Lok Sabha polls: In Bengal, Mud-slinging replaces limericks in battle for ballot

KOLKATA: Think of politics and many would think of crime, not rhyme. But once upon a time, not so long ago, it was the most potent weapon of campaigners. Now the art is lost, wit replaced by nasty attacks and the stage has shifted to TV and internet, rue veterans.
State CPI secretary Manju Kumar Majumdar was all smiles while remembering the good old days. "Cartoons and rhyme had great influence on citizens.Not just political but also a cultural influence. Nowadays, the medium of campaigning has changed and TV channels show comic versions of leaders. But there is also a tendency to cross the line," he said.
"The rhyme culture is almost extinct. Only in the remote corners of Purulia you'll still find political couplets," he pointed out.
"Back then, not only were politics rhymes composed but they were inspired by folk music like Tushu, Bhadu and Baul. There were hilarious couplets made up spontaneously but now that's all gone, replaced by TV advertisements and hoardings," sighed CPM central committee member Mridul Dey. He dug out a rhyme from 1966: "Mar Mar birodhider mar/Mantri police achen piche/Bhoy ta kobe kar/Mar mar mar, bhangre matha ghar/Mere dhore ghor jaliye kor re chharkhhar (Thrash the opposition/Cops and leaders back us/Hit them, break them/Burn their homes down to the ground)".
He added: "I remember 'Knachkola' - a take on then CM Prafulla Sen who had said 'So what if you can't afford rice, have raw banana'. Then there was also 'Probhur Hukum' - 'Amar kothaye cholbe/ Ja boli tai bolbe/Tobe jodi gol bedhe jaye/Jodi dekho kotha rakhai day/Tokhon bochonete madhu chhoriye/Debei debe gol mitiye/Sob shanto hole punoraye/Sobe jeno more gun gaye (I'll dictate, you'll follow/ But if trouble breaks out/If you see it's going out of hand/Sugercoat it, fix it/Once it's over, all must again sing my praise)". This, though directed towards Indira Gandhi, is equally relevant to the current chief minister's regime."
Senior leaders don't seem to have limerick-campaigning as a priority. Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee admitted: "It's gone down heavily and there are no specific plans for such drives at the top party-level." Congress candidate Somen Mitra trashed the concept. "I don't believe in such rubbish. Ours is a political fight that is being fought politically."
But young guns have pulled their resources and are collecting and distributing all they can. Says Shatarup Ghosh, SFI all-India joint secretary: "Earlier, the party office took slogans and rhymes to the public. But now the trend has reversed. We have a team of cyber activists who collect, screen and post limericks our supporters send us."
Trinamool too, boasts of a motley group of wordsmiths. Take Debabrata Roy, who contributes rhymes to the party's campaign team in Bengal. "The culture of rhyme is on decline in cities, but in rural areas it's still popular. Urban people want readymade stuff, it's all about package and display. The haste to produce kills the quality." Sample a few lines written by Roy: "Loksobha ti sholo-tomo/Akash theke bojro somo/ harer jala porbe ghare/Bujhbe CPM hare hare (It's the 16th Lok Sabha session/Loss will strike like a bolt from the blue/CPM will feel it in the bones)". Or "Lorai korechi Bidhan Sobhaye/Chiniye niyechi khomota/ Lok Sabha tao jitbo bondhu/ samne netri Mamata (We have fought and won assembly/We have snatched away power/Lok Sabha too shall be ours/With a leader such as Mamata)".
Veteran writers agree that the political rhyme or 'voter chhora' is facing a wipe-out. Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay said: "Voter chhora is ancient. Now people have different taste. They're no longer influenced by chhora, so it's no longer useful for parties. Parties, too, have understood rhymes won't pull voters, so they don't invest. This was inevitable."
Asked about the 60s, he added: "Back then there were several funny limericks. Political enmity was always there but now careers are linked to politics, a lot of money involved. The parodies that were on everybody's lips back then won't have any impact now."
"From the 60s-80s, newspapers used to carry voter chhora. Now they're extinct. At one point even humour was dead. There seems to be an attempt now but its not up to the mark. It's not that the Bengali has lost its sense of humour. They seek such rhymes but are deprived. Not many writers who can independently pen enjoyable limericks anymore," feels Abul Basar.