The Punjab chapter of ‘Dhai Aakhar Prem: National Cultural Jatha’ starts today (October 27, 2023) from Khatkar Kalan, Punjab. Located in the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district of Punjab, Khatkar Kalan is said to be the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh. The Jatha started by remembering Bhagat Singh and its legacy.
In a Gurudwara near the Bhagat Singh Memorial, Prasanna, the national president of IPTA, interacted with the migrant labourers from Nepal on issues of their lives and livelihood. The Jatha aims to connect with the people on the ground spreading the message of harmony, mutual respect and dignity of human labour. Rakesh Veda, National Working President, IPTA, Inderjit Rupowali, General Secretary, IPTA Punjab, and Deepak Nahar also engaged with the audience present in the Gurudwara.
Remembering the words of Bhagat Singh, “inqalab ki talwar vicharon ke saan par tej hoti hai” (the sword of revolution is sharpened by thoughts and ideas), Prasanna and Rakesh Veda emphasized that it is these thoughts of love, humanity and harmony, which we have received as a legacy from those who sacrificed their lives to free our country. It is our duty to carry their legacy forward.
The Jatha was also joined by many students of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Adarsh Vidyalaya. Their energetic participation infused a new spirit among the co-travellers in the Jatha. They were holding the flags and banners of the Jatha.
Artists of Azad Theatre Group performed a play on the jail life of Bhagat Singh in the courtyard of another Gurudwara. It was followed by a street play based on the communal and religious hatred and rivalries going on in our country. The performances highlighted that religious feuds and communalism never do any good to any country. We are all like brothers and sisters, irrespective of which religion we follow.
This area in Punjab is called Doaba. It is marked by big houses and mansions. Most of the families are now living in Canada, Australia or the United States. Migrant labourers from states like Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh work in their fields as agricultural workers under precarious conditions. When the Jatha were passing through these fields, looking at the workers, the Jatha travellers also jumped into these fields and started helping these labourers. ‘Shramdaan’ is again an essential component of the Jatha. During shramdaan, Prasanna also interacted with these labourers and enquired about their working conditions. Depending upon the nature of work, these migrant workers earn a daily wage of only Rupees 300-400; they don’t get work every day. A full day of hard work under the sun at a place, which is hundreds of kilometres away from their home – their hard work provides food to the entire nation. However, the nation could not provide them and their family a decent life and a decent future.
After this gesture of solidarity, the Jatha travellers reached Gurudas Gurudwara where they ate Guru da Prasad – Langar (a communal meal served at Gurudwaras) with great enthusiasm.
In a programme at Guna, Vineet Tiwari, the National Secretary of AIPWA highlighted that love is the only way to counter hatred and violence. From Kabeer, to Guru Nanak to Gandhi – everyone lived their lives spreading the message of love and harmony. Towards the end of the first day, Prasanna interacted with young artists and theatre aspirants on the craft of theatre and acting.
The Jatha was joined by many theatre and film artists including Sanjeevan Singh (President, IPTA Punjab), Inderjit Rupowali (General Secretary, IPTA Punjab), Deepak Nahar, Balkar Singh Sidhu (President, IPTA Chandigarh), K N S Shekhon (General Secretary, IPTA Chandigarh), Devindar Daman (Theatre artist), Jaswant Daman (Film artist), Jaswant Khatkar, Aman Bhogal, Dr. Harbhajan Singh, Parminder Singh Madali, Satyaprakash, Ranjit Gamanu, Bibba Kalwant, Roshan Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Kapan Veer Singh, Vivek and many others
Report: Santosh, IPTA Delhi