Folk songs strike a political chord

Lakshmi thee ya Durga thee, woh swayam veerta ki avtaar,Dekh Marathe pulkit hote uske talwaron ke waar,Nakli yuddh, wyuh ki rachna aur khelna khoob shikaar,Sainya gherna, durg todna, yeh the uske priya khilwaar.Maharashtra Kul Devi uski bhi aaraadhya Bhavaani thee,Bundelo Harbolon ke muh hamne sunee kahaani thee,khoob ladi mardaani, woh to Jhansi waali Rani thee.
LUCKNOW: These lines on Jhansi ki Rani penned by Hindi poetess Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, not only throw light on the valour of Rani Lakshmi Bai, but also instill patriotism and pride among the natives. It is perhaps this characteristic of instantaneously churning the patriotic quotient that has compelled the political parties to use them and brighten their poll prospects in the region.
Expressing confidence that folk songs helps in building an instant rapport with the voters, especially in rural areas which do not have much access to urban culture, Rajendra, an aide of Brijendra Vyas alias Damdam Maharaj, the Congress candidate from Jhansi Nagar, said, “Bundeli folk songs help us in establishing an instant connect with our voters. Since Jhansi is largely rural in nature, folk songs have helped us in making our views known to the voters. During canvassing, a voter instantly framed a couplet: “Ab hoga ant bhrashtachaar ka, anyay ke raaj ka, hoga uday Damdam Maharaj ka”. These lines indeed made us realise the importance of folk culture among the people of this region, and strengthened our faith in the folk music and culture, said Rajendra.
President of Bundelkhand Congress and Bollywood actor Raja Bundela, when asked why he opted for Bundeli folk as a medium to communicate with voters, said, “I am a son of the soil. Using Bundeli music and songs helps me and partymen to directly connect with the voters. Though on popularity charts, Bundeli is relatively lower as compared to other regional dialects, yet it is a powerful medium of communication here. And, this prompted me to bank heavily on this as a medium of communication.”
Giving an insight into the local dialect prevalent in parts of Bundelkhand, Rajesh Katiyar, a BJP leader and an aide of saffron leader Uma Bharti said, “When Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi accused Didi (Uma Bharti) of being an outsider to Uttar Pradesh, Didi gave a befitting reply. She said, “100 khandi, ek Bundelkhandi”. In other words, it means that one Bundelkhandi is enough to handle 100 persons. And after this episode, most of the leaders in the region are using this line to assert themselves.
Amit Singh, who completed his Bachelors in Computer Application from Dr HS Gaur University, Sagar (MP), said, “I am a resident of Jhansi’s Mauranipur and I had attended some of the election rallies in Jhansi and Lalitpur. And I feel that people in UP’s Bundelkhand establish an instant connect whenever anyone tries to address them in their dialect. Such is the intensity of their love for their dialect. Probably, politicians came to know about this feeling and are harnessing it to the maximum possible extent to reap a rich harvest in terms of seats.”
Folk singer and lyrics writer Nirmohi ‘Akela’, son of famous folk singer late Kishan Lal, who is lending a folk touch to Raja Bundela’s election campaign, said, “Using Bundeli as a communication medium helps us to make an instant connect with the voters, especially in rural areas, and it also helps in enhancing the strength of the dialect and thereby increasing its usage and popularity.” When asked what prompted him to go for Bundelkhand Congress, Akela said, “Since, Bundela is a man who still maintains a grassroots connect and is concerned about Bundelkhand’s development, I went with him.”
One of the popular songs that Nirmohi ‘Akela’ is widely using in Bundela’s poll campign is: “Jitni bani itaiy sarkar, sabnaiy karao hai bhrashtachar; niyam kanoon sabre tor daare, aur..tor niyam netaji bhaiyya, dagaa rajya saiy karraye. Janta bichari bhukhi marrai, je apnon ghar bhar raye.”
Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2012
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