Dubai: Pink Floyd co-founder and guitarist George Roger Waters has weighed in on India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act calling it "[Indian Prime Minister] Modi's fascist and racist citizenship law". At a gathering in London, Waters read out the English translation of a poem written by a young Indian poet and activist Aamir Aziz. A clip of the lines from the poem Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega (Everything will be remembered) being recited, went viral on Twitter on Thursday.
Before reading the poem, Waters introduced Aamir Aziz as, “This is a young man none of us know [I suspect]." He was speaking at a gathering that took place on Saturday, February 22, to demand the release of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in London. Speaking about sparking a global enlightenment, Roger Waters touched upon the protests raging in other parts of the world, including France, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Lebanon, and Colombia before talking about what's happening in India.
Many people in India have voiced their disagreement with the Indian government’s citizenship law, calling it repressive. Many are protesting across the country. Now, Delhi is facing the worst riot in decades after pro and anti-CAA protestors clashed. Goons reportedly seem to be running amok wreaking havoc and destroying Muslim homes, mosques and schools.
Aamir Aziz is a writer, actor, poet and musician who holds a degree in engineering. He hit fame while the Jamia protest was at its peak against the CAA. His poems and songs over the ongoing protest went viral for critically examining the government and the country's situation.
The poem Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega states that no matter how much the government and political establishments oppress writers, activists and media, the truth will be remembered, recorded and written. In a way it might remind you of Waters’ own songs. The mastermind behind one of the most popular cult rock bands is known for many controversial political solos like Perfect Sense, Part I and Picture That, which challenge poor political leadership and organised religion among other issues.
His song ‘Another Brick in the Wall’, which talks about oppression in school had to be banned by the South African government in 1980 after black children adopted the song as their anthem in protest against inferior education.
After all, a wall may not be enough to hide what’s going on in India. Commending Aamir Aziz’s words, Waters said: “This kid’s got a future…”
For the curious, here is a video of the complete poem in Hindi:
