Tuesday, June 26, 2007

We Shall Overcome

"Hum honge kamyaab
Hum honge kamyaab
Hum honge kamyaab
Ek din...."

I still remember my mother softly singing this song to me when i was very young, perhaps hardly four. It had a sweet, melancholic melody and as I used to sit on my mom's lap as she hummed it, a kind of sad but warm feeling used to come over me. I don't know if I understood the lyrics then but the song remained with me. Mom also sang the English version sometimes which is the hugely popular 'We shall overcome' and being a little crooner myself, I too would join in.

Recently I heard Joan Baez' version of the same song and it brought back those soft as cotton wool memories. I am nearly twenty eight now. Call me old-fashioned if you will, (I personally think of myself as a 20th century person trapped in the 21st century) I cannot help but look back wistfully at my own childhood which was a haven compared with what children today experience in those precious few years called childhood. Defenseless against the onslaught of unforgiving school schedules, pushy, competitive parents and with their yet, underdeveloped minds exposed to everything from glitzy gadgets, bright as buttons images of stars with perfect bodies, and a gazillion means of instant gratification, they grow up to be like the shiny, plastic wrapped packets of chips and crisps they gorge on; sinfully attractive from the outside, but a little pinprick is all it takes to expose the emptiness within.

I can think of countless examples to prove the point above, but let me bring you back to where I started, the song 'we shall overcome'. The first stanza of it goes like this,

'We shall overcome
we shall overcome
we shall overcome, someday!
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
That we shall overcome, someday!'

What a powerful message of hope, self-confidence and optimism these simple words convey! All of which are sorely lacking among children today. How else can we explain the innumerable cases of suicide attempts by children as young as twelve or thirteen. Confidence and optimism arise not out of getting straight A's all through school, but from knowing that parents will forgive you and love you even when you don't.

'We'll walk hand in hand
we'll walk hand in hand
we'll walk hand in hand, someday!
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
That we shall overcome, someday!'

As if the divisions in society weren't wide enough, we have vote-bank minded politicians attempting to go down in history as those who turned these schisms into yawning chasms. Leave aside politicians, educators too now tread this path with their saffronisation and christianisation of educational institutions a la St. Stephen's College and the VHP controlled schools. How then can we expect children to understand the message in the above lines?

'We are not afraid
we are not afraid
we are not afraid, today!
Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
That we shall overcome, someday!'

Perhaps if we start believing that we are not afraid and become truly unafraid, we can even undo some of the damage caused by not walking hand in hand and not believing in our power to overcome. We must not be afraid to confront where we stand today and to know the price we have to pay. Believing that we shall truly overcome, someday!

This whole generation and the generation above it, need to acquaint themselves with 'Hum honge kamyaab'. Perhaps, the time has come for a new anthem for our country!

2 comments:

Rumi- Natively said...

Hey, you are not old fashioned at all. I completely resonate your thoughts on the shallow value system that children today are growing up with. I am concerned that while we are probably living in better times from an economic perspective the social fabric seems to be getting damaged. I am reminded of the distinction in cultural and moral values that a Dutch friend of mine drew between India and the West. Her explanation was that strife and challenging circumstances is what bonded societies in India.Finding the right balance between economic and technological progress while upholding moral values of truth, honesty, hope and resilience is the need of the hour.

arvindban said...

I think the trouble with most parents is that we expect our children to take our advice but ignore our example.
"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots,
the other is wings." ~~ Hodding Carter, Jr.