Power, poetry and smart meters

“Is Sarkar di meharbani, na ji bijli na ji Pani”

A few years ago, some two dozen protesters from the marginalised Gujjar community gathered in a town and belted out the above line with a tall man, sporting henna-dyed beard, beating a drum slinging over his sturdy shoulder.

The line actually, which I recollect, was a refrain sung in chorus. Soon some pedestrians and shoppers gathered there and even a few joined them. The song was so powerful that it spurred the authorities to listen to their grievances and even address them.

Protest poetry is not new to human history. The poetry of dissent has played a crucial role in  political and social  movements. Captivating couplets and slogans have always been able to attract the attention of political  movers and shakers. In modern history,  many poems and slogans continue to remain etched on the peoples' memory and become a hallmark of resistance and protests. Gil Scottt-Heron's “The Revolution Could Not Be Televised” or Faiz Ahmad Faiz's Hum Dekhe ge, Lazim hai ki and Har zor-zulm ki takkar mein, hartal hamara nara hai by Shailendera are some of the poems that serve as powerful rallying cries, inspiring unity among the people.

In Kashmir too as cited above, the poetry has always been at the centre of protests. The well-crafted slogans raised during the protests with protesters demanding basic amenities are able to elicit enthusiasm among the people.

Last week, a knot of women in Srinagar, protesting against the installation of  smart meters belted out a Kashmir song that could be categorized as elegiac in nature by the literary critics.

Asi naa chuyi kanh ti rozgar,

Asi haa chi novjawan bekar

Asi dim-hoyi meeterun naar

(We don't have any livelihood/Our youth are unemployed / We will burn these meters).

These verses composed to resist the installation of electric meters not only underscored the demand of the protesters, but also relayed their deep economic distress , leaving them unable to foot the huge electric bills.

The authorities have been installing the smart meters in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two years. The move, however, has met with much resistance in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions with people finding themselves in a tight spot.

The government is intending to install meters in the entire region by 2026. The power scenario, on the other hand, has gone downhill. Kashmir experienced unprecedented  and  long-drawn-out power outages this winter.

The people in many parts expressed their concern over the recurring and unannounced power cuts. Additionally, the power tariffs have also been enhanced in non-metered areas, which  touched off a fresh round of protests in several rural areas across the Valley.

The women protesters in Srinagar singing in chorus not only lamented the government's move but also threatened it of failing in the upcoming elections.

Although the song filled the air briefly, the verses continue to resonate across the social media platforms. The refrain sung by the women echoes the sentiments of thousands of people across the region who find it difficult to pay the huge power tariffs.