Some pat songs say it all

The patriotic sprit of the Indian Union has countless songs, with mostly having melodies unbeatable. Even Bollywood contributing in early sixties or seventies, tough to remember could be eighties, songs like -

आएँ हैं तूफ़ान से कश्ती निकाल के, इस देश को रखना मेरे बच्चों संभाल के...

Literally, which means that – “kids, we have just rescued this boat out of storm, now it is your turn to keep this country safe...”

Reminds me of an another patriotic Bollywood song -

छोड़ो कल की बातें, कल की बात पुरानी. नया दौर है लिखेंगे मिल कर नई कहानी, हम हिन्दुस्तानी..

Leave the talks of yesterday, they are by gone. It’s a new age, together we shall write some new stories, we Indians…

***

I am inside an air conditioned car which suddenly has to stop. I pull down my window, and outside see a helluv a lot of traffic noise, lots of smoke, and hazy evening sky. People are scrambling onto each other with their scooters, bikes, tempos, and exectra. In reality, only a few wanting to scramble out first, dominoing other’s anxiety. Pedestrians are walking in between too. Car drivers add to the effect by shouting loud, with their one elbow and neck sticking out of their windows; their expression of anger. It is like almost one stage before a riot.

Since the car is struck, one has all the time in the world to witness a formal gathering in the front yard of a semi-commercial semi-residential property banking the road side . A few citizens wearing Gandhi topis are sipping chai, relishing it, and a pale yellow cloth banner near them, through the sulphur haze says, ‘Shahid divas’ (Martryrs day). I see the clock in the car, it says 23^rd march 2010. While the loudspeaker blares clearly out of all this cacophony, I pull up my car’s windows, and still the song would filter through, perhaps more clearer now.

कर चले हम जान वतन साथियों, अब तुम्हारे हवाले ये वतन साथियों…

Translated to English would reveal,

Friends, we have given our lives for the country, now it is up to you...