যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে তবে একলা চলো রে।

একলা চলো, একলা চলো, একলা চলো, একলা চলো রে॥
যদি কেউ কথা না কয়, ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা,
যদি সবাই থাকে মুখ ফিরায়ে সবাই করে ভয়—
তবে পরান খুলে
ও তুই মুখ ফুটে তোর মনের কথা একলা বলো রে॥
যদি সবাই ফিরে যায়, ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা,
যদি গহন পথে যাবার কালে কেউ ফিরে না চায়—
তবে পথের কাঁটা
ও তুই রক্তমাখা চরণতলে একলা দলো রে॥
যদি আলো না ধরে, ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা,
যদি ঝড়-বাদলে আঁধার রাতে দুয়ার দেয় ঘরে—
তবে বজ্রানলে
আপন বুকের পাঁজর জ্বালিয়ে নিয়ে একলা জ্বলো রে॥

English Translation:

“If they answer not to thy call walk alone,

If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,

O thou unlucky one,

Open thy mind and speak out alone.

If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness,

O thou unlucky one,

Trample the thorns under thy tread,

And along the blood-lined track travel alone.

If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,

O thou unlucky one,

With the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart

And let it burn alone.”

The above poem in Bengali, and the rendition in English, are both written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905. This has recently been made into a song called “Ekla Cholo Re”, in the film “Kahaani”, sung by Amitabh Bachchan, and music is given by Vishal-Shekhar.

“Yeh jo Aag hai teri yaadon mein,

Jalaa rahi hai dil meraaa,

Jal jaoon main bhi…

Khilti yeh chaandni, gaati yeh zindagi,

Gungunaati zameen, jhoomta aasmaan,

Saara zamaana!

Mera hi tha jab tha kabhi,

Ek apna tu bhi!”

-Lyrics from the song “Aag”, by Shehzad Roy.

"There is always someone there for everyone,

You might not believe it now, but give it time,

They say it clearly, say it straight,

Forget you know this language well,

You cannot hide away from love though you can run;

There is someone there for you who doesn't mind,

One who knows the past is better left behind,

Dreams, enormous dreams

And one who dares enough to live again,

Cause trying hard and falling down is not a crime...."

- Lyrics from the song "Someone for everyone", by Basia.

 Its ironic that I'm posting this video on Republic Day, but it was really shocking to me after seeing the brutalities done by the Indian Army on Kashmiri Muslims and even Hindus for that matter. Made by film-maker Ashvin Kumar, who earlier made the short film 'Little Terrorist', (the only Indian short film to be nominated for Oscars). He has also made films like 'Road to Ladakh' and 'Inshaallah Football', which serves as a prequel to 'Inshaallah, Kashmir'.  The trailer looks remarkable, and it has these interviews taken of the local Kashmiri people who were victims of these brutalities. 

Since, the film was having problems with the censor board, they have by-passed it, by releasing it online. The complete film is now available on Youtube and Vimeo under username 'ashvinalipur'. Ashvin Kumar speaks with Tehelka here in an interview. 

Also, recently, I came across this another video of Indian army torturing the civilians in West Bengal, where the man was stripped off his clothes and beaten by sticks. It is a very disturbing video, and would not want to show it here. Like the American forces' cruelties on Iraqis and Afghanis was not enough, we have some in our own backyard. I am here reminded of lyrics from this song 'Look Into My Eyes', by Outlandish:

"Terror breathes the air I breathe

It's the checkpoint on my way to school
Terror is the robbery of my land
And the torture of my mother
The imprisonment of my innocent father
The bullet in my baby brother
The bulldozers and the tanks
The gases and the guns
The bombs that fall outside my door
All due to your funds
You blame me for defending myself
Against the ways of my enemies
I'm terrorized in my own land
But am I the terrorist?"

If the people who are supposed to be protecting us, do these kind of things, then its really sad. We pay the taxes and fund them, and this is what happens to us, in return. 

Here’s something really incredible that I found today. I read this post on ThePictureCorrect photography forum. It is about this guy Jeff Harris, who as part of a resolution started taking self-portraits every day. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he did not stop himself. He still self-portraits himself, and even does all the things that any other normal guy does, but on a wheel chair or crutches. A really motivating video, for all of us, who feel irritated, even by some small troubles in life.... Read on.

By the time you read this, Jeff Harris will have taken considerably more than 4748 self-portraits. For New Year 1999, rather than resolve, to write a diary for the year, Jeff set himself the task of taking a self-portrait every day. The result is an incredible record of his life through the ups and some very significant downs, not just for a year,but for the last 12 years

In his own words, at first his shots were somewhat boring and repetitive, but using photography as a tool, he found increasingly interesting and creative ways to portray his life. The initial focus on the project was to attempt to show his life as not being a mundane 9-5 existence but to show him enjoying life to the full. As well as getting friends and family to take a shot, one of the more unique aspects to his visual diary is getting celebrities to take his picture. His creativity particularly shines through in some of these pictures, as he tries to convey the character of the celebrity through the portraits they have taken of him. In one particularly interesting series of shots, he poses as if to avoid being photographed. The photographer is Michael Moore, the renowned documentary filmmaker.

The fluidity of the story is another theme running through Jeff’s pictures. In one shot, he can be seen leaping high in the air on a rock band’s stage. In the next shot we see him the emergency room being treated for a fractured foot sustained during the leap. Further daily images show Jeff’s daily routine barely changing despite being on crutches.

Self Portrait Every Day for 12 Years

“It gives me something to strive for, if there’s a fence I’m going to climb it, if there’s a river I’m going to canoe down it, but I’m still going.” -Jeff Harris

In 2008 Jeff was diagnosed with cancer, yet throughout this incredibly traumatic time in his life, he continued his one a day self-portrait project, using it as a type of therapy, a constant in his life during a time of incredible changes. He even persuaded his doctor to take images during surgery and recorded his entire experience of treatment and recovery. The surgery has left Jeff permanently paralyzed in his left leg and he is now confined to crutches yet he continues his project, trying to convey the image of a fully able-bodied person he pushes himself to do things that many would think beyond his ability. Jeff’s incredible journey and dedication to recording it has become an inspiration to many people around the world.