(By Srikanth Chintala) Noted poet and balladeer Gaddar in a TV show by TV5 has taken on the incidents around the innocent Muslim youth projected as terrorists. He starts with defining the existence of nature followed by the religious holy books like the bible and Quran teaching humans to live in peace, love each other, love nature and protect the world. “Selfishness is the major cause of pain, the existence of multiple religions etc., has evolved thereafter. However, all the humans still has the same flesh and blood, belongs to the same human race and are equal before the god as taught by all religions” he adds.
He starts the song with his mark of words making the ambience by defining his village to the village to witness the lives of Muslim. Gaddar recalls his past experiences of singing for the Muslims with the tunes starting with “Allah” and now wants to play his song on the ‘Tuphran’ Muslims “turukollam mem babu, toopharani musimlam mem babu” meaning “we are muslims, muslims of the tupran village” in Telugu. Gaddar is seen in the video performing Namaz, sharing brotherhood with the Muslims in his village. Tuphran is the home town of Gaddar.
The song continues explaining the pain and current status of Muslims:
“We are Muslims, the Muslims of Tuphran.
Once upon a time, my great grandfather was a Nawab,
who wore sharewanis, appeared as a Sher
Topi on the head makes him only village nawab…
But our lives today becomes that of disposed food plates.
In the era of Nizam, we owned the major lands
we were no less to a king…
enjoyed royal meals, biryanis every day!
Now is ROZA every day
failing to break the fast even on the Ramzan Day!
We sold our lands to survive…
We sell old cloths on the roads,
to meet the daughters marriage expense…
went overseas, aimed better lives,
but could not end the pain!
Even after rounding entire Dubai…
We are blessed with several children
lived in peace with the Duwa of allah..
Winning bread with small jobs we could afford,
Lived in no deficits for food & cloth,
Thanked the Khuda (god) for what he gave us
BUT now mothers and child starve to death
the breasts do not have milk anymore!
Selling vegetables around the streets…
We become goods in seasonal markets!
Offering the market prices,
Selling at a normal rates
witnessing the poor buyers
and their toned cloths!
Surviving till late becomes a Roza everyday!
To protect our infants, travelled overseas
seeking loans with an interest over interest,
filling stomach with little tea or water,
sleeping few hours, saving few coins,
cut the child’s food to afford compound interests
stretching our foot to the near graveyards…!
Played with the sun light in the childhood,
never seeing light again after marriage!
lives reached the gods being behind the curtains throughout.
The burkas also toned along with the lives
with the poverty undefined,
stepping out of house to win a little food,
from the fragrant soft flowers,
we become rolled cigars and black coals!
Having no pieces of tiles to cover roof tops,
enjoying the rains very much inside the house,
having no clue when the roof falls on heads, taking lives… ||Allaaaah…..||
We pray the Allah…before sleep, hoping to see the mornings…!
Translators Note: This is a poetry having essence of native language. Have tried to translate with best possible words ensuring no significant changes of the thoughts of poem. Should there be any mistakes, apologies in advance! Thank you! – Srikanth Chintala
Srikanth Chintala is the national general secretary of BAMCEF, a well noted organization of Backward communities (SC,ST,OBC,Minority) – his website: www.SrikanthChintala.com