska naam kiya hai,
Raam ka naam kiya hai ya usko badnaam kiya hai?

Jo mere Allah ko naa maane woh jahannum mein jaaye,
Jo woh hamein nark mein bhejein, to hum kyon chup reh jayein?
Aur lagee hai hod, ek doosre ko nark mein jhonkne kee,
bhagwaan mein bhee nahi hai taakat ab inhe rokne kee.

Is nafrat ka ant hote dikhta nahi hai,
Shayad us subah kee aasha chodna hee sahee hai,
Par niraash hona jeevan mein seekha nahi hai,
Par kya aasha rakhein hum???? Aur kis se?????

By Niharika

ENGLISH TRANSLATION… (for those who missed out on Hindi:))

Some day, there would be a morning, which I cannot foresee.
Somewhere there would be a place, which is not in this world
Where there’d be love in everyone’s heart, where there’d be no hatred.
Someday there’d be a time when we will preach love,
But here, people get no time from hating each other

If only I could find god in the jungles, I would have mediated life long,
As he is the one who has to give answers, he should also know that we are in trouble.
People have been fighting and killing each other in his name, for how many years
If there is god, he should also know what we are bearing here.

Where every morning among offerings to god and congregation of disciples, lord’s worship is done,
Outside that temple, in my country, there are outcries s of people and blazes of Fire.
I have never seen god, but now it seems humans are also few,
No more dreams of that lovely morning brighten my day a new.

Humanity is for religion or religion is for humanity?
Does religion make us great or do our deeds?
When every religion teaches that god is one,
So why is this carnage going on for names of god?
Hasn’t our country’s glory and humanity lost in this war?

Have we become great by crushing some humans?
Or our religion has become greater?
Have our gods have won laurels?
“We have become heroes! the country has become ours!”
“The none realizes that the blemish on its forehead has been given by us.”
“What if we did not contribute towards prosperity of nation, but at least something?
“We have not seen him, but we have made him famous,”
Or killings in his name to cause his defame?

“Anyone who does not believe
in my Allah should go to hell”
“If they seek hell for us, we too have some bad deeds to spell”
Thus they are competing for throwing each other in hell,
And now even god does not have the power to stop them!

And there seems to be no ending of this abhorrence,
Perhaps it’s better to stop hoping for that beautiful morn.
Only that I have not learnt to be hopeless in life.
But… What hopes do we keep??? And with whom?

NIHARIKA