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Toofan Ton Pehilan
In the second essay Kithe hai Shahidan de Supnian da Bharat (Where is India of martyrs’ dreams), the author laments that a peasant produces grains for others while his family lives in poverty and hunger, the weaver weaves for the whole market, his family crave for clothes and the mason and carpenter who raise mansions and bungalows are forced to live in slums. On the other hand, the wealthy lavishly spend on luxuries and make merry. The author predicts that this imbalance in society will result in anarchy. He says the present social system is sitting on "powder keg". To explain the present situation, the author has used the statement of Shahid Bhagat Singh made in the court after throwing bomb in the Assembly. He says these words equally apply even after 75 years of the incident. The essay Vadhe Maut Haadse — Phailda Dera Sabhyachar points out that despite accidents, shootouts in the religious places, gatherings and yatras, people still swarm to these places.
Kafle Yadaan De The book contains 101 ghazals by Sukhdev Singh Grewal, an established writer who has given about two dozen books to the Punjabi world. The theme of most of the ghazals is manzil (destination). This is the beauty that one word says so much: "Jo gire uthke ture oh manzilan nu pa gaye/Reh gaye baithe he jo ke baithe si chir de". Those who fell but again got up and walked, achieved their destination. Those who had been sitting since long, kept sitting could not reach their destination. Like the above ghazal, there are many such pieces which sing for destination. As an adept ghazal writer, Grewal knows the poetical technique and the nuances of ghazal very well. The book will be liked by Punjabi poetry lovers.
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IN
this anthology of 22 essays, the author, a noted journalist, has tried
to lay bare the imbalances in the distribution of wealth in society and
also the oppression by one section of the other section. It discusses
atrocities by the police, the sulking unemployed youth, religious
tensions, young women falling prey to the wealth and lust of the mighty,
the ongoing exploitation perpetrated by the politicians of all hues and
much more. The author finds the present social and political system the
villain of all these features. He feels that the situation under this
subdued and silent unrest is explosive and is waiting for a tiny
matchstick. How long will, he rues, the politicians will detract the
masses from their real problems by raising religious conflicts and
promising affluence and golden times to them. The author has succinctly
written all this in the first essay Toofan Ton Pehilan, which is
also the title of this book.
In the penultimate
essay Logu Jaane Yhe Geetu Hai (People thought it is a song), the
Guru Granth Sahib has been described as a treasure trove of knowledge
that throws light on all the aspects of life. Probably, the author wants
to suggest that help of this holy book should be sought to come out of
the present quagmire. The reader will be impressed by the clarity of
thought and the dialectical approach of the author.