Jugni is a traditional folk song from Punjab, wherein the narrative is through the eyes of a wandering woman named Jugni. Jugni is used as an innocent observer who goes from place to place and describing what she sees. Most Jugni songs are happy and humourous, but one version of the song from Rabbi Shergill's first album always touched my heart and has somehow become all the more relevant again...
Jugni vekhan chali desh....
Jithe janmay si kadi ved...
Jithon kadyaa si angrez...
Ki banyaa usdaa....
Ki banyaa usdaa haal....
kede kite usne kamaal...
Vir meryaa ve jugni....
Vir meryaa ve jugni kehndi aa....
Ek raah nawe aaj pandi hain..
(Jugni sets out to see the country where the Vedas were once born, from where the Englishman was once thrown out... what's happened to it today, what wonders has it done since my brother... Jugni says, as she sets out on a new road today.)
Jugni jaa wadi Kashmir ....
Jithe roz maran das vee..
Soni behnaa te sone veer..
Oh ro ro pucchan..
Ke jaghda tayi-on mukna...
Jado jhelum paani sukhnaa?
Vir meryaa ve Jugni....
Vir meryaa ve Jugni kehndi aa....
Ek neer nawe aj behndi aa..
(Jugni ends up in Kashmir, where 10-20 die every die - handsome brothers of beautiful sisters. Wailing they ask...when will this strife end? When the Jhelum runs dry my brother.... Jugni says as she flows down new waters today...)
Jugni jaa wadi Punjab....
jithe padhe likhe bekaar...
Vech zameenaa jaawaen baahar...
Othe maaran jhadu....
Othe gori lain vyah..
Picche tabbar takke raah..
Vir meryaa ve Jugni....
Vir meryaa ve Jugni kehndi aa....
Ek nayi udari lendi aa....
(Jugni goes to Punjab where the educated are unemployed. The end up selling lands and go abroad and end up sweeping the roads. They marry a white girl there and settle while their family awaits their return my brother... Jugni says as she takes a new flight..)
Jugni jaa wadi Bambai..
Jithe sonda koi nahi...
Sab labban cheez koi ....
Kis kise nu labbe...
Jinu labbe oh bechain....
Mathe matke uske pain...???
Vir meryaa ve jugni....
Vir meryaa ve jugni kehndi aa....
Ek sah safar daa lendi aa....
(Jugni reaches Bombay where no one ever sleeps. They all hunt for something which only a few find. Those who find it are then forever worried, with lines on their forehead deepening my brother..... Jugni says as she pauses along the road she's travelled so far)
Jugni jaa wadi aaj Dilli,
Othe bheed wich ral ki bhulli..
Kitho aayi teh kithe chali...
Sab bisar gaya...
Jaddon aaya usno cheta...
Taaki muke-ya si usdaa vela....
Vir meryaa ve Jugni....
Vir meryaa ve Jugni kehndi aa....
Aaj naam Guru-an da lehendi aa.......
(Jugni ends up in Delhi where she gets lost in the crowd. Where did she come from, where did she go, she's lost. When she gathers her wits, she realises her time is over my brother... Jugni says, as she remembers the Lord while she fades away..)
Showing posts with label Delhi Bomb Blasts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delhi Bomb Blasts. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
What can we do?
In the aftermath of the Delhi Bomb Blasts, everyone is asking the now familiar question... what can we do? Doing what the protagonist in A Wednesday did is a bit too far fetched for the common man, here's what the people who profess to be our protectors can do. But before that, lets get on with the mandatory disclaimer :
"The following views are those of an armchair expert. One that has seen too many movies & too much blood on news TV. Accept these suggestions at your own risk, but these suggestions are perhaps better than those that Mr. Patil has."
--
#1 : Have more cops on the street. Far too many cops are on VIP duty, protecting the thugs, cheats, liars, murderers and rapists who go around in bullet proof cars with red beacons!! At any given point in time, 10,000-12,000 police and paramilitary personnel are on VIP duty !! Slash the entourages of these bloody VIPs - they don't deserve even 25% of these numbers. Use these cops to have more feet on the street, so that they can patrol better. More people, more leads, more chances of us preventing such incidents.
#2 : The money saved from this VIP bandobast should be used to increase the pay of these cops. A person who works more than 120 hours a week for 7,000 Rupees would be more interested in finding 'alternate' means of making money rather than discharge his duty. Pump in more money I say, train them well. Make them physically fit and mentally alert. Equip them with better equipment. Armed with an ancient .303 Lee Enfield, I won't be fancying my chances against an AK-47 armed terrorist for far too long.
#3 Get more technology : CCTVs (ones that work), explosive detectors and other advanced equipment should be installed and important market places should have separate entry and exit gates which should be manned - PROPERLY. Just go to Priya in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. The main entrance next to the police check post has a couple of door frame metal detectors, which is switched off on most occasions. When it is on, not a single cop is manning it. Moreover, there are a dozen other entrances into the market where not a cop is in sight. I think law enforcement agencies should by now know that real life villains are not he buffoons you see in Bollywood !!
#4 Have a national law to fight terrorism, and a single agency with the resources it needs to fight these assholes. Human rights be damned for a while...... Dead humans have only one right - to a decent funeral !! Whip the asses of those in CBI, IB & RAW into action. Half of the fat slobs in these agencies are jockeying for positions and fighting for chairs!
#5 Shove electric cattle prods up the posteriors of hate mongers and religious fundamentalists. And for me, the top names in the list are morons like Modi, Togadia & the rest of the Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena & MNS tribe. All that these nincompoops do is give inflammatory speeches, attack unarmed and hapless individuals, gift shops and movie theaters. If they really feel like doing something for this country, then they should shut their mouths and do something more worthwhile.
#6 Invest in a better emergency response system - One look at the government hospital will prove that most people who end up there have no chance of making it out safely anyway. Look at the ambulances - most are dingy-shopping-cart-on-wheels Maruti vans, which can't even take a fully grown male. Anything more than an oxygen cylinder is a luxury and paramedics are unheard of !!
These are just some of the things I could think of. I don't know if I am right or wrong but at least I am thinking. Not like that wimp Shivraj Patil who can only rehash his speeches of "condemning such dastardly acts and convey his sympathies with those affected." Get rid of him.... please !!
"The following views are those of an armchair expert. One that has seen too many movies & too much blood on news TV. Accept these suggestions at your own risk, but these suggestions are perhaps better than those that Mr. Patil has."
--
#1 : Have more cops on the street. Far too many cops are on VIP duty, protecting the thugs, cheats, liars, murderers and rapists who go around in bullet proof cars with red beacons!! At any given point in time, 10,000-12,000 police and paramilitary personnel are on VIP duty !! Slash the entourages of these bloody VIPs - they don't deserve even 25% of these numbers. Use these cops to have more feet on the street, so that they can patrol better. More people, more leads, more chances of us preventing such incidents.
#2 : The money saved from this VIP bandobast should be used to increase the pay of these cops. A person who works more than 120 hours a week for 7,000 Rupees would be more interested in finding 'alternate' means of making money rather than discharge his duty. Pump in more money I say, train them well. Make them physically fit and mentally alert. Equip them with better equipment. Armed with an ancient .303 Lee Enfield, I won't be fancying my chances against an AK-47 armed terrorist for far too long.
#3 Get more technology : CCTVs (ones that work), explosive detectors and other advanced equipment should be installed and important market places should have separate entry and exit gates which should be manned - PROPERLY. Just go to Priya in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. The main entrance next to the police check post has a couple of door frame metal detectors, which is switched off on most occasions. When it is on, not a single cop is manning it. Moreover, there are a dozen other entrances into the market where not a cop is in sight. I think law enforcement agencies should by now know that real life villains are not he buffoons you see in Bollywood !!
#4 Have a national law to fight terrorism, and a single agency with the resources it needs to fight these assholes. Human rights be damned for a while...... Dead humans have only one right - to a decent funeral !! Whip the asses of those in CBI, IB & RAW into action. Half of the fat slobs in these agencies are jockeying for positions and fighting for chairs!
#5 Shove electric cattle prods up the posteriors of hate mongers and religious fundamentalists. And for me, the top names in the list are morons like Modi, Togadia & the rest of the Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena & MNS tribe. All that these nincompoops do is give inflammatory speeches, attack unarmed and hapless individuals, gift shops and movie theaters. If they really feel like doing something for this country, then they should shut their mouths and do something more worthwhile.
#6 Invest in a better emergency response system - One look at the government hospital will prove that most people who end up there have no chance of making it out safely anyway. Look at the ambulances - most are dingy-shopping-cart-on-wheels Maruti vans, which can't even take a fully grown male. Anything more than an oxygen cylinder is a luxury and paramedics are unheard of !!
These are just some of the things I could think of. I don't know if I am right or wrong but at least I am thinking. Not like that wimp Shivraj Patil who can only rehash his speeches of "condemning such dastardly acts and convey his sympathies with those affected." Get rid of him.... please !!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Again
Again Delhi was hit by bombs
Again people died
Again frantic calls went out checking for friends' & family's safety
Again those bastards have gotten away with it
Again our cops could do jack shit about it
Again our ministers read from speeches that were the same as last time
Again our news channels have gone hyper about it
Again we're glued to the idiot box watching blood & gore
Again these blasts will be forgotten soon
Will there be more blasts again?
Again people died
Again frantic calls went out checking for friends' & family's safety
Again those bastards have gotten away with it
Again our cops could do jack shit about it
Again our ministers read from speeches that were the same as last time
Again our news channels have gone hyper about it
Again we're glued to the idiot box watching blood & gore
Again these blasts will be forgotten soon
Will there be more blasts again?
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