Or, this eternally relevant couplet of Krishna Bihari “Noor” (1926-2003) from Lucknow: Sach badhe ya ghate toh sach na rahe, jhoot ki koi inteha hi nahin (Anything less than the truth, or more, is no longer the truth; but lies have no conditions, they are unlimited). To this, Javed Akhtar has the riposte: Ghalat baton ko khamoshi se sunna, haami bhar lena; bohat hain fayde isme, magar achcha nahin lagta (To listen silently to falsehood, and agree with it; there are benefits for sure, but I do not like it).

Poets sum up a situation with minimum effort. Sample this couplet of Zafar Gorakhpuri: Aag teri hai na meri, aag ko mat de hawa; raakh mera ghar hua toh tera ghar dekhega kaun? (Don’t add fuel to the fire, it is neither mine nor yours; if my home is burnt, who will look after yours?). Nida Fazli, who died recently, advises: Dushmani laakh sahi, khatm na keeje rishta; dil mile na mile, haath milate rahiye (Don’t break relationships, however great the enmity; if our hearts cannot meet, at least shake hands, preserve amity). Jigar Muradabadi reinforces this message: Unka jo farz hai wo ahl-e-siyasat jaane, mera paighaam mohabbat hai jahan tak pahunche (Let politicians decide what politics necessitates; my message is of love, however far it resonates).

Gulzar Saheb has this remarkably short poem on the shades of love: Yaad hai ik din, meri mez pe baithe baithe, cigarette ki dibiya par tumne, chhote se ik paudhe ka, ek sketch banaya tha; aake dekho, us paudhe par phool aaya hai (Remember, one day, while sitting at my table, you sketched on a cigarette box a tiny plant; come and see, that plant has bloomed).

And yet, there are days when hope ebbs. Rajesh Reddy, a very talented poet from Hyderabad, asks poignantly: Kisi din zindagi mein karishma kyun nahin hota; main har roz jaag toh jaata hoon zinda kyun nahin hota (One day, why doesn’t this miracle happen in life; I wake up each day, but why I do not I feel alive).

But Wasim Barelwi has an antidote to this: Ussulon par jahan daag aaye takrana zaroori hai; jo zinda ho toh phir zinda nazar aana zaroori hai (When principles are threatened it is necessary to fight; if you are not dead, it is essential to be alive). Rahat Indori amplified this fearlessness: Log har mod pe ruk ruk ke sambhalte kyon hain; itna darte hain toh ghar se nikalte kyon hain (Why do people stop and falter at every turn; if so frightened, why don’t they just remain at home).

So, let us echo the lines of Dushyant Kumar: Ho gayi hai peer (peeda) parbat si, pighalni chahiye, iss Himalaya se koi Ganga nikalni chahiye; sirf hangama khara karna mera maksad nahin, saari koshish hai ke ye soorat badalni chahiye (Oppression has become like a mountain, it needs to melt; a new Ganga from the Himalayas must flow again; ’tis not my intention to just create a ruckus, the entire effort is that the situation must change).

Pavan K Varma is an author, diplomat, and former member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). The views expressed are personal