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The spirit of revolution in the songs of Bishnu Prasad Rabha

Debajyoti BiswasAssistant Professor

Dept. Of English, Hojai CollegePh. – 9864180048

e-mail: deb61594@gmail.com

Bishnu Prasad Rabha had been a crusader throughout his life against the atrocities committed

against mankind. Neither British Raj nor the nexus between Zaminders and bourgeois class,

which followed after independence, could suppress the indomitable spirit of Rabha. He fought

against the British Raj for Independence; and later, after independence, he fought against the

oppressors of mankind. While a student, a meritorious student that he was, Rabha equally

participated in the freedom struggle from West Bengal; and was therefore compelled to leave his

studies incomplete for being wanted as a criminal by the British Raj. He had to quit his studies

and flee to Assam; but he could not quit his struggle to emancipate his countrymen from the

impending imperialist order that had started foreshadowing the future of Independent India. And

it is for this reason that he had to spend his days in Jail. Rabha’s humanitarian feelings coupled

with his revolutionary zeal makes him a kinsman of revolutionaries like Che Guevara and

Castro; but he is superior to them because he possessed the knack of an artist: He is a lyricist, a

dancer, a painter, an essayist, a singer, an actor, and a revolutionary. He has left an indelible

mark of his revolutionary spirit in his poetry which has now been anthologized for easy access to

the masses. These two volumes containing his works are the gamut of a dream for a Utopian

Society. The present paper briefly analyses his songs which has the spark of revolution.

Rabha has composed a number of lyrics which has now been institutionalized as Rabha Sangeet.

Whereas some of his poems are romantic in nature; his revolutionary poems glare blaze through

the pages of history. He reaches out for the common masses and seeks their participation in his

revolution to end the capitalist/imperialist order of the society. Truly a communist in his

ideology, he calls for the unification of the proletariat farmers who can raise their voices against

the Zamindars who had replaced the British in their act of exploitation after Independence. He

was soon disillusioned from his dream of independent India, and thereby continued his lifelong

crusade against the atrocities of the exploiters. Rabha advocated the cause of the laborer class

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and wanted to empower them. He dismissed Capitalism because he felt that this social order

cannot do justice to the laborers. Whereas, the laborers shoulder the responsibility in all forms,

the reigns of the society are in their hands of a few powerful people; and the society is governed

by the rich and powerful people. The weaker, poor and proletariat laborers work more and the

profit is reaped only by a few. Rabha wanted to change this type of parasitical society which

exploits the poor. Here we can see the undercurrent of Marxist influence in Rabha. His essay on

May Divas honoring the laborers which is celebrated in India and worldwide on 1 st May bears

testimony to this fact (Rabha 849). He upholds the principles of Marx in his songs. In his essay,

the difference between Socialist and Communist society” (Rabha 849), he clearly reverberates

the ideology of Marx by stating that Assam is in a semi-bourgeoisie state but in order to have a

utopian society, it is required that the individual will work according to his capacity, and will get

returns as per his/her requirement. This is only possible when there would be no difference

between intellectual labor and manual labor. It is important to understand the Marxist theory that

had influenced the thoughts of Rabha if we are to understand the ideology of his songs. Rabha

was a fiery high spirited revolutionary who at once applied force and knowledge to attain his

objective. In his song -

‘ÂõùÄ ÂõùÄ ÂõùÄ ÂõùÄßÔÁø¸ßÁ ú¿M ðÃù¼

Õ’ ÂõòÅ»± ü÷òÏûþ±Õ±áÂõ±¿ìÂÿ û±Ý Âõùļ.. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. ..

úîÂ1n¸ üë× ÎäÂÌÂó±Ëú 1ûþñòÏ æÿ÷ðñ1

Îú±ËýÃà ßÁ¿ùæñ1 1ãÃñ ÎîÂæÛ¶æñ ðÅÃàÏûþ±1¼ [Rabha 134)

- he incites the peasants to march forward in unification to fight against the zamindars who like

leech sucks the blood of the poor peasants. Prior to Independence Rabha has been apprehensive

about the fate of Independent India. He could foresee the shift of power from the British raj to

the sidekicks of the British rulers. This was chiefly the rich and the elite section of the society

who tried to win the confidence of the British rulers and hold the important portfolios after

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independence. He voiced his discontentment to this unholy nexus by writing the following on the

walls of Dewan Nalini Ranjan Kastabir and British Regent Hutchinson -

‘1±ËæÃÉ Õ±Ëåà ðÅÃý׿é Âó±ê±ÛßÁ¿é ßÁ±Ëù± ÛßÁ¿é ü±ðñ

1±ËæÃÉ1 û¿ðà ÷Ñáù ä±ÝðÅÃý׿é Âó±ê± Âõ¿ù ðñݼ’ (Rabha ò)

Since the peasants till the land to produce harvest with the strength of their arms, they should not

fear anyone. The fiery spirit of his songs must have surely intimidated and panicked the rich

class of people, which is why they must have conspired to demobilize Rabha by labeling him to

be a Chinese spy during the Indo-China war in 1962. The following song is a direct attack on the

rich class of people:

ñõÑü ßÁ1Ä ñõÑü ßÁ1ÄñòÏ1 ÕýÃÃÑßÁ±1

ðÃûþ± ÷±ûþ± òßÁ¿1¿ÂõŽÂ÷±1 ¿ðÃò Îû á’ù

ýÃñù, ÎßÁ±1, ðñ, ýÃñîÅÂ1Ï Íù1íÍù û±Ý Âõ’ù¼¼ (Rabha 134)

- he invites the peasants to carry their sickle, axe, ploughshare, and hammer in their battle against

the rich exploiters. His close association with the peasants made him popular among them; and

they helped him to be underground during emergency.

Rabha dreamt of a classless society which can advance towards development without pulling

anyone down. For him all were equal. The laborer, the peasant, the common men, the warriors

were all equal by virtue of being the proletariat, the deprived and the exploited. The fire of

hunger always burned in their belly as these people represented the oppressed class. In his poem-

Õ±&»±ý× Âõ’ù Õ±&»±ý× Âõ’ùÕ±&»±ý× Âõ’ù ü÷òÏûþ±!

ýÃñËù±»±1 ðÃù ýÃÃæÃÅ»±1 ðÃùÂõòÅ»±1 ðÃù Õ’ 1íÅ»± !.... (Rabha 138)

- he beckons his countrymen from all classes to join hands in his battle against exploitation.

Rabha was also profoundly influenced by the ideals of French revolution – Liberty, Equality,

Fraternity, as he had mentioned in one of his songs -

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ü±÷É, Æ÷SÏ, ¦¤±ñÏòî± Ûý× ¿S¿Âõñ

Õ±ðÃÇú ÎæÃɱ¿î¦œ±ò¼ (Rabha 134)

His call to break the iron chains of slavery and the prison wall echoes the occurrence of the

revolution by the common men, mostly peasants, in France against Louis XVI where they

stormed Bastille (Bastille). This act symbolized end of despotism in France and the beginning of

a new era. It was not a revolt but a revolution which brought changes; and Rabha insisted on

such revolution to change the social order in Assam. It is evident from his songs that he tried to

bring Peasant’s revolution in Assam too to ensure the emancipation of poor people –

Îúø¸ ûÅX1 Õ±¿÷ 1íÅ»±ÂóÔ¿ï»Ï1 ýÃñËù±»± ÂõòÅ»±ýÃÃ’÷ ¿ÂõæÃûþÏ Õ±¿÷ ðÅÃàÏûþ±!....

ßÁ’î 1¿Âõ ñòÏ Ûý×Âõ±1 · ....- UÒ¿äÂûþ±1! UÒ¿äÂûþ±1 ! !

ñòÏ ! ÷ýÃñæÃò ! ! æÿ÷ðñ1 ! ! !- UÒ¿äÂûþ±1 UÒ¿äÂûþ±1 ! ! (Rabha 138)

Along with liberty, equality and fraternity, he also envisaged a progressive utopian society –

Alaka Nagari- a self sustaining society. The metaphors used in the song are very complicated

and pregnant with multiple meanings; his choice and use of words in these songs are extremely

judicious as he maintains the balance of form and content with rhythmic parity.

His songs carry strong symbols and images which are indicative of revolution. For instance, the

symbols of blood, lightening, sickle, hammer, ploughshare, indicates revolution which is

balanced against the symbols of oppression like Iron Chains, Iron gates, Jail etc. Similarly,

images like striking thunder, breaking of chains of slavery, the arena, the flapping red flag, blood

smeared rising sun etc. are ambitious symbols for liberation of mankind from the bondage of

Imperial slavery and corruption. Rabha has sung these songs in independent India with the

courage of a warrior who knows no pains; except that he has felt the anguish which crept into the

hearts of the downtrodden masses. His question has been- if Independence has brought any

changes in the life of the common folks except in the shift of power from the British to the native

exploiters.

Since the society is a mosaic of various kinds of people, then why should only one particular

section govern the society? Rabha engaged himself in the India’s freedom movement struggle in

1930s being inspired by Gandhi and also participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement; but

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he never joined the Indian national Congress. This is perhaps the reason why, being not a part of

the elite congress group, he was not given due recognition nor was he offered a political seat in

Assam at the time of Independence. However, he won the assembly elections in 1967 from the

Tezpur Constituency.

He has got the chance to make his lifelong dreams true after coming to power; however time has

cut short his life and such a mighty heart was carried off in the chariot of death. He now lives

among us through his songs and immortal works. The embers of his ideology would remain

dormant until it finds another Rabha who would instill the revolution in the society once again.

Otherwise, the posterity would revere him in awe and possibly turn him into a myth, because the

existence of such a gigantic personality which dwarfs his rivals would be a myth in today’s

society. We owe this patriot a great tribute, unseen, unheard and unthinkable.

BibliographyRabha, Bishnu Prasad. Bishnu Prasad Rabha: Rachana Sambhar Part-I. Nagaon: Rabha Rachanabali Prakashan Sangha, March 2008 (2nd Print).

—. Bishnu Prasad Rabha: Rachana Sambhar Part-II. Nagaon: Rabha Rachanabali Prakasan Sangha, March 2008 (2nd Print).

"Bastille".  Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 08 Jun. 2012<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/55622/Bastille>.