War and Peace

'Paash' (Avtar Singh Sandhu) remains one of the most commonly read Punjabi poets in East Punjab. He, along with Amarjit Chandan, Lal Singh Dil, Sant Ram Udasi and others, was representative of the new trend in Punjabi poetry which evolved during the Naxalite movement in the late sixtees and early seventies. It ushered in a significant departure from the predominently romantic trend of Amrita Pritam, Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi.

Paash concentrated on the common man and the problems faced by him and he directly attacked the socio-political system in his poetry. Though his poetry was a product of the Naxalite movement, it has a much wider appeal, making him one of the all-time great punjabi poets.

He was put in jail and tortured in a fabricated murder case by the government, but he continued his work after his release two years later.

He was born in the village Talwandi Salem of Jalandhar district where he was shot dead 38 years later by the Khalistani terrorists.

This poem in is one of his most-loved poems, and was written when the Naxalite movement was in decline. Most of the idioms and metaphors used by him in his poetry are from the core Punjabi rural folklore and are difficult to translate into any other language.

I have tried my best to keep it as simple as possible and is just a tribute to the great poet.

War and Peace

(a poem by Paash)

We who have not fought
are not your good sons,oh life
though we always tried
we tried to shrink the scope of war
for just a meal and a worn out quilt
we kept on weaving something like peace
in the strings of pridelessness
we kept regarding the years as age
years that kept stabbing our bodies
when each moment kept thundering
like a fierce opponent
hiding in a chest
we kept on avoiding the war

wishing to avoid the war
we bilittled ouselves
retired father just became useless old man for us
and ever-worried wife appeared like a witch
there were always signs of bankruptcy
we dared not to look into the eyes
of innocent daughters
we remained fearful of converting
the hiding places into bunkers

fear,at times grew on us like slavery
fear at times adorned our heads in guise of turbans
fear at times bloomed in minds as aestheics
fear at times grabbed our souls as gentleness
fear at times tickled out of lips like a gossip
we who have not fouht, oh life
are your utterly deceptive sons

our wish to avoid war
has thrown us flat on the ground
the peace for which we kept crowling
kept tickling the taste buds of wolves...
peace is nowhere
its all about the howling of the jackals inside us
peace is just fantasy of life
while sitting in morose defensive posture..
there is nothing called peace
its all about hiding in a roadside ditch
upon spotting an underground comrade
peace is nowhere
its all about the fear of thundering war cries
and finding music from our howls
there is no peace anywhere else

wasted crops for want of irrigation
trembling villages under the burden of bank loans
and stretched out arms for peace,
is the meanest joke of our era

peace is the wound caused by broken bangle
peace is the wild laughter
behind the doors of infamous mansions
peace is the hapless cry
of the insulted wise beards
peace is nothing else
peace is the rifle of the sentry
guarding the border between happiness and sorrows
peace is the the chopped arm
of the poets accepting royal honours
peace is the shine of the white attire of ministers
peace is nothing else...
or peace is Gandhi’s loin cloth
which can be ued to hang a billion people
asking for peace means
fighting a war at meanest level
peace is no where

we are just lonely without war
we get drained off while running away from ourselves
just limited without war
we get finished within arm’s length
without war,we are not friends
we only survive on pseudo emotions

war will provide
toys to our children
war will bring
beautiful embroidery designs for our sisters
war will descend as
milk in our wives’ breasts
war will become
spectacles for the ageing mother
war will blossom as
flower on the graves of our forefathers

time has since long been
like an untamed horse
which has dragged us far away from life
nothing but war will control this horse
only war will control this horse

- - -
The original:

Yudh tay Shaanti

(Paash di ik kavita)

assiN jinhaaN nay yudh nahiN keeta
teray saoo putt nahin haaN zindgi
unjh assiN hamesha saoo ban’na lochday rahay
assiN do rotiyaaN tay maaRi jehi rajayi badlay
yudh day akaar nu sungoRna chaheya
assiN be-ankhi diyaN tandaaN vich
aman varga kujh unday rahay
assin barchhi day waang haddaN vich khubhay saalaaN nu
umar kehNday rahay
jad har ghaRi kisay biffray shareeq vaaNg
sir tay gaRhakdi rahi
assiN sandooq vich luk luk kay yudh nu taalday rahay

yudh toN bachnay di laalsa ’ch bahut nikkay ho gaye assiN
kaday haMbhay hoye peo nu ann khaanay buRhay da naaN ditta
kaday fiqraaN grassi teeNweeN nu chuRail da saaya keha
sadaa dishadday tay nilaami day drish tarday rahay
tay assiN subaq jehiyaaN dhiyaaN diyaaN akhaaN ’ch akhaaN paonoN darray
yudh saaday siraaN tay akaash waanG chhaaya reha
assiN dharti ’ch puttay bhoreyaN nu
morcheyaN ’ch badalnoN Jhakday rahay

darr kaday saaday hathaaN tay wagaar ban kay ugg aya
darr kaday saaday siraa uttay pugg ban kay saj geya
darr kaday saaday manaaN andar suhaj ban kay mehkeya
darr kaday roohaN ’ch sajjantayi ban geya
darr kaday bullhaaN tay chughli ban kay bur’Raya
assiN hay zindgi jinhaaN nay yudh nahiN keeta
teray barRay makkaar puttar haaN

yudh toN bachnay di laalsa nay
saanu litaaR ditta hai ghoReyaaN day suMbaaN heith
assiN jis Shaanti layi reeNghday rahay
oh shaaNti baghyaRaN day jubaRyaaN ,ch
sawaad ban kay tapakdi rahi
shaaNti kitay nahiN huNdi
rooh ’ch chhupay giddRaaN da hawaaNkna hi sabh kuchh hai
shaanti godeyaN vich dhaun day kay
zindgi nu suphnay vich dekhan da yatan hai
shaanti unjh kujh nahiN hai
guptwaas saathi toN akh bachaon layi
saRak kaNdhlay naalay vich neoN jaana hi sab kujh hai
shaaNti kitay nahiN huNdi
naahreyaN di garaj toN ghabraa kay
aapni cheek choN sangeet day aNshaaN nu labhna hi sab kujh hai
hor shaaNti kitay nahiN huNdi

tel ghaatay saRdiyaN faslaaN
bank diyaN mislaaN day jaal andar farfaRaoNday pind
tay shaaNti layi failiyaaN baaNhaaN
saday yug da sabh toN kamina chutkala hai

shaaNti veeneeN ’ch vung da haNjhu day jeda zakham hai
shaaNti dhoyay fatak day pichhay
machhriyaaN haveliyaaN da haasa hai
shaaNti satthaaN ’ch ruldiyaaN daahRiyaaN da hauka hai
hor shaaNti kujh nahiN hai
shaanTi dukkhaaN tay sukkhaaN vichaalay bani sarhadd uttlay
saNtri di rafal hai
shaaNti eenaam laiNday kaviyaaN diyaaN baaNhaaN da tund hai
shaaNti wazeeraaN day pehnay hoyay khaddar di chamak hai
hor shaaNti kujh nahiN hai
jaaN shaaNti gaaNdhi da jaaNgiya hai
jisdiyaaN taniyaaN nu chali karoR baNday faahay laon layi
warteya ja sakda hai

shaaNti mangan da arth
yudh nu zaleelta di paddhar tay laRna hai
shaaNti kitay nahiN huNdi

yudh toN bina assiN bahut kallay haaN
aapnay hi moohray dauRday hoyay haff rahay haaN
yudh toN bina bahut seemat haaN assiN
bus hath bhar ’ch mukk jaaNday haaN
yudh toN bina assiN dost nahiN haaN
jhoothay moothay jazbeyaaN da khatteya khaaNday haaN

yudh saaday bachchiaN layi
piRiyaaN wali khiddo ban kay ayega
yudh saadiyaN bhainaN layi
kadhayi day sundar namunay liyayega
yudh sadiyaN biwiyaaN day thanaaN andar
dudh ban kay utrayga
yudh budhi maaN layi
nigah di ainak banayga
yudh sadeyaN vadheyaaN diyaN qabraaN tay
phull ban kay khiRayga

waqt baRa chir
kisay bay-qabu ghoRay varga riha hai
jo saanu ghaseetda hoyeya
zindgi toN bahut door lai giya hai
kujh nahin bus yudh hi
is ghoRay di laghaam ban sakayga
bus yudh hi is ghoRay di laghaam ban sakayga.