January - 2022
The March of History
Where is there a reason for pride Looking at any nation ’ s story ? All history of human glory Is man against man , in glory strife . All man ’ s history is exploitation , Oppression , killing and getting killed ; Each history of every nation Is written in blood on war fields spilt . All history of every nation Is ghastly , ghostly vain narration ! It is poor men ’ s tears and toilers ’ sweat ! It is stone received in lieu of bread ! Strong races enslaved the weaker ones ; Killers posing as kings ascended thrones ! All earth is sorely battle - scarred ; All the past , it is drenched in tears or blood ! History stinks with the flesh to the dead , Echoes the groans of the helpless poor ; The course of history plots the road Of men displaced - uprooted brood . Inequity and selfishness Wickedness , envy , rivalry In assured names and cunning ways Determined the trends of history . Chenghis Khan and Tamerlaine , Ghory , Ghazni , Nadir shah Or Sikander , never mind , Everyone is a murderer ! Vikings , Huns and Persians , Pindaris , Thugs and all their tribe Erected in moments out of sense A bridge of swords on the river of time . In those dark ages of ignorance , By unknown forces , blindly led , Groping their way in boundless greed In frenzied hunger did men advance . They were sure of their grandeur , Believed they were the lords of earth , And built great empires by the score , Enacting laws of doubtful worth . When other forces rose , those laws These empires fell like houses of cards ! History was born in the painful throes Of clashing classes dire opposed ! This fraud that is going on for long , High - handedness of the men of might , The many tricks of the moneyed throng Shall halt , must stop , it is check - mate . A social order , way of life That sanctions man to rob a man ,
- Mahakavi Sri Sri
Keeps races in perpetual strife
Shall cease to be , must go anon . Czech miner , Chinese rickshaw - hand , Irish sailor and all small fry , All the oppressed of the land Proclaim the truth of history . Zulu , negro , Hottentot , Black , brown , white and yellow men With voices raised in unison Announce their real historic let . Not this battle lost and won , Not that kingdom come and gone , Nor the dates , nor documents Shall make any historic sense . Not this queen ’ s sweet romance , Not that seige ’ s vast expense , Nor old records and chronicles Shall meet any historic bills . Dig up reality , so long little - known , Lost in the dark depths of history ! Give us those stories so holy , so hoary , The truth that could never be suppressed by men ! In the civilization of the Nile What was the lot of the common folks ? While raising the beautiful Taj Mahal Who were the coolies that carried the rocks ? In the great imperial wars How brave were the common men ? Not the Rajah ’ s palanquin Whose were the shoulders that bore the scars ? In Taxila and Pataliputra , Harappa and Mohenjo - Daro , What were people ’ s joy and sorrow ? What Art was theirs ? How was their Shastra ? On the Mediterranean shore And in the caves of Magnon , What was there for Man in store , In the time that was long a gone ? In the History ’ s dusk and dawn How has Mankind blossomed forth ? What is it and where and when Have men achieved to prove their worth ? What Art , Literature , Science and songs In the Creation ’ s cosmic dance ? To drink what Light is Man athirst What is his dream ? And what conquest ?
Telugu Original : Desa Charitralu , written on 19-04-1938 , English Translated by Sri Sri on 20-10-1969
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