Revolutionary Poet Paash’s Poem “The Most Dangerous” Sought To Be Deleted From Indian Textbooks ByUltra-Right‘Educationist!’

 by Dr P S Sahni — July 25, 2017

Co-Written by Dr. P.S. Sahni& Shobha Aggarwal

The RSS affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas headed by Dina NathBatra has sent a list of recommendations for the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) which had recently solicited public response for its review of school textbooks. The list includes removal of Paash’s poem, “The Most Dangerous”.

Paash, a Sikh was killed by Khalistani separatists – demanding a theocratic Sikh state – on 23rdMarch, 1988. “The Most Dangerous” is one of the most powerful and influential work of this revolutionary poet. Countercurrents.org had carried the poem as a comment on 30 June, 2017 and also on its Facebook.

‘The Most Dangerous’ has been translated from Punjabi to English by Dr. Satnam Singh Sandhu of Punjabi University, Patiala. It is as follows:

The Most Dangerous
Most treacherous is not the robbery
of hard earned wages
Most horrible is not the torture by the police.
Most dangerous is not the graft for the treason and greed.
To be caught while asleep is surely bad
surely bad is to be buried in silence
But it is not most dangerous.
To remain dumb and silent in the face of trickery
Even when just, is definitely bad
Surely bad is reading in the light of a firefly
But it is not most dangerous
Most dangerous is
To be filled with dead peace
Not to feel agony and bear it all,
Leaving home for work
And from work return home
Most dangerous is the death of our dreams.
Most dangerous is that watch
Which run on your wrist
But stand still for your eyes.
Most dangerous is that eye
Which sees all but remains frostlike,
The eye that forgets to kiss the world with love,
The eye lost in the blinding mist of the material world.
That sinks the simple meaning of visible things
And is lost in the meaning return of useless games.
Most dangerous is the moon
Which rises in the numb yard
After each murder,
but does not pierce your eyes like hot chillies.
Most dangerous is the song
which climbs the mourning wail
In order to reach your ears
And repeats the cough of an evil man
At the door of the frightened people.
Most dangerous is the night
Falling in the sky of living souls,
Extinguishing them all
In which only owls shriek and jackals growl,
And eternal darkness covers all the windows.
Most heinous is the direction
In which the sun of the soul light
Pierces the east of your body.
Most treacherous is not the
robbery of hard earned wages.
Most horrible is not the torture of police
Most dangerous is not graft taken for greed and treason.

It may be recalled that in 2006 BJP MP, Ravi Shankar Prasad during a debate on NCERT books had told Parliament (RajyaSabha) that Paash was a Naxalite. The NCERT had prescribed Paash’s poem “The Most Dangerous” in Hindi textbooks for class XI students from 2006 onwards. This is part of an arrangement whereby 20% literature is translated from other languages. This poem was selected for all India syllabus of NCERT.

The persistent efforts of BJP and its affiliates to erase the work of Paash is not the least ironical; after all such political and cultural forces feel threatened by the martyr-hood of a Sikh revolutionary poet who staunchly opposed divisive and communal politics in Punjab and elsewhere. The real irony is that Paash, with left-leaning politics, had to master the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib, cull out the struggles of Sikh gurus and then used the material to intellectually challenge the votaries of a theocratic state who stood for religious fundamentalism. The ruling class parties like the BJP and the ShiromaniAkali Dal – both with communal agenda – feel threatened by the works of poet Paash.

The attempt to erase the works of Paash from Indian textbooks should be resisted. The original poem in Punjabi reads as follows:

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕ

ਕਿਰਤਦੀਲੁੱਟਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦੀ
ਪੁਲਸਦੀਕੁੱਟਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦੀ
ਗੱਦਾਰੀ-ਲੋਭਦੀਮੁੱਠਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦੀ

ਬੈਠੇਸੁੱਤਿਆਂਫੜੇਜਾਣਾ-ਬੁਰਾਤਾਂਹੈ
ਡਰੂਜਿਹੀਚੁੱਪਵਿੱਚਮੜ੍ਹੇਜਾਣਾ -ਬੁਰਾਤਾਂਹੈ
ਸਭਤੋਂਖਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦਾ

ਕਪਟਦੇਸ਼ੋਰਵਿਚ
ਸਹੀਹੁੰਦਿਆਂਵੀਦਬਜਾਣਾ, ਬੁਰਾਤਾਂਹੈ
ਕਿਸੇਜੁਗਨੂੰਦੀਲੋਅਵਿਚਪੜ੍ਹਨਲੱਗਜਾਣਾ -ਬੁਰਾਤਾਂਹੈ
ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦਾ।

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਹੁੰਦਾਹੈ
ਮੁਰਦਾਸਾਂਤੀਨਾਲਭਰਜਾਣਾ,
ਨਾਹੋਣਾਤੜਪਦਾ, ਸਭਸਹਿਣਕਰਜਾਣਾ
ਘਰਾਂਤੋਂਨਿਕਲਣਾਕੰਮਤੇ
ਤੇਕੰਮਤੋਂਘਰਜਾਣਾ,
ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਹੁੰਦਾਹੈ
ਸਾਡੇਸੁਪਨਿਆਂਦਾਮਰਜਾਣਾ।

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਉਹਘੜੀਹੁੰਦੀਹੈ
ਤੁਹਾਡੇਗੁੱਟ ‘ਤੇਚਲਦੀਹੋਈਵੀਜੋ
ਤੁਹਾਡੀਨਜ਼ਰਦੇਲਈਖੜ੍ਹੀਹੁੰਦੀਹੈ।

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਉਹਅੱਖਹੁੰਦੀਹੈ
ਜੋਸਭਦੇਖਦੀਹੋਈਵੀਠੰਢੀਯੱਖ਼ਹੁੰਦੀਹੈ
ਜਿਸਦੀਨਜ਼ਰਦੁਨੀਆਨੂੰਮੁਹੱਬਤਨਾਲਚੁੰਮਣਾਭੁੱਲਜਾਂਦੀਹੈ
ਜੋਚੀਜ਼ਾਂ ‘ਚੋਂਉਠਦੀਅੰਨ੍ਹੇਪਣਦੀਭਾਫ਼ਉੱਤੇਡੁਲ੍ਹਜਾਂਦੀਹੈ
ਜੋਨਿੱਤਦਿਸਦੇਦੀਸਾਧਾਰਣਤਾਨੂੰਪੀਂਦੀਹੋਈ
ਇਕਮੰਤਕਹੀਣਦੁਹਰਾਅਦੇਗਧੀ-ਗੇੜਵਿਚਹੀਰੁਲਜਾਂਦੀਹੈ।

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਉਹਚੰਨਹੁੰਦਾਹੈ
ਜੋਹਰਕਤਲਕਾਂਡਦੇਬਾਅਦ
ਸੁੰਨਹੋਏਵਿਹੜਿਆਂਵਿੱਚਚੜ੍ਹਦਾਹੈ
ਪਰਤੁਹਾਡੀਆਂਅੱਖਾਂਨੂੰਮਿਰਚਾਂਵਾਂਗਨਹੀਂਲੜਦਾਹੈ।

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਉਹਗੀਤਹੁੰਦਾਹੈ
ਤੁਹਾਡੇਕੰਨਾਂਤੱਕਪਹੁੰਚਣਲਈ
ਜਿਹੜਾਕੀਰਨਾਉਲੰਘਦਾਹੈ
ਡਰੇਹੋਏਲੋਕਾਂਦੇਬਾਰਮੂਹਰੇ-
ਜੋਵੈਲੀਦੀਖੰਘਖੰਘਦਾਹੈ।

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਉਹਰਾਤਹੁੰਦੀਹੈ
ਜੋਪੈਂਦੀਹੈਜੀਊਂਦੀਰੂਹਦਿਆਂਆਕਾਸ਼ਾਂ ‘ਤੇ
ਜਿਹਦੇਵਿਚਸਿਰਫ਼ਉੱਲੂਬੋਲਦੇਗਿੱਦੜਹਵਾਂਕਦੇ
ਚਿਪਟਜਾਂਦੇਸਦੀਵੀਨ੍ਹੇਰਬੰਦਬੂਹਿਆਂਚੁਗਾਠਾਂ ‘ਤੇ

ਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਉਹਦਿਸ਼ਾਹੁੰਦੀਹੈ
ਜਿਹਦੇਵਿੱਚਆਤਮਾਦਾਸੂਰਜਡੁੱਬਜਾਵੇ
ਤੇਉਸਦੀਮਰੀਹੋਈਧੁੱਪਦੀਕੋਈਛਿਲਤਰ
ਤੁਹਾਡੇਜਿਸਮਦੇਪੂਰਬ ‘ਚਖੁੱਭਜਾਵੇ।
ਕਿਰਤਦੀਲੁੱਟਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦੀ
ਪੁਲਸਦੀਕੁੱਟਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦੀ
ਗੱਦਾਰੀ-ਲੋਭਦੀਮੁੱਠਸਭਤੋਂਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕਨਹੀਂਹੁੰਦੀ।

The Hindi translation of the poem is as follows:

सबसेख़तरनाक

मेहनतकीलूटसबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोती
पुलिसकीमारसबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोती
ग़द्दारीऔरलोभकीमुट्ठीसबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोती
बैठे-बिठाएपकड़ेजानाबुरातोहै
सहमी-सीचुपमेंजकड़ेजानाबुरातोहै
सबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोता
कपटकेशोरमेंसहीहोतेहुएभीदबजानाबुरातोहै
जुगनुओंकीलौमेंपढ़ना
मुट्ठियांभींचकरबसवक्‍़तनिकाललेनाबुरातोहै
सबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोता

सबसेख़तरनाकहोताहैमुर्दाशांतिसेभरजाना
तड़पकानहोना
सबकुछसहनकरजाना
घरसेनिकलनाकामपर
औरकामसेलौटकरघरआना
सबसेख़तरनाकहोताहै
हमारेसपनोंकामरजाना
सबसेख़तरनाकवोघड़ीहोतीहै
आपकीकलाईपरचलतीहुईभीजो
आपकीनज़रमेंरुकीहोतीहै

सबसेख़तरनाकवोआंखहोतीहै
जिसकीनज़रदुनियाकोमोहब्‍बतसेचूमनाभूलजातीहै
औरजोएकघटियादोहरावकेक्रममेंखोजातीहै
सबसेख़तरनाकवोगीतहोताहै
जोमरसिएकीतरहपढ़ाजाताहै
आतंकितलोगोंकेदरवाज़ोंपर
गुंडोंकीतरहअकड़ताहै
सबसेख़तरनाकवोचांदहोताहै
जोहरहत्‍याकांडकेबाद
वीरानहुएआंगनमेंचढ़ताहै
लेकिनआपकीआंखोंमें
मिर्चोंकीतरहनहींपड़ता

सबसेख़तरनाकवोदिशाहोतीहै
जिसमेंआत्‍माकासूरजडूबजाए
औरजिसकीमुर्दाधूपकाकोईटुकड़ा
आपकेजिस्‍मकेपूरबमेंचुभजाए

मेहनतकीलूटसबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोती
पुलिसकीमारसबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोती
ग़द्दारीऔरलोभकीमुट्ठीसबसेख़तरनाकनहींहोती।

Dr. P.S. Sahni& Shobha Aggarwal are members of PIL Watch Group. Email: pilwatchgroup@gmail.com

https://countercurrents.org/2017/07/25/revolutionary-poet-paashs-poem-the-most-dangerous-sought-to-be-deleted-from-indian-textbooks-byultra-righteducationist/

Protests At Jantar Mantar, To Mourn Amarnath Killings

by Dr P S Sahni — July 12, 2017

The ‘Not In My Name’ campaigners held a vigil at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, 11 July, 2017, 7 p.m. to mourn the killings of Amarnath pilgrims a day earlier. For this gathering arithmetic (numbers) went against the protesters. At any given point of time the number was under one hundred.

There were no slogans, no speeches, a two minute silence in the memory of those who were killed was observed. Placards displaying messages like ‘Hatred Will Not Win #AmarnathYatraKillings #NotInMyName’ were carried by the protesters. Sadness and grief was writ large on their faces. There was a gloomy silence even as the photo-journalists and T.V. camera persons recorded the proceedings. People talked in hushed tones about what lay in store and what would be the future line of action. This gathering took place at one end of the road known as Jantar Mantar lane, near the entrance to the Kerala House.

At the other end of the lane towards the Jantar Mantar monument were two more protests on the same issue. One was by a political outfit, the NPP. There were about 10 to 15 protesters in this rally demanding imposition of Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir. A Baba wearing red coloured clothes was part of this protest almost leading it. Within minutes several women sitting on different protest dharnas at Jantar Mantar for a long time with individual grievances were seen angrily approaching this rally;these women laid bare the shenanigans of this Baba (accused of atrocities to women) at Jantar Mantar itself. The police stood by, silently. Discerning trouble, this Baba had to flee the rally. Finally Jagjit Kaur, a rape victim from Punjab who has been on protest at Jantar Mantar for over three years demanding justice chased the Baba out of sight away from the Jantar Mantar area.

Another protest was organized by the right wingers (largely believed to be ABVP members) though no formal banner to the effect was carried by them. They were about 100 to 150 in number. The protest started at 6 p.m. with raising of slogans against Pakistan which was denounced; another slogan praised the Indian army; a third slogan indicated that the whole of Kashmir belonged to India; one slogan conveyed their sentiments to the effect that the traitors should be shot dead viz ‘desh ke gaddaron ko, golimarosaalon ko’. I stood there for one hour till this rally was over. But I did not see any sign of grief or sadness on the face of the protesters; their body language, the tone and tenor of the slogans, the anger and the vengeance in the meaning (golimarosaalon ko) was very disturbing and terrifying for me.

I recall tragic developments in 1984 when Mrs. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards belonging to the Delhi Armed Police. As the Prime Minister’s body lay for public to pay their last respects, the government owned Doordarshan which covered those moments permitted the airing of vengeful slogans like: ‘blood for blood’ (khoonkabadlakhoon). As a trained doctor and an ardent observer of human nature I distinctly remember having seen no grief or sadness one associates with mourning, even then. The slogans which I heard on 11 July, 2017 still reverberate in my mind. I fear that the minorities in India particularly Muslims would be facing a backlash.

When I joined the 7 p.m. protest ‘Not In My Name’, some of the right wing protesters (whose protest was over by then) were passing by at this end of the Jantar Mantar lane. On seeing the ‘Not In My Name’ protesters assembled there they menacingly looked at us and shouted ‘Pakistan ke gaddaron ko’. The police as usual looked the other way.

Dr. P.S. Sahni is a member of PIL Watch Group. Email: pilwatchgroup@gmail.com

https://countercurrents.org/2017/07/12/protests-at-jantar-mantar-to-mourn-amarnath-killings/

Rejoice, Ye, Supreme Court Judges On Your Pyrrhic Victory; India’s Justice System Got Screwed Up In Karnan’s Case

by Dr P S Sahni — July 6, 2017

 

A law student in any university anywhere in the world is taught that before convicting a person of a crime a detailed reasoned judgement ought to be ready. In fact in criminal cases the judgement convicting a person is pronounced on a particular day; and the quantum of punishment is announced later after the lawyers have had a chance to argue on it. In Justice C.S. Karnan’s case the order of conviction and punishment and imprisonment was pronounced on the same day i.e. 9 May, 2017 in his absence; the detailed reasoned judgements– actually two separate but concurring judgements – as per media reports were made available on the Supreme Court website only on 5 July, 2017. These judgementsare said to have been given by the then seven senior most judges of the Supreme Court. Any law student anywhere in the world would naturally be aghast at the violation of a fundamental principle of the justice system. And this is not the only fallacy.

One of the judges who gave the majority judgement had retired on 27 May, 2017; which means that the signatures of all of these judges should have been affixed by 27 May, 2017. But was it done?

From 9 May, 2017 till date Karnan’s lawyers had been trying to get the attention of the Court – both during and after the summer vacation – through the process of ‘mentioning’ before the relevant bench of the time. In fact most of the time Karnan’s lawyers were treated shabbily, threatened with eviction from the court. In one instance Karnan’s lawyers were told to approach the Court after a month i.e. after the vacation. When they did so after the summer break, they were told not to disturb the court proceedings!

It reminds one of how people from the Scheduled Caste community were treated in the last two millennium as and when they tried to enter the holy precincts of a temple in India. Mostly they were kicked out of the temples. Sufi saints like Nanak and Ramdev have captured it well in their verses five centuries back. So even today a Dalit judge like C.S. Karnan is being treated in the same way; one just has to read about how his lawyers had been treated in the Supreme Court from 9 May, 2017 onwards to be convinced about this.

Could it be that one of the judges had actually retired and not affixed his signature on the judgement; so efforts were being made behind the scene for a ‘resolution of this technicality’? This scenario seems more likely than the contrived projection that all the judges in the majority judgement had affixed their signatures on or before 27 May, 2017.

Now that Justice Karnan’s case seeking bail and challenging his six months sentenceis provisionally listed for 7 July, 2017, the timing of the reasoned judgements being made available on 5 July, 2017 raises suspicion. The entire national press (print and t.v. channels) is at the service of the establishment to damn Justice C.S. Karnan. Lest people in India have forgotten, the same seven wise judges of the Supreme Court had put a gag on the press to the effect that Justice Karnan’s statements were not to be carried w.e.f. 9 May, 2017. Thus in effect the media on 6th and 7th of July, 2017 would be shredding Karnan’s credibility to smithereens; while Karnan’s view point would stay censored. So the stage is being set to ensure that there is no sympathy for Justice Karnan whatsoever when his case is taken up hopefully on 7 July, 2017 in the Supreme Court.

Only a high level independent enquiry can reveal the truth. To get to the bottom of it, an independent agency would have to get hold of all the personal computers, hard disks etc. of all the seven judges; seal these and send them for forensic examination. All the emails exchanged on the issue between the judges would need to be examined. The effort should be to ascertain when each of the seven judges affixed their signatures on the judgements (as there are more than one judgements). The individual seven judges should be subjected to thorough interrogation to arrive at the truth.

Let us beware that the judicial tyranny and dictatorship are as bad as any oppressive regime.

Dr. P.S. Sahni is a member of PIL Watch Group. Email: pilwatchgroup@gmail.com

https://countercurrents.org/2017/07/06/rejoice-ye-supreme-court-judges-on-your-pyrrhic-victory-indias-justice-system-got-screwed-up-in-karnans-case/