Music of Bhaiya

The poetry recitations from bhaiya still echo in my ears. There was such a genuineness of expression, an inherent feeling of honesty in pursuit of expressing each emotion a phrase brought in. When he loudly stated ‘Patriotism. By Sir Walter Scotttttt!!’, there was an air of indignation – that matched that of a frustrated lawyer of a bollywood movie who would thump his fist and the table would shatter. And then the opening lines ‘Breathes THEERE the MAAN with soul so DEAD who ne’er to himself hath said’ was like a lion roar. And suddenly the following line seemed like a kitten purr ‘This is my own my native land’ and again the voice waxed to a roar ‘Whose hath had ne’er within him BURN’. The highs and lows altered throughout the poem until the finally the dictum came up ‘Living shall forfeit fair renoun and DOUBLY DYING SHALL GO DOWN UNHEARD, UNHONOURED AND UNSUNG!!

The other poem which he loudly recited is a favourite, because his recitation makes it even more rhythmic , jumpy and peppy. It is
Tiger, Tiger Burning bright
In the forest of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry ( this line is a sorry break)

What the anvil, what the chain
In what furnace was thy brain
Da-da –da-da daaa
Da- da- da- daa daaa
And ofcourse then there was O Captain ! My Captain our fearful trip is done…
I have a smile as I remember the parabolic eyebrows when he says with all grave concern and surprise ‘O Captain My Captain ??!!??’

There was another poem-the words totally obliterated, but not the concern it carried about how India was once so prosperous and now it was like a hallow tree, deprived of its riches. And the topping of it was that it was written by a Britisher!

Yet not everything about Bhaiya’s recitation was loud or concerning. I would never have the poem’s appreciations until I had heard these lines from Bhaiya ‘ … And all that is best of day and night meet in the and her aaayeees. It seemed that by some amalgamation, all the night and brightness do blend into her aayeees

Hindi poems too had its fervour. Yadi Hota Kinnar Naresh Main – Raaj Mahal mein Rehta, Soney ka Singhasan hota Sarr pe Mukut Chamakta . ( Guess we still don’t know what is a Kinnar). And then from Class One- ‘Amma zara dekh to bahar ………. Deekh raha hai Jal hi Jal’ And how can I forget the highly sanskritised “HImadri tung shringg se prabudhh shudhh bharti, svayam prabha svamujjalla swantantra pukarti. Amartya Veer putra ho – Dridh sakalp soch lo, Prashathh veer panth pe Badhe Chalo Badhe Chalo

His recitations are as a special as he would say in his own ‘Mahendra Kapoor’s’ voice ke ‘PHOOOOLOOOOOOOW ki teraah kitaaab mein SaJAAAAYEEEEe hue rakhnaAAAA’