Punjab should get back its fragrance

Punjab is a state of mind that defies geography. In the run-up to the assembly polls, Punjabis across the globe talk to HindustanTimes about th h pes and dreams for their homeland

Imake it sure to travel from Mumbai to my hometown Malerkotla at least twice a year — in January to experience the joy of winter and in June to enjoy the north Indian summer. My eightyear son Kamran likes to hear of my childhood in Malerkotla. “Papa was it ‘maujan hi maujan’ all the ay?” he asks while alluding to the popular ‘Jab We Met’ song. This sets me thinking and I tell him of the fragrance and innocence of my childhood and youth. We would play our games in any ground that we chose. If hungry, we would go to any field and have our fill of carrots or radishes. While returning, we would stop in front of any door and ask the lady of the house, “Maasi paani pee layeeye?” and sure enough she would give us water to drink.

I left Malerkotla after graduation and the town is still young in my memory with its communal bonhomie, its Ganga-Jamuni culture, its Urdu spoken with Punjabi accent, its poetry, its qawwalis, its paan shops and its artisans. These memories have gone into the making of my songs, for instance the ‘Highway’ number ‘Mithe paan di gilauri, latha suit da Lahori, faatan maarda Philauri.’

However, these days I sometimes hesitate to answer my son’s question because it is not ‘Sham savere hun maujan hi maujan’ in my state. Fear and addiction have somehow infiltrated into the fragrance and the green fields of my land are greying. The young have lost hope. Addiction to alcohol and drugs is rampant.

First of all, I want to see the young of my land free from the menace of drugs and drinking. Then I wish to turn away the fear that seems to be threatening people into silence. I feel everyone should be able to speak the truth of their times without the worry that it will be held against them. The heads should be held high and the minds should be free from fear. I hope for the return of fragrance and innocence to my beautiful Punjab so that I can celebrate these in my new songs and gift it all to Kamran.