Naam Shaheen Bagh Hai: An Ode to Protesters Who Sparked a Movement

Written and performed by: Darab Farooqui
Keys: Aparajit Raghavan
Arranged & Programmed: Jos Jossey
Recording studio: JJ music Studioz
Footage: Haris Jeelani Toogo
Edited by: Vijay Nayyar
English Translation by: Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee

(The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 7 October, held that the Constitution gives a right to dissent and protest but that such protests cannot occupy public spaces, in a judgment relating to the pleas against the Shaheen Bagh protests against the CAA that ran from December 2019 to March 2020. In light of this development, we are republishing this story, originally published on 24 February, 2020, from The Quint's archives.)

'Naam Shaheen Bagh Hai' is a poem by Darab Farooqui, dedicated to Shaheen Bagh, which has emerged as an epicentre of protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

Here are the lines of Farooqui’s poem, translated in English.

‘That Radiant Flame Is Shaheen Bagh’

Have you seen streets raise their heads?
Have you seen wounds break into a smile?
Have you seen freedom wrapped in dupattas?
Have you seen an eighty-year-old princess?

The lamp that lights the centre of this storm,
The radiant flame is Shaheen Bagh.
If you want to see its insistence, come, see it.
Not the Jama masjid, see this masjid of truth.

Warm your hands with the warmth of their hearts,
Measure the heights of the mountain’s spirits.
Where you will find no stain in the hem,
The name of that cloth is Shaheen Bagh.

Come see Lakshmibai, see Razia Sultan,
See a new India emerge from the hijab,
Tearing the dark, hear the chorus of appeal.
Hear the nation of women, transform, rise
These women sacrificed their homes
Their new dwelling is Shaheen Bagh.

(Note: The video has not been produced by The Quint. The poem has been written and performed by Darab Farooqui, the music arranged and programmed by Jos Jossey and the video edited by Vijay Nayyar. The Quint has republished the video with their permission.)