Freedom Struggle

Wo khoon kaho kis matlab ka, jisme ubaal ka naam nahi,

Wo khoon kaho kis matlab ka, aa sake Desh ke kaam nahi.

Wo khoon kaho kis matlab ka, jisme jeevan na ravani hai.

Jo parvash hokar behta hai, wo khoon nahi hai paani hai.

Us din logon ne sahi-sahi, khoon ki keemat pehchani thi.

Jis din Subhash ne Burma me, maangi unse qurbani thi.

Bole swatantra ki khatir, balidaan tumhe karna hoga,

Tum bahut jee chuke ho jag me, lekin aage marna hoga.

Almost one hundred years before India’s First War of Independence (1857), the adivasis (tribals) of Jharkhand had declared revolt against the British colonial rule. The first ever revolt against the landlords and the British government was led by Tilka Manjhi, a valiant Santhal leader iof the tribal belt in 1771.

When my father's friend became the president of a prestigious social club of my small hometown, he set himself the target of getting an ambulance for the town. It took quite a bit of an effort to make the people who were ready to spare tens of thousands of rupees for parties but only a few hundred rupees for a real cause to contribute the necessary amount of money. My father also contributed generously (and only I and his friend were aware of this fact). Finally ambulance came in - it was a Maruti Omni vehicle.