From shadows to the stars

In many different ways, the past year has made me aware about the notion of glory in sacrifice. January saw a PhD scholar in my university commit suicide for the Dalit cause. Maybe he imagined that his death would fuel a movement that would demand justice for one of India's most downtrodden and marginalised sections. Or maybe he just couldn't take the many injustices done to him anymore. As he lived in a state that was created, in part, due to several students self-immolating themselves, perhaps this made sense to him... Then in November, the Prime Minister decided that he would ban all Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes in a bid to wipe out 'black money' from the economy. In the days that followed, only ordinary people felt the consequences of this decision. People in influential positions and those who had accrued millions in black money were able to use their power and connections to bypass inconveniences such as standing in queues for hours and real problems such as faci...

As one might have observed from my recent posts, I have been listening to or reading a lot of poems from poets in Pakistan. I promise that my intention behind this is not to receive that treasured 'anti-national' tag. One poet that I have developed a special liking is Habib Jalib. A compatriot of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, who has received more global fame, Jalib was an avowed champion of the people. He was a staunch opponent of Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-Haq, both army generals who overthrew the elected Pakistani government. However, he also spoke out against state oppression. It is reflective of the sad state of affairs that India is in today that most of Jalib's poems seem to be very contextual. I have already posted one of his poem's, "Zulmat ko Zia" in a previous post. (http://amritkosaraju.blogspot.in/2016/02/zulmat-ko-zia.html) Another of Jalib's famous poems is called "Dastoor", which can be translated as constitution. Here it goes... Dastoor ...