Patriotism

I have a couple of friends who bitch about 'Patriotism' (literally, just a couple of them). They think it's cool. I mean they wouldn't do that if they thought otherwise, right. But, I do think otherwise. It's not cool to me. Patriotism is essential because "you" and "I" exist ! Let me explain. Let me try to knock some sense of patriotism into this couple of people.

You can't come and slap one the way you like. There are boundaries...at all levels! You can't come and love one the way you like. There are boundaries! At all levels.

Patriotism according to me, is nothing but the feeling of owning up oneself, enabling one to protect oneself...one's space. Just that the "self" here is an extended space now. It's one's country. It's just a bigger self. There is a "self" at every level.

Oh yeah, I know "Vasudhaika Kutumbam". The world is one, why not! But even within a family, even between parents and children, between siblings, between a couple, between lovers, there are boundaries. There's something called 'personal space' and we ought to respect that.

When the British colonized India and transferred resources from here with their self-interests at the heart of it all, with no concern whatsoever about the people here, of course they behaved like the "other". There's no oneness. Of course, I get it they left us with English and "some" Education and maybe some roots for democracy. But, at a time when the whole world was moving towards democracy, do you think India would have been left behind? When the time had come for enlightenment, for democracy, for being free from the clutches of the "other", would India have been left behind?

Of course the country was unified. Of course centuries of ignorance, caste system, aristocracy, feudalism...everything came under spotlight...Of course Scientific thinking started taking shape. Technology..Railways...many things started taking shape. But do we owe that all to British? English and Education - hum pe kuch ehsaan nahin tha! It's just a byproduct of centuries of colonizing a place. Some "good" happens as a result.

Let's look at the other side of the coin. Let's start from the "self" again. You are required to slog the whole day, but some other owner makes money out of your hard work and gives you pennies. Would that be ok to you? Somebody encroaches your land, digs gold, digs minerals, makes money out of it and you are asked to pay tax for it in return*...all because you didn't know how to dig gold and minerals from your own land. Would you like that? Your neighbour encroaches into your land, just so that their living space is bigger, would you be ok with that?

*That's what India had to do; Pay tariffs in return despite losing its raw material and resources.

How then patriotism seems funny to you? To me, it's so intrinsic. If you have a self...a self in the right place, then patriotism comes naturally IMO. You want yourself to win. You don't want the other to win. It's as simple as that.

I know, everybody is selfish. I had written about this in my blog earlier. And I don't mind repeating it. Even a martyr is selfish. Because they are looking at an accomplishment, a fame, a virtue...to own it up all. But that selfishness is different. That doesn't harm anybody. Rather helps. It's a responsibility very few would like to own up. But selfishness that cuts into others' lives, being apathetic to the feelings and needs of the other, is not mere selfishness. It's exploitation and abuse.

"Dogs* and Indians are not allowed inside" - If that sentence did not stir one up at that time, then either they did not have a self or it was numb, sleeping. Or they did not have self-respect. Period.

(Of course, no disrespect whatsoever to dogs.)

Is shadow a measure of existence ?!?

I might get on a translation spree soon (or I'm already on it), so, I'm so glad to translate this song, one of my favourites, as the second one here in my blog. (Third one if we consider this song translated years ago, fourth one if we consider the translation of a poem in Vemana shatakam here).

Here it goes, the song from the Telugu movie "Jersey" (written by "Krishna Kanth")...

                          ***

Needa padadhani mantananagalaraa, nuvvantu levantu

Can you say to the fire that it doesn't exist, because it doesn't have a shadow?

Kaani kalalaku kantinadigedharaa, thappuntee needhatnu

Do you blame (question) the eye, for the unfulfilled dreams?

Padina nelaa...Padina nelaa

The fallen land...the fallen land...

Vadalanela niluvu neelaa...

How can you leave it outright (like you did)...

Kadhapa ledhaa Kadhapa leka, eduru gaale chediripodhaa...

Can't the wind move (and scatter) things away?

Unable to move it, wouldn't the wind breezing opposite, sway away?

Kaalchodhu ante kaadhu swarnam,

The gold is not made without burning it,

Ododhu ante ledhu yudham,

There's no war if there's no failure (if you think one shouldn't lose)

Lekunte kashtam haayi vyardham,

If there's no suffering, comforts are a waste,

Evari kosam maaradartham.

The meaning(wisdom) doesn't change for anybody.

Kaalchodhu ante kaadhu swarnam, ododhu ante ledhu yudham,

Lekunte kashtam haayi vyardham, evari kosam maaradartham...

The gold is not made without burning it, there's no war if there's no failure,

If there's no suffering, comforts are a waste...This meaning(wisdom) doesn't change for anybody...

                          ***

Otameragani aata kanagalavaa, undhante kaadhaate...

Do you find a sport in which there's no losing side?if there's one, then that's not a sport...

Daati shishuvuga bayata padagalavaa, noppatnu vadhante...

Can you cross it and come out a child, if you say you don't want pain?

Adugu dhooram, vijayamunnaa vidichi pona...

I will leave it even if the victory is just a step away...

Kadhalaleka vadhalaleka chedhiripona..

Unable to move, unable to let it go, I will be a mess...

Kaalchodhu ante kaadhu swarnam, ododhu ante ledhu yudham,

Lekunte kashtam haayi vyardham, evari kosam maaradartham... (Repeat)

The gold is not made without burning it, there's no war if there's no failure,

If there's no suffering, comforts are a waste...This meaning(wisdom) doesn't change for anybody...

                          ***

I didn't quite understand the placement of lines "Padina nela, padina nela, Vadalanela niluvu neela, Kadhapa leka, eduru gaale chediripodhaa..." I didn't get the context, so I find them out of place.

Also, the lines towards the end in the second part of the song, "Adugu dhooram, vijayamunnaa vidichi pona...Kadhalaleka vadhalaleka chedhiripona..", IMO make sense only if one knows the plot of the movie.

So here that goes...

The hero is a yesteryear cricket player who is very passionate about cricket. For some reasons he leaves it, but he is unable to make it to another job. He is shown more or less to be jobless, visiting govt offices in pursuit of the job he applied for. His lover and wife is unhappy about he being jobless and shown to taunt him on and off in the movie. They have a son who admires his father and his sport very much. At one point, the son asks the father to buy him a jersey on his birthday. Having no money to buy one, he takes money from the purse of his wife, when she is not there. She perceives the act as stealing and inadvertently slaps him. (I have no clue how that can be seen as stealing, when the same thing is just fine when a wife does that when she is not working. Also, I personally feel the heroine was not a great choice for the movie. She is fine, but during a couple of emotional scenes, I find her acting almost hysteric...I don't know if it's the character or the actress herself...)

Anyway, back to the story. So, the hero's ego is slapped day in and day out and he decides to get back to his forte, cricket, that is. And this is after a break of almost 10 years (I guess) and when he is relatively too old to start again now...When he last left the sport, he was playing apparently for the state. He does make a come back eventually and gets selected for nationals...

(Spoilers ahead...)

In a match, just before the nationals, he falls sick. And we get to know the real reason behind why he left the sport in the past. He was diagnosed with a heart condition that doesn't allow him to play cricket and there's a high chance of fatality if he played it. Back to the present, he still chooses to play the nationals. Fast forward to the future, there's a book launch function that is attended by the mother and the "grown up" son. The book is on the life of the hero delving on failure and underdogs who do not often meet success, yet how their journey can be inspiring and worth attention (as much or more than a success journey IMO). The movie ends with the son giving a speech about his father, how he played that match very well knowing he might die. The son is gifted with the jersey of his father. Telugu movies usually (in fact 99.99% of the times) tend to end on a happy note. So the movie is re-winded back to the past to a point in time where the three in the family capture a selfie (through a normal camera, when the concept of selfie didn't exist) in happy vibes on a beach.

(This movie was released recently in Hindi too. (Released in Telugu in 2019). Not sure why Shahid Kapoor picks up such films...those in which the heroes have already acted damn well. They have already set a bar, and it's very difficult, at least for the south audience, to see somebody else again in those roles. But the other side of the coin is, he does seem to have a taste for movies. The movies he picks are really good (with which he is able to connect well, as said by him in one of the interviews). He apparently wants to take those movies to the north audience (who probably don't have a bar set already for those roles). Anyway, whatever !!)

Edit(Jul-10): There was an error in my translation yesterday. Corrected the same and also added a few details to the climax of the movie.

You cannot stop the Spring !

 "Philosophy of Pablo Neruda -- You cannot stop the Spring!"

Thus read one of the lines in my MBA notes. Yeah, today afternoon I just wanted a white paper to write on and I grabbed the first book on the top of the heap in the cupboard and it happens to be MPBG + LCF + SI notebook (Management Paradigms from Bhagavadgita + Lessons from Corporate Failures + Strategy Implementation). This line is from the middle course. (I just checked it now, the full quote from Neruda reads, "You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.")

But wait, only yesterday I was chewing on this song, "Tharali raadha thane vasantham, thana dariki raani vanaala kosam" and wanted to do this post on translating its lyrics to English. But somehow I postponed it to today and I now know why. Nah, I'm not gonna tell you why. You better understand why :D (And as a matter of fact, what you understand (from the post that follows) and what I now think I know, may be quite different...)

Anyway, back to the song. This song is from the movie "Rudraveena". Any Telugu movie buff would know what kind of landmark movies, films like "Rudraveena", "Swarnakamalam", "Shankaraabharanam" have been. Specifically, these movies revolved around dance/music yet reflected deeply on the societal psyche at many levels. That's K. Vishwanath's forte and he will be forever in the hearts of many Telugu movie fans for that. Now tell me, how many art movies did the Telugu audience come across, that kept them entertained and engaged? Probably handful. Yet these movies don't stand out due to quantity (I mean scarcity), they do due to sheer quality.

Again, back to the song. This song is pretty close to my heart (in fact some other songs too from this movie) and it's been on my playlist for a long time. I used to play it especially during my "Void" years to keep me going (along with the other songs I was talking about). The lyrics of this song are extremely beautiful, rather esoteric probably. So, I will try and give it a shot to translate the lyrics into English. Be assured, the beauty of the lyrics cannot be retained in any which way, for they are far more elegant in Telugu. I'm afraid I must say English (or rather I, in English) cannot do justice to those lyrics (by Sirivennela Seetharama Shastry). But anyway, here I go...

                                                         ***

Tharali raadha thane vasantham, thana dariki raani vanaala kosam? (Repeat)

Doesn't the Spring herself come down to the forests (woods) that don't (or rather can't) reach out to her? (Repeat)

Gaganaala dhaaka ala saagakunte, meghaala raagam ila cherukodhaa?

Even if the waves don't (can't) reach the skies, doesn't the lilt of the clouds (rain) reach the land?

Tharali raadha thane vasantham, thana dhariki raani vanaala kosam?

Doesn't the Spring herself come down to the forests that don't reach out to her?

                                                         ***

Vennela deepam kondharidhaa, adavini saitham velugu kadhaa?

Does the light of the full moon belong to just a few (elite)? Doesn't it lit up the forests too?

Ellelu leni challani gaali, andhari kosam andhunu kaadha?

Doesn't the cool wind that breezes without barriers, blow for everybody?

Prathi madhini lepe prabhaata raagam,

The morning raaga (sun) that wakes up everybody every mind,

Padhe padhe choope pradhaana maargam.

Time and again shows us the key path.

Edhee sontham kosam kaadhanu sandesham.

Nothing is supposed to be one's own, that's the message.

Panche guname pothe prapanchame shoonyam.

When the virtue of sharing vanishes, the world will be void.

Idhi theliyani manugada kadha, dishanerugani gamanamu kadha.

Without knowing this, the story of (human) progress (evolution) is just a directionless wandering (a journey without a direction/destination), right!

Tharali raadha thane vasantham, thana dhariki raani vanaala kosam?

Doesn't the Spring herself come down to the forests that don't reach out to her?

                                                        ***

Brathukuna leni sruthi kaladhaa, yedha sadi lonee laya ledhaa? (Repeat)

Is there a tune that doesn't exist in life? Isn't there a rhythm in (our very own) heartbeat? (Repeat)

Ee kala kainaa, ee kala kainaa, jeevitha rangam vedika kaadhaa?

For any art...for any dream...isn't the stage of life the platform?

Prajaadhanam kaani kalaa vilaasam, ye prayojanam leni vrudhaa vikaasam.

Any art extravaganza that doesn't serve the public (common good), is just a waste development with no use whatsoever.

Koose koyila pothe kaalam aagindhaa?

When the koyal that coos goes away (stops singing), does the time (season) stop too?

Paare eeree paade maro padham raadhaa?

Doesn't a new lyric (song) originate with the flowing river?

Muraliki gala swaramula kala, pedhavini vidi palakadhu kadha...

The flute that has the knack of producing tunes, cannot sound (create the same) devoid of lips, right?

                                                       ***

Tharali raadha thane vasantham, thana dhariki raani vanaala kosam?

Doesn't the Spring herself come down to the forests that don't reach out to her?

Gaganaala dhaaka ala saagakunte, meghaala raagam ila cherukodhaa?

Even if the waves don't reach the skies, doesn't the rain reach the land?

                                                      ***

There's this other song in this movie, "Chuttuupakkala chuudaraa chinna vaada!" that comes during the beginning titles. It calls out a guy stuck in his own world to see the world around him...the realities and vagaries of it.

There's another song, "Randi randi randi daya cheyandi...". It's basically an invitation by the (would-be) father-in-law to the protagonist into his house in a comic way saying they are very glad to have him at their house.

And there's another song "Cheppalani undhi" after the hero has a rift with his family (father) and gets separated from them. The would-be FIL (father of his love interest) enquires him what's really bothering/worrying him and that it may be easy upon him if he shares what's stirring his mind. The song ends with the hero singing "Nenu Saitham" (by Sree Sree). "Nenu Saitham" means "I too can! (despite being just one)". Call it cliched, eccentric, ambitious, but I needed this song during my "Void" years to be reminded that I too can (rather that what I was doing can) make a difference.  This song happens to be my favourite in the movie. It does get hysteric towards the end and reverberates within (only to a person who is suffering).

Some of the lines in that song that really really resonate with me translate to, "The tunes (vagaries) of the helpless people suffering are hovering me, allowing me no peace. These strings have to be repaired. This aberration has to be corrected. Rejecting the mainstream (tune), assuming I am my own boss, I will walk this path. I will NOT live in a dream. I won't seek the comfort of the dream."

"Nenu Saitham" itself has some lyrics which mean, "Until the Spring embraces the whole world permanently (as in stably, completely), I will NOT sing the old tune, I shall NOT leave the new tune."

                                                     ***

Let me now quickly build the story of the movie from all the details already shared. The hero belongs to an upper-caste family. The father, a renowned musician discriminates heavily the other sections of the society and views them as outcast (untouchability etc. are depicted in the movie). He believes music is only for the upper-class (read it brahminic class). The heroine, a classical dancer, is from that very outcast section (read it harijan class), raised by an educated father with liberal views. The values of the hero (who learns music from his father) do not align with his father's and the contradictions surface constantly. There comes a time when the hero leaves his family to live with the world outside in a normal way. The village has a lot of drunkards (due to the alcohol being produced in the vicinity) who don't take care of their families. They literally abandon their responsibilities.

At one point in the movie, when the protagonists are all set to marry, some issue erupts and the hero decides that he shall marry only after this alcohol issue is sorted out. Eventually, the problem is sorted and the hero is honored at the end for transforming the village into a model village. The father comes at the end and says in his speech that he is proud to be identified as the hero's father. Of course, there are many interesting nitty-gritties and anecdotes in the movie, but they make for a discussion over a coffee.

                                                    ***

By now, you would have figured it out... Though at the beginning, the intention of the post seems to be about Spring or maybe about translating the lyrics of the song...the real intention is to build the story from these songs.

PS to self: Blogging after a long time makes me realize I have lost (the memory of) many words.

Update (06-Jul): I have checked if there are any other sources of translation for this song and found the below two good resources:

* Source 1: This requires one already knows Telugu (Not a source of translation, but a source of extended meaning).

** Source 2: Was interesting to compare my translation with the one here.