India is afire with protests against the country’s new citizenship law (CAA). To those of us who have been watching fascism’s brutal take-over of India with growing dismay, the last couple of months have brought dawning hope. The people have finally risen against injustice and tyranny.
The protestors have been expressing their dissent in wonderfully creative ways. From recitals of Faiz’s Hum dekhenge and his other poems, a musical version of the “Azadi” anthem popularized by Kanhaiya Kumar, to beautiful poetry, satirical plays, and rousing songs – this movement against India’s “liar-in-chief” has spawned a veritable cultural bonanza!
Here are my thoughts on the protests, in the voice of old Hindi film songs.
1. Apni azadi ko hum hargiz luta sakte nahin
Film: Leader (1964)
Back in the 80s and 90s this played a lot on TV and radio, usually on Independence Day, Republic Day and other patriotic occasions. I’ve always liked this song, but with India once again in the grip of a brutal, authoritarian government, the lyrics have assumed a new meaning. Dilip Kumar (in Rafi’s voice) raises the cry that “we cannot lose our freedom, we’d rather have our heads chopped off than bow them”.
Kya chalegi zulm ki ahl-e-wafa ke saamne,
Aa nahin sakta koi shola hawa ke saamne,
Laakh faujen leke aaye amn ka dushman koi,
Ruk nahin sakta humari ekta ke saamne,
Hum woh patthar hain jise dushman hila sakte nahin.Brutality doesn’t stand a chance against our true resolve,
No ball of fire can face this wind.
No matter how many armies the enemy of peace brings,
He cannot hold out against our unity.
We are the rock that our enemies cannot move.
Shaqeel Badayuni could’ve written this for the brave women of Shaheen Bagh, and for the women spearheading countless other such protests all over India.
2. Bacchon tum taqdeer ho kal ke Hindustan ki
Film: Didi (1959)
Children, you are the fate of tomorrow’s Hindustan, the future of Gandhi’s boon and Nehru’s vision. The students brutalized by armed goons and police personnel across countless university campuses (Jamia, Aligarh, JNU – to name a few) are a lot older than the children Sunil Dutt and Shubha Khote are addressing in this song. But they are still children of India, the youngsters who will be the future of the country.
Deen dharam ke naam pe koi beej phoot ka boye na,
Jo sadiyon ke baad mili hai woh azaadi khoye na,
Har mazhab se oonchi hai qeemat insaani jaan ki.Let no one sow the seeds of religious division,
Lest we lose the freedom we have won after centuries.
More valuable than any religion is the price of human life.
Given the strongly secular voices emerging from the movement, it does seem like the children of India have taken Sahir Ludhianvi’s words to heart.
3. Humne suna tha ek hai Bharat
Film: Didi (1959)
Like the youngsters of today, Sunil Dutt’s students also question social and economic inequality. Isn’t India one? Why so many differences and religious clashes? Why so much inequality? Sunil Dutt’s character was clearly not educated by the Sangh Parivar! When his students question him, instead of labelling them anti-national and asking them to go to Pakistan, he explains that differences do not mean divisions. And then goes on to explain inequality:
Dhan aur gyaan ko taqatwaalon ne apni jaagir kaha,
Mehnat aur ghulaami ko kamzoron ki taqdeer kahaThe powerful claimed wealth and education as their province,
And they said labor and slavery is the fate of the powerless.
While there were several progressive poets in Bollywood, kehte hain ki Sahir ka hai andaaz-e-bayaan kuch aur! (It is said that Sahir’s style and expression are something else again.)
4. Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab humare dil mein hai
Film: Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963)
The protestors have drawn parallels between the forces aligned against them and those against Ram Prasad Bismil, the young freedom fighter who was executed by the British on Dec 19, 1927. Last year, Dec 19 was chosen for the launch of the nation-wide anti-CAA protests and Bismil’s famous poem has often been quoted during protest speeches. So how can my protest list be complete without it? There are several film versions of it, all of them in movies about Bhagat Singh (Bismil’s fellow freedom fighter). And the 50s and 60s versions all feature Rafi as one of the singers! For this list I have chosen the song from a lesser known film that stars Shammi Kapoor as Bhagat Singh.
Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab humare dil mein hai
Dekhna hai zor kitna baazoo-e-qatil mein hai
Bismil says that he and his fellow freedom fighters now have the desire to sacrifice their heads for the country, and that they will see how much strength their enemy can exert. I love the poem but do hope that none of these peaceful protestors will have to sacrifice their lives like Bismil and Bhagat Singh!
5. Dushmanon saavdhan shatruon saavdhaan
Film: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (1966)
When Gandhi, Nehru, Bismil and Bhagat Singh are invoked, how can Bose be far behind? I cannot find a video of this song, but it isn’t hard to imagine soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj marching to this song, vowing to free their homeland.
Chal pade hain aaj Hind ke jawaan,
Sar pe bandh kar kafan, seena taan.
Chhod do chhod do chhod do, paapiyon humaara hindustaan.The youth of India have started their march,
With shrouds on their heads, shoulders squared,
Leave, leave, leave our Hindustan, O evil ones.
And “Hind ke jawaan” are once again on the move against their “paapi” rulers.
6. Jagega insaan zamaana dekhega
Film: Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969)
A country with such enlightened and motivated youth can only have a bright future!
Chamkega desh hamara mere sathi re,
Aankhon mein kal ka nazara mere sathi re,
Kal ka Hindustan zamana dekhega.Our country will shine, O my friend,
My eyes see a vision of the future, O my friend.
The world will see the India of tomorrow.
It is ironic how many progressive songs star Dharmendra. He and his family are deeply involved with the ruling ultra right dispensation – he was a member of parliament for the BJP and currently his wife Hema Malini and his son Sunny Deol are BJP MPs. His BJP credentials notwithstanding, there is no denying the magnetism of young and progressive Dharmendra!
7. Kadam kadam se dil se dil mila rahe hain hum
Film: Char Dil Char Raahen (1959)
All workers have matched their steps and their hearts, and are laying the foundation of a new India where there won’t be inequalities and injustice. The music and the song’s optimistic vision reminds me of the “march-past” songs that used to play in Kendriya Vidyala school assemblies.
8. Kehne ki nahin baat magar ab zor se kehna hai
Film: Pyar Kiye Ja (1966)
And because this is a Bollywood protest, there has to be some dancing and some eye candy! So here is my favorite protest song of all, with Shashi Kapoor providing both dance and eye candy. He is voicing the needs of India’s youth who have become unemployed (thanks to the current government’s economic policies) and have joined anti-government protests in droves, “Naukri chaahiye, chaahiye naukri.” (We want jobs.)
9. Salaam kijiye aali janab aaye hain
Film: Aandhi (1975)
As you well know, you cannot have a proper masala film without a villain. And he’s missing from this list. There should be a reference to Modi, or “Saheb” as Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, and others refer to him. This song’s original target, as I am sure you know, was Indira Gandhi. But just check out the lyrics – aren’t they so much more applicable to India’s pradhaan sevak and his cronies?
Ye nange jism chhupaa dete hai qafan de kar,
Ye jaadugar hain, ye chutki me kaam karte hain,
Ye bhookh pyaas ko baato se ram karate hain.They cover nakedness (of poverty) with shrouds,
They are magicians who do their work in the snap of a finger,
They use talk to magic away people’s hunger and thirst.
10. Jaago jaago savera hua raat gayi
Film: Baaz (1953)
Geeta Bali and friends use singing and dancing to incite rebellion against villainous ruler Barbosa (K. N. Singh) in Portuguese-occupied Malabar. The fact that they succeed in freeing Malabar from the Portuguese (a century or two before 1947) is, I think, largely due to this song.
Dekh chaman me aag lagi hai,
Rut jaag uthi hai kuch bol kuch bol.
Sun jo sake to sun pawan pukare,
Teri ghaat me shikari, aankhe khol.Look, the garden is aflame.
It is the season of awakening, say something!
If you can, listen to the call of the wind,
The hunter lies in wait for you, open your eyes.
Women took an active part in India’s freedom struggle and today they not only lead, but also form the bulk of anti-CAA protestors around the country. But history has largely cast them in supporting roles in the freedom struggle – they inspired their menfolk, followed their leads, or sacrificed for them. Even Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi is famously eulogised as having fought like a man – presumably because fighting for freedom is a male trait. Hindi films have largely followed this trend, but Baaz is unusual. Geeta Bali’s Nisha gets to be a pirate chief and a main character in Malabar’s battle for independence.
What songs would you include in your protest list?
Masala Punch 
[…] after I put up that last post, I was pleased to find a post on Bollyviewer’s Masala Punch, Hum leke rahenge azadi – India Awakens, in which she uses protest songs from classic Hindi films to reflect upon and celebrate the […]
I’m glad you liked these, Bollyviewer. And thanks for posting the clip of “Jaago aur Jagaao” from the full posting of Payal. I had no idea that it was blocked! I have no problem playing, it, myself, but maybe I have special access to it because it is from my YouTube channel.
For the Jaago aur jagaao video I get the message: “This video contains content from One Digital Entertainment, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.”
A post on different versions of Hum dekhenge sounds like a Herculean task – there are so many versions of it floating around!
I think the copyright claim is probably nonsense. The film is already old enough to be in the public domain, plus there are other songs from Payal on my channel that I am pretty sure were not blocked. (Maybe I’ll ask Tom Daniel aka Tommydan if he wants to post these Payal videos now. The videos are his anyway (though I may have been the one who originally sent him the DVD).)
Meanwhile, I know there are a lot of versions of “Hum Dekhenge” floating around! I wasn’t really planning to post anything comprehensive. 🙂
But there have been a couple of versions that caught my attention, including a Tamil version done in the protests (which a friend posted on YouTube – maybe you saw it?) and a Kathak dance version.
I was actually thinking of doing a separate post of Kathak dances done to Faiz’s poems, because I know of at least a few. And Faiz’s birthday is in ten days also. Hmm…
I had not come across the Tamil version of Hum dekhenge or the kathak one. Just went and checked them out on youtube. There is a Kannada version, too. Faiz would be amused at his current popularity in India, and the fact that it is the Hindu right wing that is responsible for it! 😀
Yes, maybe Faiz would be amused that he has become so popular in India so many decades later and that it’s thanks to the Hindu right. On the other hand, this is not the first time that he has gained popularity thanks to a campaign against him by a right-wing government that wants to turn their nation into a fundamentalist dictatorship. 🙂
OK, I did the “Hum Dekhenge” post after all, and I mentioned my visit here. 🙂
https://roughinhere.wordpress.com/2020/02/09/returning-to-hum-dekhenge-and-a-happy-upcoming-birthday-to-faiz-ahmed-faiz/
I saw that! With some lovely new (to me) versions. I’ll bring some that I have found to the party. 🙂
This is a very welcome post, Bollyviewer! As you mentioned in comments to my post from the end of December, we have been thinking along similar lines. I had thought of writing a post of protest songs, but I felt that I could not come up with a full enough list for that theme (and I was feeling a bit limited by my difficulties with Hindi and dependence on English subtitles). Instead, I posted something amounting more to songs of despair. So, I am very glad that you provided this post!
A few song/dance clips came to my mind strictly related to the theme of India waking up. First, here is a marvelous little song from Uday Shankar’s Kalpana. Some of this seems like a perfect commentary for the present (especially, the part beginning at about 1:05):
And then a couple of songs came to my mind with “Jaago” in the title. (By the way, I love the one you posted from Baaz. I bet a pretty good post could be put together consisting only of “Jaago” songs!)
First, there is this brilliant song and scene from the film Jagte Raho:
And there is this one from Payal…The song could probably be applied in a few different ways, but it definitely fits the theme of telling India to wake up – and rise up:
And I’ll leave it at that for now…
Except, I wanted to mention that right before I saw this post with the reference near the beginning to “Hum Dekhenge,” I was thinking about returning to the post that I had started consisting simply of different versions of that song. Now I feel a little more inspired to get back to that.
Richard, your songs-of-despair post expressed pretty much what I had been feeling till December last year, when the protests began! A list of jago songs would be a perfect segue between my list and your songs-of-despair list.
Love the songs you have posted. The Kalpana and Payal ones are new to me.
Sadiyon ki behoshi mein from Kalpana is definitely a comment on today, although the current unconsciousness is a couple of decades old at most (not centuries old as the song suggests) and dissipating fast.
The video of Jaago aur jagaao has been blocked by youtube. I found it in the full film on youtube (Payal).
Perfect song of awakening!
Bollyviewer, thank you for this wonderfully worded post. If the fascist forces have managed to get you out of your long hibernation, then we do owe them a thanks! 🙂
It is indeed so heartening to see people from all walks of life unite to raise their voice against the fascist powers in India. The BJP-RSS combine is shamelessly shredding the very fabric of Indian democracy but the foundation to this destruction was already laid by previous governments. These protests give me hope that perhaps we are seeing the emergence of a new India, an India that is truly inclusive and egalitarian.
I cannot think of a protest song from films but I recently saw this on youtube and really liked the song.
I bet this was next on their to-do list after tearing up the Indian constitution, killing Indian democracy, ruining the economy, spreading hate, etc… 😉
The protests are indeed heartening, but it is still a long battle ahead, as Kanhaiya Kumar has warned. And given how many of these protests are spearheaded by women, I think the new India that will emerge will be a less patriarchal place, and one that is less caste-ridden, too. At least that is the positive thought I try to focus on, every time I come across news of more depressing events in India.
I have come across Ruke na jo jhuke na jo recently, too. It sounds like it was written specially for these protests! The lyrics are very apt, although this video was posted to youtube in 2014.
And this. How could I have forgotten this? Okay, it’s not originally from a film, but it featured prominently in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. Hum honge kaamyaab:
I had forgotten that this made it into a film! Definitely a song for my list. It used to be very popular in school and on TV. These days I tend to remember its not-so-nice parody, Hogi kranti.
This was a much-needed post! I had been feeling really despondent when the CAA/NRC thing was announced (oh, and when the Kashmir thing happened, and before that… pretty much ever since 2014, really), but the rise of the Shaheen Bagh protest and the ones that are cropping up everywhere in its wake, are so heartening. It reinforces one’s belief in Indian democracy, no matter how much the powers-that-be try to throttle it.
Thank you for the songs – lots of much-loved ones there, including Tu zinda hai!)
I can’t think of any songs that I like which fit the bill and which you haven’t already included in your post. This requires some thought. 🙂
Yup, 2014 was the beginning of the season of despair. And much worse than having such a government is that I know sooooo many people who actually support them, in spite of their naked cruelty and inhumanity. But hopefully the anti-CAA protests are the harbinger of good things to come. Hum dekhenge! 🙂
RE songs for this list, if you ever come across old songs that involve women protestors, women leading protests, or even participating in them, please do send them my way. I wanted to include some in this post, and I searched high low for something. But it seems that women in old films (new ones too?) never did protest marches!
“But it seems that women in old films (new ones too?) never did protest marches!”
Yes. There are some women singing songs proclaiming their freedom and/or power, but no protest marches.
By the way, remembered this song. It used to be pretty popular once. Better heard than seen. Itne baazu itne sar:
This one turned up in my search, although I don’t remember hearing it before. Or if I did, I can understand why I forgot! If these lyrics had been turned into a song 2-3 decades before this film came out, it may have made it to my list in spite of the video. 🙂
Yes, the lyrics are pretty good. 🙂
Such a timely post, and so, so hurtful that it is even necessary. I’ve been watching, reading, listening to what’s happening. And I feel like weeping.
I’ll add this song – one of my favourite Geeta Dutt numbers – Ae watan ke naujawan from Baaz.
This, from Naya Daur – Ye desh hai veer jawanon ka
And more power to the youngsters – they truly are the hope of our nation.
Yes, it is really sad that half a century old songs are still relevant. Battles that had been fought and won, need to be fought all over again. On the other hand, I have always wondered what it was like to live through the freedom movement – now I get to find out! And to learn the real meaning of gumi huyi azadi ki qeemat sabne pehchaani thi.
Love the songs you’ve posted. They were both on my long list, especially Ae watan ke naujawan, but I finally opted for the more upbeat Jaago jaago savera hua raat gayi.