English | हिंदी
03/12/2023 (Sunday) | Gorakhpur | Jatha in Uttar Pradesh
haman haiñ ishq mastāna haman ko hoshiyārī kyā
– Kabir Das
raheñ āzād yā jag se haman duniyā se yaarī kyā
‘kabīrā’ ishq kā maatā duī ko duur kar dil se
jo chalnā raah nāzuk hai haman sar bojh bhārī kyā
These lines of Kabir’s poetry enthralled Gorakhpur, the land of communal unity and harmony, the work place of the great saint Guru Gorakhnath and the renowned Sufi Hazrat Roshan Ali Shah. The occasion was a part of the nationwide ‘Dhai Akhar Prem’ National Cultural Yatra being organized on the call of Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). This was organized under the joint aegis of IPTA Gorakhpur and Dhai Akhar Prem Jatha Organizing Committee, Gorakhpur.
The cultural march started from the residence of world famous Urdu poet Firaq Gorakhpuri. On this occasion, senior journalist and cultural activist Raghavendra Dubey ‘Bhau’ expressed his views and said that I want to amend Kabir’s line – “Dhai Akhar Prem Ka, Padhe So Pandit Hoe” – the person in which the culture and manners of love, or the one who knows how to live with love is only capable of becoming a complete ‘human being’.
In the words of cultural activist Bhau, this Jatha is a part of the creation of a complete human being at the emotional level and at the level of life values. In the same sequence, famous Bhojpuri poet and former program executive of All India Radio, Gorakhpur, Ravindra Srivastava ‘Jugani’ said in his address that this event is especially important at a time when lack of mutual communication is deepening and people are getting cut off from each other. Every person is becoming a victim of isolation – in such a situation, this event is very timely and necessary, so that an emotional cooperation and solidarity can be created between human beings.
Thereafter, this cultural Jatha passed through various localities and corners of the city and reached its last stop Katha Samrat Premchand Park. IPTA’s senior comrade and singer Shailendra Nigam created a grand atmosphere with his brilliant singing of people’s songs and Kabir’s verses. The atmosphere got filled with excitement and enthusiasm. The cultural programs presented by IPTA Gorakhpur colleagues were greatly appreciated by the people present at the venue.
It is noteworthy that the stops marked in the Jatha contain in themselves many cultural and historical memories. As such, the Jatha started from Rawat School adjacent to the residence of Firaq Gorakhpuri, from where world class storytellers of Urdu, English and Hindi poet Firaq Gorakhpuri and Premchand had received their primary education. The Jatha was concluded at Premchand Park, where Premchand lived during his working days. This place also witnessed the creation of timeless stories like Idgah, Namak ka daroga, Do bailon ki jodi, etc. written by Premchand.
IPTA’s regional secretary and local Jatha coordinator, Dr. Mumtaz Khan, senior journalist Raghavendra Dubey ‘Bhau’, renowned Bhojpuri poet Ravindra Srivastava ‘Jugani’, poet and provincial media in-charge Virendra Mishra ‘Deepak’, state secretary Kalimul Haque, participated in the yatra. IPTA State Executive members Dharmendra Narayan Dubey ‘Tata’, Mukesh Srivastava, Shailendra Nigam, Priyanka Dubey, Preeti Priyanshi, Kusum Kumari, Prabhat Singh, Vinod Chandresh, Umesh Chandra Mishra along with Ranjay Kumar Dubey, Dr. Ajay Rai and Bharat Sharma etc. were also present along with hundred others.
Report: Shahzad Rizvi
Translation: Vinod Koshti