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to empower them. He dismissed Capitalism because he felt that this social order cannot do justice to the laborers. Whereas, the laborers shoulder the responsibility in all forms, the reigns of the society are in their hands of a few powerful people; and the society is governed by the rich and powerful people. The weaker, poor and proletariat laborers work more and the profit is reaped only by a few. Rabha wanted to change this type of parasitical society which exploits the poor. Here we can see the undercurrent of Marxist influence in Rabha. His essay on May Divas honoring the laborers which is celebrated in India and worldwide on 1st May bears testimony to this fact (Rabha 849). He upholds the principles of Marx in his songs. In his essay, the difference between Socialist and Communist society (Rabha 849), he clearly reverberates the ideology of Marx by stating that Assam is in a semi-bourgeoisie state but in order to have a utopian society, it is required that the individual will work according to his capacity, and will get returns as per his/her requirement. This is only possible when there would be no difference between intellectual labor and manual labor. It is important to understand the Marxist theory that had influenced the thoughts of Rabha if we are to understand the ideology of his songs. Rabha was a fiery high spirited revolutionary who at once applied force and knowledge to attain his objective. In his song -
M .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1n 1 1 1 1 1 [Rabha 134)
- he incites the peasants to march forward in unification to fight against the zamindars who like leech sucks the blood of the poor peasants. Prior to Independence Rabha has been apprehensive about the fate of Independent India. He could foresee the shift of power from the British raj to the sidekicks of the British rulers. This was chiefly the rich and the elite section of the society who tried to win the confidence of the British rulers and hold the important portfolios after independence. He voiced his discontentment to this unholy nexus by writing the following on the walls of Dewan Nalini Ranjan Kastabir and British Regent Hutchinson -
1 11 (Rabha )
Since the peasants till the land to produce harvest with the strength of their arms, they should not fear anyone. The fiery spirit of his songs must have surely intimidated and panicked the rich class of people, which is why they must have conspired to demobilize Rabha by labeling him to be a Chinese spy during the Indo-China war in 1962. The following song is a direct attack on the rich class of people:
1 1 1 1 1 1 , 1, , 1 1 (Rabha 134)
- he invites the peasants to carry their sickle, axe, ploughshare, and hammer in their battle against the rich exploiters. His close association with the peasants made him popular among them; and they helped him to be underground during emergency. Rabha dreamt of a classless society which can advance towards development without pulling anyone down. For him all were equal. The laborer, the peasant, the common men, the warriors were all equal by virtue of being the proletariat, the deprived and the exploited. The fire of hunger always burned in their belly as these people represented the oppressed class. In his poem-
S,
(Rabha 134)
His call to break the iron chains of slavery and the prison wall echoes the occurrence of the revolution by the common men, mostly peasants, in France against Louis XVI where they stormed Bastille (Bastille). This act symbolized end of despotism in France and the beginning of a new era. It was not a revolt but a revolution which brought changes; and Rabha insisted on such revolution to change the social order in Assam. It is evident from his songs that he tried to bring Peasants revolution in Assam too to ensure the emancipation of poor people
at the time of Independence. However, he won the assembly elections in 1967 from the Tezpur Constituency. He has got the chance to make his lifelong dreams true after coming to power; however time has cut short his life and such a mighty heart was carried off in the chariot of death. He now lives among us through his songs and immortal works. The embers of his ideology would remain dormant until it finds another Rabha who would instill the revolution in the society once again. Otherwise, the posterity would revere him in awe and possibly turn him into a myth, because the existence of such a gigantic personality which dwarfs his rivals would be a myth in todays society. We owe this patriot a great tribute, unseen, unheard and unthinkable.
Bibliography
Rabha, Bishnu Prasad. Bishnu Prasad Rabha: Rachana Sambhar Part-I. Nagaon: Rabha Rachanabali Prakashan Sangha, March 2008 (2nd Print). . Bishnu Prasad Rabha: Rachana Sambhar Part-II. Nagaon: Rabha Rachanabali Prakasan Sangha, March 2008 (2nd Print). "Bastille". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 08 Jun. 2012 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/55622/Bastille>.