Ghadar Language Essay

The Ghadar Party produced and published a significant amount of literature and spread it both in India and abroad. I through my paper would be looking at Ghadar Poetry as a part of this literature which tried to establish a contact with people back home and connect migrants abroad. I will also be discussing how poetry became a more successful tool of contact than other genres of literature. Contact means to communicate and the poetry Ghadarites produced and published,was successful in establishing this contact. Intertextuality played a major role in moving the readers after reading this poetry. It not only had echoes of Guru Gobind Singh’s poetry but also included elements of sufi kissa poetry and other folk and classical texts. The metre/stanzas

Undouboutedly there is striking similarities but contrasts as well. The juxtaposition of shastra(books) and shastr(weapons) is interesting. Many historians have written that one of the reasons for failure of this movement is Unacceptibility of such violence back home. What aggravated this violence abroad and still people wanted to call their families and settle in these foreign lands. Many researchers have written how these migrants were well to do farmers back home and found it difficult to adjust as indentured labourers in Canada and Africa. Nayan Shah in his book “Stranger Intimacy” talks about ill treatment meted out to these people and how these served as the same purpose as slaves yet were transported in a more sophisticated garb. One can see the similarilty here with the girmitiyas that were transported in Amitav Ghosh’s Ibis triology and the conflicts, stress and atrocities they suffered. How fiction represents reality and can be seen as a connective link to other literatures like this Ghadar

Saanun Rajniti Wala Giyan Kiyon Nahin Why do we not know the science of politics?
Dhayi Totru Kha Gaye Khet Sada A handful people have taken control of our land
Hindustan da Koi Kisan Kiyon Nahin Why is not there a caretaker of Hindustan?

Marna Bhala Ghulami di Zindagi Ton It is better to die than live a life of servitude
Nahin Sukhan eh Man Bhulaavney Da We should never forget this saying
Mulk Jaagyaya Cheen Jo Ghook Suta China has awakened from its sleep
Dhol Vajyaya Hind Jagaawanney Da Battle drums of Hindustan's awakening are raging
Saanun Lord Na Panditan Kazian Di We do not need Pandits or Kazis
Nahin Shok Hai Berda Dubavaney Da As we do not want our ship to sink
Jap Jaap Da Waqt Bateet Hoya The time for prayers and Puja is past
Vella Aa Giya Teg Uthavney Da This is the time to pick up the sword
Pardhkey Ghadr Akhbar Nun Khabar Lagi The Ghadar paper is