INNER-VOICE OF PEOPLE

Writer: Sukhinder

Canadian Punjabi literature is full of variety. Leading characteristic of the writings of the majority of the Canadian Punjabi writers is their portrayal of people’s sufferings. These writings present the realistic analytical portrayal of the pains, sufferings, joys, wishes, successes, frustrations and hopes of the people living their day-to-day lives in the Canadian society.
In the last four decades major writers who have been active in making the Canadian punjabi literature richer with their writings among them there is one such name - Gill Moranwali. He has written in many forms of literature. His poetry collection ‘Sharare’ (Sparks) attracts attention due to its special character. All the writings included in this book are written in a literary form which is known as ‘Couplets’. Very few Punjabi writers have used this literary form. Among the Canadian Punjabi writers, perhaps, Gill Moranwali is the only poet who has published several books in this literary form.
Reading of couplets in the poetry collection ‘Sharare’ gives a feeling as if you are hearing the inner voice of the people. These couplets appear as small truths of life glowing in the dark nights as glowworms. While reading these couplets, sometimes, we feel as if someone has lighted small lighthouses on the roof tops of houses in the deserted streets so that in dark nights people returning to their houses should not feel scared. To see the richness of the couplets written by the poet Gill Moranwali, a believer of humanitarianism, we can start with the following couplets:
1. If ever errupts fire
among the people suddenly
get together to extinquish it
to save the world
2. Allegations, chiding, jealousy
donot mix in friendships
speak sometimes
words of love too
While writing poetry Gill Moranwali digs deeply into the hard realities of life. He becomes very merciless while removing masks from the faces of such people who are responsible for spreading mental pollution in our society. It doesn’t matter whether such people are politicians, religious leaders, saints, social workers or cultural workers - Gill Moranwali keeps on shattering their polluted characters. As a conscious poet, he keeps on catching the thieves hiding in their innerselves and exhibiting in front of us. Then his couplets echoe as the inner-voice of people : donot get scared from these polluted faces hiding behind the masks; recognize their real faces. You will also feel some kind of power in the couplets of poetry collection ‘Sharare’ when you will read the following couplets:
1. Framing a mask on his face
he gives an impression of a saint from outside
but from inside, he is still a thief
2. People are forgetting to serve a nation
under the garb of serving it, they are looting it
3. Under the cover of religion
people are doing criminal acts
they are destroying those fields
whose protection they were asked to do
In our times, the expressions of humanitarianism in the poetry of any poet is considered as the most important thing. Gill Moranwali, without any hesitation, could also be included among the group of those Canadian Punjabi writers who show their commitment towards writing their poetry for the betterment of the humanity. Such kind of poetry can also be called as poetry of positive thinking. Because, in this kind of poetry, we will never find any thing said against the humanity. This kind of poetry is always above the discrimination based on religion, color, race, gender or caste. Every conscious writer, artist, musician, intellectual, critic, politician wants to see the world developed on the global level as a healthy multicultural society. A society in which people coming from different cultures and beliefs can co-exist with each other peacefully and sing songs of harmony. An act that can help to make this planet earth a livable place for every human being. Gill Moranwali’s couplets are also saying this thing very explicitly:
1. By breaking these boundaries
create a new world order
where no one will ever fight
in the name of ‘I’ and ‘You’
2. Dance in harmony
sing in harmony
forgetting all resentments, displeasures
rise up as comrades
3. Avert dangers of war
come out with full confidence
sprinkle love affections
everyone starts blooming
Gill Moranwali’s couplets become even more impressive when he talks about the oppression inflicted on daughters in our society. It was expected that in the last couple of decades with the great progress made in the fields of knowledge / technology and enlightenment in the minds of those people who inflict oppression there will be some reduction in such criminal acts; but as a matter of fact now the people have started killing their own daughters even in the wombs of their mothers? In today’s world there is no such kind of work which sons can do and daughters can’t? There is no such field in the life in which daughters have not made great achievements with their hard work? Even, knowing this truth that without daughters the existence of man is not possible such criminal minded people who continue to inflict oppression on their daughters have no right even to call themselves as human beings. In the Canadian Punjabi community not only unborn daughters are being killed, in the developed country like Canada, greedy Punjabis are murdering their own daughters-in-law because these greedy men wanted more dowry from the parents of these young women. Canadian Punjabi newspapers are full of reports of such sad happenings appearing in the Punjabi community living in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and other areas of Canada as well. When Gill Moranwali is talking about this problem in the Canadian Punjabi community in his couplets, he is also expressing his concern about this serious crises the Canadian Punjabi community is facing today. With this hope that if the Canadian Punjabi writers will continue to talk about this problem with courage and without any hesitation then one day such things will definitely have some effect on the mentality of the oppressors and we will be able to make some progress in the Canadian Punjabi community so far as the problem of oppression on daughters is concerned. In this context, the following couplets of Gill Moranwali should be made popular among the common masses:
1. Treat sons and daughters
always equal
never trample your daugter under your feet
for the sake of your son
2. Father tells the doctor
i need a son
if it is a daughter
empty the womb
3. Jurymen court are mute
government has kept its mouth shut
girl in the womb of her mother
father has murdered
In this poetry collection, Gill Moranwali has written couplets about many other subjects as well. He also expresses his concern about immigrants who bring with them their old feuds from their countries of birth and as a consequence getting into violent acts in the Canadian society. Canada’s immigration department is responsible, to some extent, for such violence taking place in the Canadian cities. Because taking advantage of some loopholes in the Canadian immigration system criminals, drug dealers, rapists, pimps, sex traders, murderers, terrorists from around the world are coming to Canada. Newspapers from Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Halifax with their big front page headlines telling stories of drug gangsters murdering each other in the city streets, plazas, schools, colleges and universities are evidence of this fact.
After reading ‘Sharare’ (Sparks) we feel as if our mothers or grandmothers are telling us folk tales in our childhood days. In such folk tales there is always some truth of life portrayed.
I have no hesitation calling Gill Moranwali’s ‘Sharare’ as the inner voice of people. I hope, Gill Moranwali will continue to write poetry with great responsibility and commitment. My best wishes are for such a peoples poet.
(Malton, September 17, 2008)