A session of the Indian Parliament has more to it than just politics. There is wit and wisdom when well-read politicians quote from books, or charm the house with poems and Urdu couplets. Here, poetry is intended to stress a point one is trying to make, and to bring some lightness to the environment. Not all politicians who attempt this succeed. Not all poems are witty; not all poems are fitting, and not all poems are presented in the right manner. Lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar too wanted to underline this, and tweeted asking the politicians to have some mercy on poetry.
True to its nature, Twitterati offered wide and unpredictable reaction to Akhtar’s plea. While some pointed a finger at the lyricist’s own quirks, others chronicled what has become of poetry in recent years.
Whether Parliament and poetry do go hand-in hand is a matter of debate, but one cannot deny the fact that ‘poets’ of the parliament have brought lots of fun and entertainment to the people. One of the leading names in the list is that of Ramdas Athavale, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, and the leader of Republican Party of India (A). The man has a unique way of expressing himself, and is noted especially for poems that seek to comment on today’s political conditions or even on his own political ambitions. Being from Maharashtra, Athavale’s Hindi too has a hint of Marathi accent to it, which makes it a delight to hear him recite his poems. Many a times when he is out of words, he intrepidly uses Marathi words, making all efforts to get his idea heard.(and it works every time). Scan the QR code to hear Athavale’s latest poem that he presented in Lok Sabha during the no confidence motion.
Similarly, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too has been an energetic politicians, often quoting Urdu couplets to get his point across. A memorable ‘poetic’ moment for RG was in December 2016 when he sought to criticize Prime Minister Modi’s demonetization measure with an Urdu couplet from renowned writer Bashir Badr. “Log toot jaate hain ek ghar banane mein, tum taras nahi khate bastiya jalane me” (people break apart while trying to build a house and yet, you show no mercy while burning down settlements) said Rahul.
Twitter being what it is, has a treasure-trove of creativity, and Twitterratti soon swung into action making parodies of the famous couplet. Before long, there was a Twitter trend #RahulGandhiPoetry.
And while we are speaking about poetry and shayari, we must not forget one of the best reciters of shayari in Indian politics. Indeed, be it a political stage or a comedy show, he will start his speech with an apt shayari, and then ask the audience to clap with the words that have become his catch-phrase: “thoko taali”. Navjyot Singh Sidhu was until recently one of the top orators in the ranks of the BJP. But recently, the politician crossed over to Congress, and set the Congress plenary session abuzz with his shayari.
Be that as it may, some of the poems presented in the Parliament are indeed thought-provoking. For instance, Bhagwant Mann, a former comedian and currently an AAP MP from Punjab has penned and presented many original poems that ask tough questions to the government. During the no confidence motion, Mann presented a poem that raised several important questions, bringing to attention the rising rate of inflation and the government’s failure to deliver on many of its promises.
Many old poems and couplets have been written with reference to lovers, or as a comment on social life, but politicians have used them to criticise each other. One of the best and fitting examples is when PM Narendra Modi himself read out a beautiful poem by Nida Fazli asking Congress to support the government on key policy issues. “Safar me dhoop to hogi, jo chal sako to chalo, sabhi hain bheed mein, tum bhi nikal sako to chalo…” quotes the PM, “kisi ke waaste rahen kahan badalti hain, tum apne aap ko khud hi badal sako to chalo” (there will be scorching sun during the journey. If you can walk, then come along. The path does not change itself for anyone; if you could change yourselves, then come along.)
All things said and done, poetry is an integral part of our life, from Parliament to playground. Only, one must quote right poems at the right moment and in the right manner to get one’s point across correctly.
