River Songs

Let’s sit a while on the bank before the river dries up.

এসো নদীর ধারে একটু বসি, নদীটা শুকিয়ে যাওয়ার আগে।

আহাঁ পাৰতে অলপ বহোঁ নদীখন শুকাই যোৱাৰ আগতে। 

Recently while talking to the group of “Performers independent” in Kolkata, I started another public art project. At Babughat, the most famous historical ghat of river Hoogli (Ganga), in Kolkata, I started writing a sentence with white dust colors. An appeal, a request, a plea or a line of poetry: Let’s sit a while on the bank before the river dries up.

a footstep beside the work, captured by Rahul Bhattacharya

a little child taking up the work on the spot

When I was in a field visit and research in interior parts of Assam in recent past, while observing the protest scenario against the BIG DAM on Brahmaputra, while facing the big big turbines on the 52 National Highway across the Sonitpur District the most striking but quite expected news came to notice: the mighty Brahmaputra is drying up to scale never before…

I was spending my one year in Baroda, my second year of MVA, on the bank of river Vishwamitri. That was a dead river.

Detail of the work

the ghat

One of my favorite songs, “Nodi mathon boy, kaloiko noroy…” Loosely translating: “a river only keeps flowing without waiting for anybody else, who is there to stop its journey? One who has love for the sea, will just go and embrace the sea …” However, the lyrics is proven wrong. Perhaps at the time of composing the song the composers were not aware of the BIG DAMS. The international policies. The conspiracy of the states.

Performers Independent at Collaboration...

The mighty river Brahmaputra remains the backbone of the culture, economic resource, biodiversity and identity for the people of the land called Assam. The most celebrated personalities from Assamese culture and literature Bhupen Hazarika and Indira Goswami aspired recently. Both of them were the greatest lovers of all the times and the river Brahmaputra was the source of inspiration in their entire lives. However, news came up: the river Brahmaputra is drying up!!!

public interacting...

 

On 12^th March, 2012, I wrote the sentence in two places. One on the staircases of Babughat. The other on the ferry platform near to Babughat.

While writing the sentence on the steps at Babughat two children came up with helping hands. They enjoyed the act of writing with dust-colors, and moreover they brought some colors from us to continue the activity in some other places.

 

While writing the sentence on the platform of the ferry ghat, suddenly a ferry came and stopped by. Many people came and went by. It was nice to see how people were protecting the sentence from their footsteps. It was also noticeable, how people were commenting: some conceived it as a poetry. Some argued: why are you writing this like an “alpana”, it will vanish in a while. Rather you could paint with a permanent paint… and so on.

 

All the members of Performers Independent, including Syed Taufik Riaz, Rahul Bhattacharya, Amitabha Adhikari, Dhrupadi Ghosh, Suman, Chirantan and others were participating the event. Amitabha Adhikari was capturing the moments on his drawing book. 

detail of Amitabha Adhikari's Drawing book...

The Winged Elephant পাখি লগা হাতী

Once upon a time an winged elephant

Came down to earth from the sky.

Some thought he was a holy prophet,

Some other thought he was just a spy.

In the jungle there was a group of elephants for hay 

They were roaming around the fields of paddy.

The winged one joined them and asked for a play

But to accept him, the leader elephant was not ready.

"Hey, you cannot be a part of us, since you are a winged one"

They rejected him. He became isolated and lonely.

He was desolated and sad. Then he saw flying a wild swan.

He asked for company, but swan said "I'm sorry, but, I'm a bird only".

Now he was very sad. Because whatever happened, it was very bad.

Then he went out of the jungle and met an ant.

The ant was very tiny but it was shiny. That's why he noticed that.

They became friends, good wishes were there abundant.

The ant was so small, he could only see the elephant's trunk.

Looking it as a serpent, the ant said to him

You should join the snakes. You do not belong to us either, to be frank.

Goodbye then, the elephant's face lit with a beam.

In the kingdom of snakes, the king snake came forward, and said,

"What's funny! You do not belong to us at all.

You look like a upside down bowl as just like a tortoise laid.  

Be off now you stupid upside down bowl!"

Now where to go other than the tortoise, the elephant thought!

He went to see the tortoise, but the tortoise said the same.

"You do not belong to us, to be a part of us, you'll be only a fraud",

Again the Winged Elephant became lonely, without knowing whom to blame.

The Winged Elephant decided, I should fly away from here

Since this land is not mine

He started flying, without knowing, to somewhere,

Searching a place where he would be fine.

A wildfire occurred very soon in the forest.

Causing trouble to all.

Elephant, ant, tortoise, snake and the rest

What a misfortune,  a Distressing scrawl.

All were in despair, suddenly an ant said, "we need a winged one

Who can help us showing a new way of living".

Let me tell you, as you can guess, all of them remembered just only one

But there was no way left, as earlier, all of them were rejecting. 

On the other hand, while flying on the sky

The winged elephant saw a smoke in the wood.

He realized this was the moment that is why

I were born. Why didn't I do things what I could.

The winged elephant started flapping his wings.

The flapping wings caused a turmoil of winds.

That turmoil of winds caused the fire stop

And resettles not only the woods but also the resident's minds.

Flapping the wings for so long, the winged elephant was tired.

He fell down on the ground full of fire.

He, then, were burnt totally, and on the spot he was expired.

Anyway now the wood is revived, it is again full of life.

Today all are happy

All are on their own ways again once.

No one remembers really

The Elephant, the Winged One. 

পাখি লগা হাতী

সমুদ্র কাজল শইকীয়া

এসময়ত এটা পাখি লগা হাতী

নামি আহিল ধৰালৈ আকাশেদি উৰি।

খেনোৱে ক’লে কোনো অৱতাৰ সেয়া

খেনোৱে সোধে সেয়া কাৰ চোৰাংচোৱা।

এখন আছিল হাবি। হাবিখনত হাতী এজাক।

ক’ত পায় খোৱা বস্তু তাকে কৰে চলাথ।

পাখি লগা হাতীয়ে সোধে খেলিবানে এপাক?

জাঙুৰ খালে দলপতি যি নিজকে ভাবে চালাক।

“তুমি আমাৰ দলৰ নোহোৱা, তোমাৰ আছে পাখি”।

দলপতিয়ে খেদাই দিয়াত অকলশৰীয়া হ’ল হাতী।

অনাই বনাই ফুৰিলে হাতী ক’লৈ যাওঁ কি কৰোঁ কৰি

উৰণীয়া হাঁহ দেখি হাতীয়ে ভাবে যাওঁ নেকি উৰি!

হাঁহে ক’লে হাঁহি হাঁহি কি যে কথা কোৱা,

আমাৰ স’তে উৰিবলৈ তুমি চৰাই তো নোহোৱা।

হাতীৰ মনত দুখ। দুখত ফাটে বুক।

হাবি এৰি বুলিলে বাট। পৰুৱা এটা আছিলে তাত।

পৰুৱাই সুধিলে কিহৰ ইমান দুখ?

পাই দুখত এষাৰি মাত, হাতীয়ে বঢ়ালে বন্ধুত্বৰ হাত।

পৰুৱাটো ইমানেই সৰু, সি হাতীৰ শুৰডালহে দেখে

দেখি হাতীটোকে লেতুসেতু কিবা বস্তু এটা বুলি ভাবে।

ভাবি হাতীক সাপবোৰৰ ওচৰলৈ যাবলৈ ক’লে।

ক’লত হাতী উধাতু খাই সাপবোৰৰ ওচৰ গৈ পালে। 

সাপৰ ৰজাই আগবাঢ়ি ক’লে “হে’ৰা উঠালা হাঁহি,

তুমিতো নোহোৱা আমাৰ  মাজৰ এজন। কেনেকৈ খেলিবা আহি?”

তোমাক দেখোন ওলোটাই থোৱা বাতি এটাৰ দৰেহে দেখি।

কাছৰ ওচৰলৈ নোযোৱা কিয়, তোমাৰ দেখোন কাছটোৰ দৰে পিঠি।        

যাওঁ নেযাওঁ কৰি পাখিলগা হাতী আগবাঢ়িল কাছবোৰৰ ফালে।

কাছৰ কাষলৈ গ’ল হয়, কাছবোৰেও কিন্তু একেটা কথাকেই ক’লে,

“তুমি আমাৰ মাজৰ এজন নোহোৱা। আমাৰ মাজত তোমাৰ স্থান নাই”।

কাকেনো দুষিবা? হাতীটো অকলশৰীয়া হৈয়ে ৰ’ল- তেনেকৈয়ে দুনাই।

পাখিলগা হাতীটোৱে ভাবিলে, এইবেলি উৰি গুছি যোৱাটোৱেই ভাল।

এইডোখৰ ঠাই মোৰ ঠাই নহয়। ইয়াত মোৰ এধানি স্থানৰ আকাল।

হাতীটো উৰিবলৈ ধৰিলে। নজনাকৈয়ে গন্তব্য স্থানেইবা ক’ত।

বিচাৰি এটুকুৰা নিজা ঠাই, বিচাৰি নিলগাই নপঠোৱা কিছু লগ।

অচিৰেই সেইখন হাবি আগুৰিলে বনজুয়ে।

হাতী, পৰুৱা, কাছ, সাপ -  সকলোবোৰে

ত্রাহি মধুসূদন বুলি পাৰিলে আটাহ।

জুয়ে পুৰি কৰিলে সর্বত্র ত্রাস।

  

হতাশা আৰু দুর্যোগৰ কালত পৰুৱাটোৱে ক’লে,

“আমাক পাখি থকা কোনোবা এজন লাগে

যিয়ে আমাক জিয়াই থকাৰ পথ দেখুৱাব পাৰে”।

এৰা, সকলোৱে এজনৰ কথাই মনত পেলালে।

অন্যহাতে আকাশেদি উৰি গৈ থাকোতে সেই

পাখিলগা হাতীটোৱে দেখে বনত লাগিছে জুই।

 “এয়াই সময় যাৰ বাবে জন্ম মোৰ। এতিয়া সময় হ’ল”।

হাতীটোৱে বুজিলে “মোৰ কি কৰা উচিত এইবাৰ বুজি উঠিবৰ হ’ল”।

পাখিলগা হাতীয়ে জোৰেৰে কোবাবলৈ ল’লে ডেউকা মেলি,

বতাহ কঁপাই। তুমুল ধূলি আৰু বতাহৰ ধুমুহা তুলি।

তুমুল বতাহত জুই নুমাল। হাবিৰ জুই নুমাই শান্ত হ’ল।

ৰক্ষা পৰিল জীৱ জড় সকলো। দুর্যোগৰ অন্ত হ’ল।  

প্রচণ্ড জোৰে ডেউকা কোবাই কোবাই ভাগৰি পৰিল পাখিলগা হাতী।

সি বাগৰি পৰিল। পাখিলগা হাতীয়ে সাবটি ল’লে মাটি।  

তাৰ নিজৰ গাতে লাগিল শেষ কুৰা জুই। সি তেনেকৈয়ে মৰিল।

হাবিবাসী সকল কোনোমতে বাচিল। হাবিখন দুনাই সজীৱ হৈ উঠিল। 

আজি সকলো সুখী। সকলো আছে হাঁহি মাতি।

আগৰ দৰেই চলি আছে অৰণ্যৰ দিন অৰণ্যৰ ৰাতি।

কোনেও আৰু আজি মনলৈ নানে সেই কথাটি

কেনেকৈ আমাৰ বাবেই জাহ গ’ল পাখিলগা হাতী।।

JUMP

Jump. Oh you! Just jump.

By jumping you make a protest.

A rebellion against the inevitable force of

Gravitation

By lifting your body

You aspire something higher

Jump. And let me jump.

Jumping means pushing your feet against the surface

Jump is a kick against your weight and mass

Jump is a kick on the mother earth

The first kick in your life was against your mother’s womb

The first jump in your life was against your mother’s womb

Thus

Jumping means taking a birth

By jumping you reborn. So Jump. Just jump.

Oh you! Jump. Jump and get a life.

Jump and get a life what you got in nine months.

Your jump may not be (Horizontally speaking) as longest as Hanuman

Who jumped over the sea up to Lanka

Or like Neil Armstrong, (Vertically speaking) who jumped up to the moon

But still you can jump.

Have you heard the Rajanikant joke?

When Rajanikant Jumps he does not lift his body up

But pushes the earth down.

Actually the same all of us do.

That the meaning of jump is.

Oh my beloved ladies. Why are you so concern about the

Weight lose programs in the idiot box? Why don’t you jump?

Jump is the first exercise for everything.

Jump is the first step for all kind of dances.

Jump is the first step for all kind of enactments.

Jump to cheer

Jump to protest

Jump to draw attention

Jump to start up

Jump for relaxation

So jump

Jump when you are happy

Jump when you are sad

Jump when you are in a disgusted situation

Jump when you try to convince someone about something

Just jump

You look always good when you jump

You look beautiful when you jump

You look youthful when you jump

You look alive when you jump

Jump when you are helpless like anything

Jump when there is nothing left to do on your hand

Jump when you feel absolutely destitute

We are jumping around throughout the histories

Across the boundaries

Upon the battlefields

You are alive only when you are jumping