On Darshan do Ghanshyam…

I doubt whether Danny Boyle could have ever known about Surdas before Slumdog Millionaire, which (the film) I think is his perception of India. Plurality which is an essence of the Indian culture and society has undergone severe blows in the past that has enriched the western perception that flows from the film.

Now coming to the film's particular song Darshan do Ghanshyam, the filmmaker has opted for the song in order to strengthen his script and the character of Jamal who is pushed into begging after he is orphaned in an ethnic mishap, which could have taken place around the time of Babri Masjid demolition, as suggested through the reference of the time period in the film, where Jamal, a Muslim kid comes to know about Ram when he sees the symbol of a bow and arrow (indicating towards the Hindu right wing aggression).

Similarly a bhajan as Darshan do Ghanshyam is being identified with the trade of begging, in the film, which is an integral part of an amputee who begs on streets, trains or buses around us. The two things which have been marked in the film show our position. It shows that how ignorant we are regarding our own things.

It does not matter whether the lyrics have been created by Gopal Singh Nepali or Surdas. The most important thing is that none of us thought about the creator of Darshan do Ghanshyam. We accepted Surdas, as shown in the film, as the creator of this bhajan. Many of us could have studied Hindi as far as University level. In spite of this nobody could notice the mistake until the son of the noted Hindi poet Gopal Singh Nepali, raised the issue.