Buses in Punjab are ferrying more than just passengers. Zipping on the State and National Highways, they are also carrying political notes.
That’s right. On fast trail, the Badals are using private buses for playing songs in their praise; and for driving home the “development” message.Travel on one of the private buses across the State, and you realise Punjabi flicks on the television sets affixed outside the drivers’ cabins are a passé. So are melodious Punjabi songs that once used to waft out of the overhead speakers.
You now have ear-splitting numbers about the Badal sarkar and its unending list of “achievements”. Travelling with the star! Nay, it’s now travelling for making the Badals a star.The specially compiled CDs have been distributed in all the private buses cutting across the length and breadth of the state, and to the national capital too, with the instructions of playing it right at the beginning of the journey.“These CDs have been provided by the company just two days before asking us to play this as the bus starts its journey,” a bus conductor of one of the Mercedes Benz private buses told The Pioneer.
The 40-minute duration CD titled Awaaz Punjab Di, specially made for the lok Sabha elections 2014, has a total of eight songs sung by various artistes, including singers-turned-Akalis Hans Raj Hans, and Harbhajan Mann.The songs are not only in the praise of the Badals or appealing the travellers to give vote to the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party combine, but are also talking about the Centre’s discrimination towards Punjab and the state of affairs in the Congress.
This is not all! While one of the songs openly assailed the Congress leadership in Punjab, including the State party president Partap Singh Bajwa, though without naming him, one 10-minute long song — Gal Mardaangi Di — is showering praises on the SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.
It is giving the entire credit for the party’s position and repeated electoral success to Sukhbir. Interestingly, no special song has been dedicated to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is the SAD patron in chief.
The opening song — Main Punjab bolda — described Punjab’s sufferings as Bharat maata da put begaana (Mother India’s unknown son) right from 1947 partition, followed by its bifurcation into three States of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, and the Army assault on the Sikh’s highest temporal seat, Akal Takht, in 1984 by Dilli di Fauj. Hit among all the songs is Tumba Sach Bolda which the passengers ask to play again and again. “Tumba song was liked by many who understand Punjabi and also the State’s political scene. Moreover, the tune is catchy,” said the conductor.
Tumba song went on to claim that SAD-BJP is going to form the Government at the Centre. If that is not enough, it tells you how the Congress leaders are deserting the party and coming to the SAD fold, besides the reluctance of the State party leaders to fight parliamentary polls, and Congress infighting.
All the songs, including others — Dilli Dushman Ban Gayi Singh Sardaaraan Di, Karma Wali Dharti, Zahrilli Nagin, Jatt Di Joon Buri, Dilli Darbaar — have been written by Ravi Sharma, and its music has been composed by Sukhbir Singh Bai, Surinder Bachchan, and Mahinder Kumar ‘Bablu’.
While the names of the singers were not mentioned on the beautifully-designed cover, which has the picture of Badal father-son duo and the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the renowned voices of Hans Raj and Mann did not go unnoticed.
Even as Badals interest and share in the State transport is not unknown, they have apparently found a unique way to drive home their political message.