Kedarnath Singh (born 1934 AD) is a well-known Hindi writer and poet. He was awarded the 49th Jnanpith award for the year 2013. He is the 10th Hindi author to receive this prestigious award.
One of his celebrated poems is shared below. I have tried to analyse it, interpret it, and draw my conclusions as per my understanding. Hoping that it resonates with fellow citizens.
सन् ४७ को याद करते हुए / केदारनाथ सिंह
तुम्हें नूर मियाँ की याद है केदारनाथ सिंह?
गेहुँए नूर मियाँ
ठिगने नूर मियाँ
रामगढ़ बाजार से सुरमा बेच कर
सबसे आखिर मे लौटने वाले नूर मियाँ
क्या तुम्हें कुछ भी याद है केदारनाथ सिंह?
तुम्हें याद है मदरसा?
इमली का पेड़
इमामबाड़ा
तुम्हे याद है शुरु से अखिर तक
उन्नीस का पहाड़ा
क्या तुम अपनी भूली हुई स्लेट पर
जोड़ घटा कर
यह निकाल सकते हो
कि एक दिन अचानक तुम्हारी बस्ती को छोड़कर
क्यों चले गए थे नूर मियाँ?
क्या तुम्हें पता है
इस समय वे कहाँ हैं
ढाका
या मुल्तान में?
क्या तुम बता सकते हो?
हर साल कितने पत्ते गिरते हैं पाकिस्तान में?
तुम चुप क्यों हो केदारनाथ सिंह?
क्या तुम्हारा गणित कमजोर है?
INTRODUCTION--
Experience the pain and pathos of partition of India in 1947, so palpable in the simple lines above.
Apparently, Noor Miyan (standing for a prototype Muslim) was poet Kedarnath Singh’s friend and/or neighbour in the pre-independence era. That was the time when Hindus and Muslims lived in harmony and cooperation.
Partition brought a lot of destruction and heartache in its wake, the tremors of which can still be felt. Families, neighbours, communities, all lost touch with each other and could only wonder about each other’s whereabouts. Those turbulent days rocked the peaceful boat for eternity.
The 1947 partition of the country into 2 distinct countries forced Noor Miyan to leave his job, his home, his family, friends, and life at Ramgarh, now a part of India and relocate to some district in the newly founded Pakistan.
ANALYSIS OF THE POEM--
Noor Miyan- Noor stands for Divine Light/Jyoti while Miyan refers to Islam. Noor Miyan living in RAMGARH, the abode of Hindu God, symbolises Islam living in the fort of Hinduism, in a small, subtle and inconspicuous way. Living peacefully, drawing its resources from the society, by trading ‘Soorma’ (used to beautify others) and working hard but quietly in the Hindu-dominated society, Noor Miyan represents a minority community and the integral part it played in the scheme of things.
On the other hand, the Hindu society was providing the physical and spiritual space (Madarsa, Imambara) to Muslims. The tamarind tree, providing cover to both Ram and Noor Miyan, alludes to the nondifferentiation by nature on the basis of caste or religion. Overall, it was a society where peaceful coexistence was present and nurtured. This tamarind tree is later contrasted with one across the border that we know nothing about. Basically, Noor Miyan is uprooted from the life he has known and banished to an unknown place to satisfy the cold, calculated split proposed by the politicians.
People who claimed to provide better destiny for all, applied mathematics and logic in the matter of partition. The north side of the land which was Hindu-dominated went to India; the south side which was Muslim-dominated went to Pakistan. The whole society was divided upon the parameter of logical reasoning, with complete disregard of the social-emotional bonds which had been holding it together for centuries.
The harmonious bond built over generations was snapped in one jolt. The poet laments if the religious harmony, social affiliations, mutual trust and cooperation which held Hindus and Muslims together for generations, are so fragile that they can be heartlessly divided by arithmetic calculations.
And can a small social, religious unit (Noor Miyan) be implanted in the same religious unit but different social, geographic habitat -Pakistan? What will happen to him? He knows nothing about this new place (does not know many leaves on the tree). Will he gain or lose? A more pertinent question: do we even care what happens to him or do we conveniently forget about people who were an indelible part of our shared history?
At the end of the poem, the poet exhorts his conscience, “tum chup kyun ho Kedarnath singh?” ..referring to the fact that he has no answer to the question plaguing those affected by the mass- disruption of partition.
He is anguished by the loss of his dear friend and tormented by his own helplessness.
The poet’s disgust and self- loathing is sarcasm-laden in the last line, “kya tumhari garit(maths) kamzor hai?” The poet is really not expecting an answer. It’s not arithmetic but the helplessness and inability of the common man to accept the complex divisive-politics, the solution to which is a mirage till date.
The loaded message is that you can't sever the intangible connections by employing arithmetic and that adding or subtracting to divide a country is not the right solution. Such deep message is conveyed in an everyday language by the poet, in very pithy lines.
CONCLUSION--
Hinduism, which radiated in the glory of other faith for centuries, lost its sheen when it took shelter in rationality and decided that Islam has no place within.
The ‘Noor’ of Hindustan, as a magnificent, pluralist, multi-religious, multi-faith, multi-sectarian society, gradually faded into oblivion while we were napping.
The said poem may have been written in the partition era but it has tremendous contemporary relevance.
The bloodshed, displacement and the chaos that India suffered in the aftermath of its partition in 1947 still has lingering effects. The seed of enmity sowed therein germinated into a full blown rivalry with our erstwhile companion. It has been a divorce gone wrong. The price of alimony has been steep in the form of 2 full-scale wars and the recurring Kashmir conflict leading to massive loss of lives and property over the years.
Has it been worth it??
We may have advanced economically, technologically and scientifically but our mindsets are still archaic and thought-processes bound by shackles of caste, religion and the accompanying disparities which hinder our blooming into a forward-looking, progressive nation with liberal values and ethos.
The ‘idea’ of India as a secular nation, promoted by Nehru-Gandhi-Patel after its independence, had given the country a semblance of order and stability. Unfortunately, the concept of ‘Unity in diversity’ is being threatened again and the same divisive-politics, with its proven counterproductive results, are being practiced unabashedly.
The Sad part is, the gullible ‘junta’ is playing cheerleaders while India dances dangerously to the tunes of our conniving politicians and their machinations.
Mr. Kedarnath Singh, ‘hamari garit kamzor hi nikli’, for our forefathers made a grave miscalculation some 70 years back. While it may be juvenile to seek a historical correction,it would be prudent to cut our losses and strive to stride towards the halcyon era of tolerance and compassion. Afterall, these twin virtues were the cornerstone of the country we claim to love dearly!
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