Gopaldas Neeraj dies at the age of 93: a rare voice whose poetry speaks the truth to power



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When Gopaldas Saxena & # 39; Neeraj & # 39; arrived in Bombay, he was asked to write a song by SD Burman, whose first two words were already written for him – & # 39; Rangeela re & # 39 ;. Even though it was the age of the songwriters, the poetic sensibilities that dominated Indian music, little was expected of Neeraj (Gopaldas' pen name). The next day, he handed Burman the song he had written during the night. The rest belongs to the history

  Gopaldas Saxena Neeraj. Image via Facebook / @ gopaldbadneeraj

Gopaldas Saxena Neeraj. Image via Facebook / @ gopaldbadneeraj

Gopaldas Neeraj, who died at the age of 93, was one of those rare voices that married music and poetry on the altar of truth, but who, by his own admission, was considered an outsider by both. Not only was Neeraj endowed with a rare sense of lyricism, with a phraseology as varied as this country, but he mostly talked about the truth in power.

Neeraj was born in the district of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh in 1925. He lost father at the age of six, and had to withdraw from formal education after clbad 10 so that he can look after his family. Much of Neeraj's poetry has been shaped by his struggles. In the '60s, Neeraj had been heard by Dev Anand, the man who was going to introduce him to Foil City, and his two main collaborators, SD Burman and Shankar (from Shankar-Jaikishan). But, in the image of his life, Neeraj was perhaps the right man in the right place, but at the wrong time. After almost half a decade, Neeraj left Bollywood to return to Aligarh, where he continued as a professor at Dharam Samaj College. Only Dev Anand, later in life, would keep in touch with him.

The etiquette of the "poet of the people" is generally prevalent. But for Neeraj, it may be right. He was revered in both worlds speaking Hindi and Urdu. And in the spirit of secularism, he translated on both scenes not as Hindu or Muslim, but as the only poet. A writer capable of critical introspection, like his famous poem lines' Karvaan Guzarta Rha & # 39;

Nind bhi khuli na thi ke haay dhup dhal gayi shakha shaakh jal gayi,

Chaah at nikal saki na, by umar nikal gayi

No wonder Dev Anand was struck when he heard Neeraj for the first time recite this same poem to a sammelan . His ability to speak honestly can be judged by the fact that even during his typing years before the brief incursion into Bollywood, Neeraj left government jobs because he could not agree with the politics of the new India. Communalism, even in a post-independence India, was standing up and poets like Neeraj could not stop letting their conscience be affected. At a time when this division seems particularly wide, its ghazal 'Ab Toh Mazhab Koi Aisa & # 39; astonishingly reflects the disease at the heart of this country:

Ab in mazhab koi aisa bhi chalaya jaaye

Ouch behti hai yahan, Gange mein bhi Zamzam mein bhi

Koi batlaaye kahan jaa ke nahaya jaaya

It is sometimes difficult to commit everything to poetry. For the simple reason that this seems like a futile exercise, given the limited commitment it has. But Neeraj's poetry was that rare breed that spoke of the commitment itself. Neeraj probably did everything on paper, until it was dissolved with him. Most poets rewrite the same poem all their lives. Neeraj was different. His music, his tone, his subjects, even his anger bore nuances. What is the darkness of the policy of the cut-throat:

har ġhalat moḌ pe Tokā hai kisī do mujh ko

ek tovā tirī jab Seek himself saath huī

maiñ ne sochā ki mire desh kī hālat kyā hai

ek qātil s tabhī merī mulāqāt huī

Or moving from one to another Mind in a life no less commonplace than felt endlessly:

Tamaam umr principal ek ajnabi ke ghar mein raha

Safar na karte huye bhi kisi safar mein raha

For most writers, reconciling poetics with politics is often problematic. One is considered a statement, the other verse. But Neeraj found a leveling place for both to be considered music. It is surprising to think that his ghazals and his poems are as easy to hum as to read. A poet as accessible as it is rare is an anomaly. In addition, Neeraj was not one to avoid saying what he thought. For all the state honors – including the Padma Bhushan – that he received, he remained openly critical of how politicians use religion and caste to divide people, a trope that appears repeatedly in his poetry.

his songs in films like Mera Naam Joker Prem Pujari Kanyadaan and others. He succeeded brilliant Shailendra, and in his brief time in the industry took poetry at its peak. At a time when this lyricism is threatened, not only from the outside, but also from within the mind of the creator, the ability to write depth in rhythm is also unique as possible. More than that, the nature of the Indian poet has changed to the extent that the void left by the feather of Neeraj is unlikely to be filled. Because only he adored his profession, as much as he was blessed:

Atman ke saundarya ka shadj roop hai kavya

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