MUMBAI: Lyricists Siddharth Singh and Garima Wahal known for their screenplay write-ups in films like Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ramleela, Batti Gul Metre Chalu, Toilet Ek Prem Katha recently released a poem named Thande Lekhak on their blog. Inspired by Javed Akhtar’s call for free writing, the poem deals with issues, which our country is facing currently.

On 16 March, at the 53rd edition of Shankar-Shad Mushaira, which took place at Modern School in Delhi, Javed Akhtar recited a new, unpublished poem for the first time in public that urged writers to speak up and express themselves in today’s dark times.

In support of that, a few days back legendary Lyricist Gulzar Saab also wrote a short poem with three verses. And now famous writers and lyricist Siddharth-Garima have written a heartfelt poem highlighting the problems that plague our nation in today’s times.

Commenting on the poem, Siddharth-Garima collectively say, “The trigger was the poem written by Javed saab. We feel a writer thrives on the socio-economic scenario of the society. In the last couple of years, we have seen killings of the torch-bearer writers who advocated freedom of speech Pansare and Gauri Lankesh. Apathy of the common man is omnipresent. People in our country die unceremoniously when a bridge collapses. This after we pay hefty taxes for the development of infrastructure. We feel we celebrate too much of the non-existent valour of the government. There's actually no freedom of speech left in the country.”

They further add, “We write and create mass entertainers that have a social message at the heart. But the censor board strikes off any critical mention of the government policies. Be it literature or any mass media communication, it's the writer who shapes the face of a liberated society. It's this responsibility that we see missing in today's creators and that's the driving force (angst) of this outburst.”

Read poem below

Afsos aaj kal lekhakon ke paas kuch kehne ko nahi

Ab jab iss naye zamaane mein

Qalam ki syaahi paisa hai, toh aisa hai

Ke uska maqsad kisi aandhi ka nahi

Mol sirf kagaaz ka reh gaya

Uspe baney gandhi ka nahi

Lekhak ki bedi nahi hoti koi

Par waqt gawaah hai, paabandi hamesha rahi hai

Aaj ka lekhak thanda hai

Aisa nahi ke uska karm aade aa gaya

Gaay ko jaanwar likha toh dharm aade aa gaya

Jawaab mein thande lekhak ne likha

“Gaay hamaari maata hai” aur bola “chhor apna kya jaata hai”

Apna jaata hai

Ye kisaan kyun meelon door se, nange pair chal raha hai?

Mera desh badal raha hai

Election ka samay hai,

Sarr pe rakha karza shayad phisal raha hai,

Mera desh badal raha hai

Lekhak hairaan hai, uski pehchaan hai kya?

Ye naya hindustan hai kya,

Wo jo betiyan ko gaay aur gaay ko maa banaane mein laga hai?

Ya jiske gareebon ko paisewalon ne hi thagaa hai?

Web ka jaal phenko

Desh mein sabse badi sankhya mein youth hai!

Kacchhe din hain… Shauchalay hote bhi khule mein moot hai

Shukar hai, picture hall ke bagal mein hi voting booth hai!

Iss hindustan mein likhnewale likhne ke kaaran haarte hain

Yahan ‘Lankesh’ ko

Ram ke bhes mein khud raavan maarte hain!

Falaane ko bheed maar gayi
Bheed ka kahan chehra hota hai
Sone ki chidiya pe peetal ka paani
Aise kab koi sunehra hota hai

Kaun kahe mushkil mein hai desh

Kaun baney Gauri lankesh?

Sadak tooti haalat phatel

Dekhne chale 300 foot ke Patel

Ram raaj ke kaam kaaj

Karnvati aur Prayagraaj

Vikas aur Kalyan hifi hai

Naukri nahi par free WiFi hai

Aaj baat satahi reh gayi

Maharat ki nahi

Humne kahaani sabhyata ke prakop ki likhi thi

Sarkaari vigyapan ke ‘Swacch Bharat’ ki nahi

Andheron mein maare teeron ko aaj

Sab bahaduri kehte hain

Gaayab hain jalwe, gumnaam hain sarfarosh

Sarkaari bhaashan mein koi pooche

Mitron “how’s the josh’?

Waqt baitha hai taak mein lekhak

Ke ab toh tu khaulega

Tod do qalam, chheen lo syaahi

Ab nikal ke ragon se mera ye lahu bolega