Srishtee se pehle sat nahi tha...

Bharat Ek Khoj(Hindi for The Discovery Of India) was a 53 episode serial that dramatically unfolded the 5000 years old history of India, from the beginning to the time of Independence, 1947. This was created by the director, producer and writer, Shyam Benegal in 1988 from the book written by famous historian and the first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, named THE DISCOVERY OF INDIA. The book written is an exploration into different eras of Indian History; Political cultural. The book is a must read for all the history students. The series that was made from this, Bharat Ek Khoj was a unique combination of multicultural, multiethnic and multireligious communities. The episodes sometimes used the technique of a documentary and at other times, drama.

The Title song of Bharat Ek Khoj was, Srishtee se pehle.... which is so far the best composition I have ever heard. The lyrics have a very deep meaning.

It talks about the genesis of the Earth. The time when it was the beginning when divinity in his splendor manifested as the sole Lord of Land, Skies, Water, Space and that beneath , he upheld the Earth and the heavens.

The Song goes like this...

Srishtee se pehle sat nahin thaa, asat bhi nahin
Antariksh bhi nahin, akash bhin nahin thaa
chhipaa thaa kyaa kahaan, kisne dhakaa thaa
us pal to agam, atal jal bhi kahaan thaa

Srishtee kaa kaun hai kartaa
Kartaa hai vaa akartaa
Oonche aakash mein rahtaa
Sada adhyaksh banaa rahtaa
Wahin sachmuch mein jaantaa..Yaa nahin bhi jaanataa
Hai kisi ko nahin pataa, nahin pataa,
Nahin hai pataa, nahin hai pataa

Weh tha hiranyagarbh srishti se pehle vidyamaan
Wahi to saare bhoot jaat ka swami mahaan
jo hai astitvamaana dharti aasmaan dhaaran kar
Aise kis devta ki upasana karein hum avi dekar

Jis ke bal par tejomay hai ambar
Prithvi hari bhari sthapit sthir
Swarg aur sooraj bhi sthir
Aise kis devta ki upasana karein hum avi dekar

Garbh mein apne agni dhaaran kar paida kar
Vyapa tha jal idhar udhar neeche upar
Jagaa chuke vo ka ekameva pran bankar
Aise kis devta ki upasana karein hum avi dekar

Om ! Srishti nirmata swarg rachiyata purvaj raksha kar
Satya dharma palak atul jal niyamak raksha kar
Phaili hain dishayen bahu jaisi uski sab mein sab par
Aise hi devta ki upasana kare hum avi dekar
Aise hi devta ki upasana kare hum avi dekar

The Common Man

The Common Man does not speak.H has never spoken.He is a silent but wise spectator.Even the word 'spectator' is inappropriate for him.He is really a witness, a saakshi,to all that happens around him.To the discerning eye,his raised brow itself is the great indictment.To the sensitive mind,his melancholy expression is the worst form of chastisement.The Common Man is a mirror that never distorts.he is the most reliable barometer of our ethical and moral pretensions;yet he never sermonizes.
Others react to him with an uncalled for vehemence.He makes the hypocrite,the corrupt,the insincere,the pompous and the perfidious insecure.He has been around for more than 60 years.his appearance has remained the same for all these years.Chronology is not his concern.He is the gentle, but unwavering guardian of human worth and quality.He is eternal India.

Only one other person shares his passion for goodness and empathy:The Mahatma.To say that he is a miniaturized version of Mahatma would not be an exaggeration.He remains poor,not because he glorifies poverty ,but because he is capable of boundless empathy.He has the intelligence and the will to be the richest man in the world,but desists from doing so because means are more important to him then ends.

But why this vow of silence,people wonder.He remains silent,not because he is unsociable,smug,arrogant or diffident.Rather,the lack of speech symbolizes the silence of mind and the spirit.Amidst all the din that politicians,bureaucrats,moralizers,machines and vehicle create ,the Common Man baulks from adding to the decibel levels of the world.

Another year in his life is about to come to an end.He looks forward to a new year.He is never cynical,though he has every reason to be so.He cannot understand why some people create such a fuss about a temple instead of concentrating on their jobs and living simple ordinary lives.It is beyond him why those who have a great deal of wealth and opportunity need to shortchange the dead and trade in coffins.

The Common Man is a firm believer in the tenacity of the human spirit.It puzzles him as to how a few demolished towers can destroy human resilience itself.He is often amused by the juvenile confidence of the terrorist,the suicide bomber and the criminal.This is because he knows that concepts such as freedom,civility,decency,goodness and moderation are far greater than evil.The sword he knows, might win the battle today,but the pen and the song usually rewrite these victories as defeats.

All this is,of course,the very stuff of politics.Like all wise men,the Common Man is more intrigued by simpler questions.Here is a sample of such questions.Why do people not use garbage bins and instead litter the entire landscape around them?Why are our roads in a perpetual state of disrepair?Why is is so difficult to provide people with drinking water, sanitation and clean air?Why do people depend on the government for everything?Why do people give and take bribes?Why is quality education not universal?One reason why people prefer bombs to schools?Why are politicians so self-centered and self-righteous?

The answers are inherent in the questions.Yet, the Common Man does not despair of asking them repeatedly.We do not know if the Common Man is believer or not.His iconic form,created by a god among cartoonists, betrays nothing about his religious or spiritual beliefs.He embodies prayer,place of worship and holy book.His credo is simple and uncomplicated: Be awake,aware and vigilant.He is his own leader and follower. He is at once a supreme individual and the member of the community.HE IS US.WE, THE PEOPLE.