टू मच डेमोकर्ेसी

TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY

अजय िसंह

Copyright © Ajay Singh All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-63920-977-4 This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available.

TO MY MOTHER

माँ के बारे में क्या कहँू मैं

दिरया समंदर दिु नया ख़द ु ा अणु से अणु टकराकर

गॉड पािटर् कल खोजने वालों घर पर दे खो, पहले से पड़ा है

कर्म-सच ू ी पर्स्तावना

ix

भिू मका

xi

आभार

xiii

टू मच डम ेमोकर् ोकर्े सी The Death Of An Artist 1. िगद्ध

5

Blindfolds Of Democracy 2. गांधारी

9

Punching Bag 3. फँूक

13

The Four Pillars 4. तीसरा खंभा

19

Where Art Thou, Dem? 5. जम्हूिरयत बेगम

25

The Ringmaster 6. सकर्स

31

Time Of The Freebies 7. पल ु ाव ख़याली

35

Tin Pot Trumpet 8. भोंपू

39

Black Laws, Blind Love 9. लव जहाज़

43

It's All Over Now, Dynasty

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कर्म-सच ू ी 10. कैकेयी

47

The Hate Injection 11. वैक्सीन

51

You, The Dead 12. मरे तम ु

55

अन्य किवताय किवतायेँेँ Panic Room 13. िचंतन िशिवर

63

Akbar Travels 14. ब्लैक होल

67

15. टोडरमल

69

16. बन्दर

71

Anti‐‐Hero 17. रोबेिस्पयर

75

18. फर्ैंकेंस्टाइन

77

Cries And Whispers 19. पर्वासी पटरी

81

20. िबल

83

Paper Tigers Of Internet 21. यद् ु ध

87

22. दो रूपये

89

23. नीले पट्टे (ब्लू टै ग)

91

24. झण् ु ड

95

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कर्म-सच ू ी 25. बरनॉल

98

Too Much Nation 26. जम्हूिरयत बेगम Xxl

103

27. चीिलयत

105

28. गणतंतर् िदवस

107

The Clown 29. वोट बैंक

111

30. वायम ु ंडल

113

31. इंजेक्शन

115

Kingdom Of Death 32. मरघट का शहं शाह

119

33. चौपट राजा

120

34. सब चलता है

122

35. चील, कौवे, सरकारी आँकड़े

125

Frontline Warrior 36. डॉक्टर भगवान नहीं

129

भरत वाक्य (Epilogue) 37. भारत

133

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पर्स्तावना A foreword is traditionally written by someone who would urge you to read the book you are holding. However, I have no such sanctimonious plans. If you are someone who has paid for this one, you might as well skip to the poetry than waste your time on a “Television Star” telling you about the journey of these poems and the mind behind the words. Besides, what does a “pseudo-liberal, paid by the opposition, urban naxal Bollywoodia” actor know about our rich democracy? It might be unfair to call ‘Too Much Democracy’ a collection of poems on democracy alone. These are poems interspersed by dialogue about the year gone by and some spicy anecdotes, like how the trolls got after us for narrating these. Each poem, while a standalone, is also a part of the whole story, a kaleidoscope of feelings and emotions - anguish, despair, hope, decency, the lack of it - of humanity and politics and a virus which is not necessarily Covid 19. The physical act of wearing a mask is a wonderful metaphor for how most of us have felt gagged by the growing hatred & divisiveness in our society. Ironically, Ajay and I come from an industry that preaches “All • ix •

पर्स्तावना

is Well” and happily ever after. This book mercifully stays away from that type of sugar coating. He may be reaching the heart of darkness of our democracy, but it’s in Ajay’s questions raised to the governance, opposition and even us the individuals that I find HOPE! It has been my great privilege to literally be the first pair of eyes alongside Al - our jamming partner and close comrade - to read Ajay’s words as he continued to write them through a time where all of us felt so much collectively. We later went into a studio and recorded these as a document of the times we have lived in. These recordings are now available on Kommune’s YouTube page as ‘India’s First Hindi Poetry Special’. Narrating these poems through my social media handles without giving much thought to who would be consuming them has been deeply therapeutic and personally enriching. It is in Ajay’s deep understanding of the Indian mythology and Newton’s Law of Motion, French Revolution and the Four Estates of our Democracy, Pop culture and the Uncultured trolls, that I often found refuge, comfort and hope for a better tomorrow. Hoping you find some too. Nakuul Mehta (May of 2021)

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भिू मका I am not a poet. Never wrote a single poem for the first three decades of my life. In fact, to tell you the truth, I couldn’t even pronounce the word poem correctly. I always thought it was पोएम, I still do. If you are expecting a book that stays true to literary traditions or if you are a purist uncomfortable with mixing of languages and styles in Hindi poetry, then this may not be the book for you. You may even have an issue with me writing this introduction in English for a collection of poems in Hindi! However, like me, if you are fascinated by the powers of contemporary language fused with ancient words and ideas taken from Mahabharat to French Revolution to Bob Dylan, then you may perhaps appreciate my enthusiasms in combining all these influences to give you the story of contemporary Indian culture. Too Much Democracy, in many ways, is a collection of poems that tells you the story of all that transpired in our world ‐ from Sushant to Trump to Covid to the first ever images of black hole and everything in between ‐ during the two most turbulent years in living memory. 2020 and 2021. These poems wouldn’t have existed but for a sudden burst of anger, and inspiration, I felt during the • xi •

भिू मका

nauseating media coverage of a popular movie star’s death right in the middle of the worst global pandemic in a century. The first poem Giddh came out of that sense of outrage. I shared it with my buddy Nakuul Mehta and just casually asked him to narrate it in his voice and put it out on social media. What was meant to be a solo effort from me as a poet became more following its release and initial response. It was Nakuul who suggested taking it forward and doing a fullfledged series of poems around the current state of our democracy. While I can take credit for all the words on Too Much Democracy, the series in every way is a double act. Me writing and Nakuul performing. Nakuul’s delivery and the authenticity that he brings to these intensely political poems is a major reason why these poems have got the kind of exposure they did. People often come up and say it is very brave of us to be doing these poems in current times. Ironically, that statement itself becomes the litmus test for the state of democracy in our society. One more reason to raise the questions that have been raised throughout this collection.

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आभार Thank you C Robert Cargill for pushing people like us to write and finish. Thank you Nakuul for bringing your art to these poems. Thank you Alekh for being the main musketeer. Thank you Ayush for the photograph used on the cover page. Thank you Bob Dylan for your rage and your songs of human condition. And thank you to my Mama, Dr. Shrikant Sharma, for forever being the homegrown hero in our lives.

Author Contact: Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ajaxsingh Instagram: @ajax.singh

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टू मच डेमोकर्ेसी