Farmers Movement Archive

Bella Ciao in Punjabi, Faiz in Tamil give stir its rhythm

BATHINDA/JALANDHAR: The music of protest has bridged language, culture and geographic divides. Songs with roots in Italian folk music and in the sublime genius of Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s ghazals is keeping spirits singing in the farmers’ agitation against the three central agri-marketing laws on the borders of Delhi. “Wapas Jao”, a Punjabi version of “Bella Ciao (Goodbye, Beautiful)”, an Italian farmers’ protest song from the late 1800s, has gained newfound popularity because of a web series, has been an instant hit, as have been songs themed on Iqbal Bano’s rendition of Faiz’s ghazal, “Hum Dekhenge”, in Punjabi and Tamil. “This is not a translation of the original ‘Bella Ciao’ but a rendition of it in Punjabi in solidarity with the farmers. It was sung by workers in protest against harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of north Italy. Versions of Bella Ciao continue to be sung worldwide as an anti-fascist hymn of freedom and resistance. This version in Punjabi is written and sung by Poojan Sahil for a campaign led by activist Harsh Mander,” said author and filmmaker Natasha Badhwar, the creative producer of the music video. She said the song is an effort to take the struggle of the farmers protesting on the borders of Delhi, in harsh conditions, to a wider audience. Ajaypal, one of the protesters, said cultural expression of dissent gets instant traction and “Wapas jao” is a case in point. The song based on Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s ghazal is titled “Hai Sada Haq (It’s Our Right)” in Punjabi and “Nee Ajanthey (Fear Not)” in Tamil. Remarkably, even the Punjabi version has been sung by Tamil singers Vedanth Bharadwaj and Bindhu Malini. In the song, images and video footage of the farmers’ protest, including of them crossing barricades, have been used. Uploaded on YouTube by Vettiver Collective, the song is a “Justice Rocks” initiative by #Madrasis4Punjabis, a hashtag created to convey solidarity from the deep south of India to protesters from Punjab and Haryana.“We share your pain and resonate with your concern,” the producers said. Nityanand Jayaraman, a freelance journalist who conceived the idea, said they wanted to convey a message of solidarity from the people of Tamil Nadu for the farmers of Punjab and wanted the latter to understand. “We feel very strongly that the protesting farmers are correct in demanding the scrapping of the farm laws. It is also being projected as though it only concerns Punjab, and that the farmers are Khalistanis or terrorists,” Jayaraman said.

The Times of India

2020-12-25

India