Rock icon Roger Waters reads out lines from Delhi student Aamir Aziz’s ‘Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega’, calls Narendra Modi a ‘fascist’.

At a protest in London last week to demand the release of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Pink Floyd co-founder and rock icon Roger Waters read out lines from a poem by an Indian poet to huge applause from the crowd.

The lines were a translation of Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega (Everything will be remembered) by Amir Aziz, a student from Delhi. Responding to a series of events from the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir to the violence against students in Jamia Millia and JNU, Aziz’s poem, written in January, had been shared widely.

Waters introduced Aziz as a poet and activist in Delhi “involved in the fight against Modi and his fascist, racist citizenship law.”

The lines had the same anger against the establishment as the songs Waters used to write for his legendary rock band Pink Floyd in the late 60s, but expressed in more overt tones than Waters’ sarcastic pessimism. The anger here was more full blooded than the quiet desperation of many Pink Floyd songs.

The lines that Waters read went thus:

“Kill us, we will become ghosts

And write of your killings, with all the evidence

You write jokes in court,

We will write ‘justice’ on the walls

We will speak so loudly that even the deaf will hear

We will write so clearly that even the blind will read

You write injustice on earth

We will write revolution in the sky

Everything will be remembered,

Everything recorded.”

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters and poet Amir Aziz (right).

“I think this kid's got a future,” 76-year-old Waters said after the recitation, as the crowd applauded. The rockstar also made a reference to India’s anti-CAA protests, as well as protests in other countries.

“Julian is why we are here today, but this is no parochial protest. We are part of a global movement that might be the beginning of the global enlightenment, which this fragile planet so desperately needs,” he said.

The video of Waters' recital set off a Twitter storm with Pakistan PM Imran Khan tagging it with the words that “it was time for the world to stand up and take notice” of the “massacre in India”. Reactions from IndianTwitter users ranged from a resounding thumbs up to put downs terming it “naive interventionism”.

Roger Waters of Pink Floyd reads Aamir Aziz's 'Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega' and slays Narendra Modi. #DelhiRiots2020 pic.twitter.com/LAsDDD01Sq — Samiran Mishra (@scoutdesk) February 27, 2020

Waters received a resounding thumb’s up from Indian Twitter users, including celebrities such as composer Vishal Dadlani and actor Richa Chadha.

“Roger Waters of #PinkFloyd reads a translation of Aamir Aziz’ poem “Sab Yaad Rakha Jaayega”, in solidarity with anti-CAA protestors. The world is watching Delhi, amitshahofficial and @narendramodi. The world is...” wrote composer Vishal Dadlani.

Actor Richa Chadha posted, “So how many foreign-nationals have been declared anti-national yet? @iamjohnoliver @rogerwaters @chrislhayes @BernieSanders” .

One of the greatest and most successful rock bands of all time, Pink Floyd emerged in post-World War II England. Their lyrics and music spoke of anti-war sentiment, loneliness, and exploitation. The fight against an overarching establishment was a constant theme for the band.