‘To me, Freedom Means to Write’

Toh uthao apna qalam!

Write. Write. Write.

(Photo: Erum Gour/The Quint)

Suno,
Main likhna chahti hoon,
Apna qalam uthana chahti.

Pata hai na tumko?
Qalam ka uthna sadiyon ka tabah hona hai…
Qalam uthayi thi jab Sir Syed se le kar Ghalib ne…
Shakespeare se le kar Jane Austen ne...
Mridula se le kar Mahadevi ne…
Faiz se le kar Manto ne.
Tab tab Qayamat aayi hai…

Sadiyan badli hain.
Zamane badle hain.
Maansiktaayein badli hain.
Tamashe badle hain.

Qalam utha hai,
Har baar.

Zulmon ke khilaaf,
Nagmon ke liye.
Atyachaar ke khilaaf,
Kahani ke liye.

Hadi Ruswa ne uthaya tha qalam,
Ek tawaif ke liye,
Aur Umrao kah daali.
P Sainath ne uthayi qalam,
Toh kisaan ki gatha likh dali.

Rabindra Nath ne uthaya tha qalam toh Gitanjali likh daali.
Jab, jab utha hai ye qalam.
Sach ko roshni dikhaane,
Jhuth ko khatam karne.
Nafrat ko mohabbat me badalne,
Marginalised ko uska haq dilaane.

Ek kothe wali ke kothe ko,
Uske armaanon ke mahal, batalane
Ye qalam jab utha hai Itihaas badla hai.

Romila Thapar se le kar Irfan Habib ne,
Samay ko sanjoya hai.

Jab, jab ye qalam utha hai,
Ek inquilaab aaya hai.

Ab mera qalam bhi,
Ek patrakaar ki wo taqat banega.
Jise zamane ne kaale rang ki siyahi me
Rang diya hai,
Wo awaaz banegi jise satta-dhariyon,
Ne chhin liya hai.

Ab un sabka qalam uthega.
Jinhone zamane ki.
Kaala baazaari se pareshan ho kar,
Likhna chodh diya tha.

Ab qalam phir ek baar uthega.
Andhera mitane ke liye.

Tumhein maloom hai na,
Qalam, ek cheez nahin.

Jeeti jaagti jaan hai.
Jo har daur mein,
Sach ko marne se.
Bachati hai.

Toh utho aur likh daalo.
Mere saath.

Wo sabhi kahaniyaan,
Jo marr rahi hain.