Bare branches of the champak tree
And two forlorn flowers
Cast loneliness at the cold breath
Of ashen skies
No sunset today.
Sleep has exhausted its dreams
And at night
Having set up his mosquito net
He scratches his chest and loins
And sifts through fantasies
For names of pleasures
That would do
Reluctantly tuck in
And slip off to oblivion
Morning comes with an upsetting configuration
Of the hands of the watch
Hours pass,
Late for office.
And hours pass
And tea and cigarette times.
And time for lunch
And a quick siesta
And the two hours
Of the second half.
And tea at the shanty
And lightening conversation of fellow ghosts
Tuesday gone
And another three to go.
But the return
The return
Wherever you go
The return!
Kolya Nagar, Dhanbad, Late 2008/early 2009?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Is
Ashes float in the sunlight of the new rice
And the deep purple melancholy
That oozes from every pore of the earth
And congeals around the trunks of deceiving luminescent green
(leaping to low branches in evenings)
The empty cold wind turning
Turning on itself
And again
Floating on the new light of the new year
Can no more lead me astray
To her tripping alleys of pleasure
Of the mischievous running staircases to the terrace
Of skirts and knees and the warm surrender of laughter on my chest
Of her hair on my neck across her face of the salt of her kiss
Of the fullness of love.
No more.
For I who have traversed fifty cycles of the sun
Who has been drowned nine lifetimes
In the endless gutters of monsoon afternoons
Who has lost his steed and sword
And is condemned to ration queues for life
When on a wrong turn of the dice
Exchanged a Mohenjodaro of sighs
For the endless brook of her chitter chatter
Who in the endless wait for the yet unformed
Has watched kites as dusk condensed on her inconsolables.
Have worked it out (though not understood)
That only the light
Is.
03/01/2008, 06/01/08, 27/2/08
And the deep purple melancholy
That oozes from every pore of the earth
And congeals around the trunks of deceiving luminescent green
(leaping to low branches in evenings)
The empty cold wind turning
Turning on itself
And again
Floating on the new light of the new year
Can no more lead me astray
To her tripping alleys of pleasure
Of the mischievous running staircases to the terrace
Of skirts and knees and the warm surrender of laughter on my chest
Of her hair on my neck across her face of the salt of her kiss
Of the fullness of love.
No more.
For I who have traversed fifty cycles of the sun
Who has been drowned nine lifetimes
In the endless gutters of monsoon afternoons
Who has lost his steed and sword
And is condemned to ration queues for life
When on a wrong turn of the dice
Exchanged a Mohenjodaro of sighs
For the endless brook of her chitter chatter
Who in the endless wait for the yet unformed
Has watched kites as dusk condensed on her inconsolables.
Have worked it out (though not understood)
That only the light
Is.
03/01/2008, 06/01/08, 27/2/08
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Sin, unoriginal
The wind damp, cool, south-west
The mind ashen, like the widow’s sari, drying
The stone quartz, peeping out of the home earth to trip you
The dream, the battles, the ploughed earth, the blood.
Water
The sky beaten cotton in the floating cold
The belt tight, the collar, tight
Marbles, heavy pockets.
The returning report card.
The skirt, underneath
The mind Black, stone, iron, chest
Bruised knees Bruised elbows
Fifty lashes on the back of a choking soul
Air
City, petrolly
Indifferent, grime.
Never another morning
Mother, mother….
May the Light forgive you.
The mind ashen, like the widow’s sari, drying
The stone quartz, peeping out of the home earth to trip you
The dream, the battles, the ploughed earth, the blood.
Water
The sky beaten cotton in the floating cold
The belt tight, the collar, tight
Marbles, heavy pockets.
The returning report card.
The skirt, underneath
The mind Black, stone, iron, chest
Bruised knees Bruised elbows
Fifty lashes on the back of a choking soul
Air
City, petrolly
Indifferent, grime.
Never another morning
Mother, mother….
May the Light forgive you.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Goldfish
Time
like a falling stone
through yellow green foliage
through sunlight of the liquor tea.
Feelings
half understood
After half a life
Sometimes
Pebbles on the stream bed.
Then
Life
is that love
as the gold fish.
like a falling stone
through yellow green foliage
through sunlight of the liquor tea.
Feelings
half understood
After half a life
Sometimes
Pebbles on the stream bed.
Then
Life
is that love
as the gold fish.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Assault on Mumbai - India's action, Pakistan's response
This is interesting.
First India wants Pakistan to send its Chief of ISI. Pakistani PM agrees and then back-tracks.
India then seeks 21 masterminds of terror from Pakistan. Till today Pakistan has not agreed. Rather it is seeking international protection against attack by India.
What does that tell me? In the first instance, Pakistan is dancing to the tune of its army, the only agency other than its fundamentalist maulvis who are anti-India.
The second is more interesting. The Congress government is desperately seeking to save face with the nation. It has already sacrificed Shivraj Patil, its Home Minister, (from whose residence, I quote Malvika Singh in the TOI, his son runs his own private business). But the weak civilian government of Pakistan, is not allowed to release some of the 21 that India seeks, including at least Dawood Ibrahim.
This is a great farce in the line with the history of the sub-continent where one tune has played true throughout the ages. That of domestic squabbles when faced with a serious enemy.
The enemy today, for both the countries, is fundamentalist Islamic/Pakistani Military sponsored terrorism. But Pakistan is unable to acknowledge that. For then its mullahs would raise hell with the illiterate Muslim people of both the countries. And its military would tell Mr. Ten Percent 'Enough is enough. Go elsewhere and let us, who have the real power to run this country, run it.'
On one level I am enjoying the show, while Pranab Mukherjee wipes the sweat off his brow and the delicate Sonia is vexed, taxing her limited intelligence to find a solution, and the great 'baba' who, like his grandma, thinks that the democracy of India is family fiefdom, mouths Bollywood style dialogues. And on another I am so frustrated. The solution is so easy, if one is to set political ambition aside and dedicate oneself to the interests of the country. There will never be a greater opportunity. Even the President elect of the defacto rulers of the world has said India has a right to self defence. Here I am not advocating a senseless war against Pakistan. I would just have the present masters of India's destiny to drive the world to take over the job of eliminating the terrorist networks controlled by both/either of the two forces that control them, that is the Pakistani military/Islamic fundamentalists under the banner of the United Nations lead by the USA.
For now, the question of can we do it will be forestalled by the question whether it is in the interest of the Congress.
First India wants Pakistan to send its Chief of ISI. Pakistani PM agrees and then back-tracks.
India then seeks 21 masterminds of terror from Pakistan. Till today Pakistan has not agreed. Rather it is seeking international protection against attack by India.
What does that tell me? In the first instance, Pakistan is dancing to the tune of its army, the only agency other than its fundamentalist maulvis who are anti-India.
The second is more interesting. The Congress government is desperately seeking to save face with the nation. It has already sacrificed Shivraj Patil, its Home Minister, (from whose residence, I quote Malvika Singh in the TOI, his son runs his own private business). But the weak civilian government of Pakistan, is not allowed to release some of the 21 that India seeks, including at least Dawood Ibrahim.
This is a great farce in the line with the history of the sub-continent where one tune has played true throughout the ages. That of domestic squabbles when faced with a serious enemy.
The enemy today, for both the countries, is fundamentalist Islamic/Pakistani Military sponsored terrorism. But Pakistan is unable to acknowledge that. For then its mullahs would raise hell with the illiterate Muslim people of both the countries. And its military would tell Mr. Ten Percent 'Enough is enough. Go elsewhere and let us, who have the real power to run this country, run it.'
On one level I am enjoying the show, while Pranab Mukherjee wipes the sweat off his brow and the delicate Sonia is vexed, taxing her limited intelligence to find a solution, and the great 'baba' who, like his grandma, thinks that the democracy of India is family fiefdom, mouths Bollywood style dialogues. And on another I am so frustrated. The solution is so easy, if one is to set political ambition aside and dedicate oneself to the interests of the country. There will never be a greater opportunity. Even the President elect of the defacto rulers of the world has said India has a right to self defence. Here I am not advocating a senseless war against Pakistan. I would just have the present masters of India's destiny to drive the world to take over the job of eliminating the terrorist networks controlled by both/either of the two forces that control them, that is the Pakistani military/Islamic fundamentalists under the banner of the United Nations lead by the USA.
For now, the question of can we do it will be forestalled by the question whether it is in the interest of the Congress.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Terrorist attack on Mumbai
In the perspective of what has just happened I think it is time now that India tackled this menace proactively. We have to now to learn from Israel and follow its methods. After the slaughter of its athletes in the Munich Olympics, Israel constituted a team to eliminate each and everyone of the terrorists involved directly or indirectly. This has now been made into a beautiful film by Steven Spielberg titled 'Munich'. And the rescue of the hostages at Entebbe Airport still remains one of the most successful efforts in countering terrorism. And look at Israel today. Even though it is the enemy number one of the Islamic fundamentalists it has been successful in staving off major terrorist attacks on its soil. Why? Because no attack on it is allowed to go unpunished. The USA too has been able to prevent terrorist attacks on its soil. This has to be attributed in part to its excellent defensive measures. However, one has to take cognizance of its offensive measures too.
So it is time that the Government of India constituted a team to go and seek the masterminds and funders of the Mumbai attack and any subsequent attacks and eliminate them, even if it means violating the sovereignty of Pakistan or Bangladesh or any other country, even if it means eliminating General Musharraf or the top brass of the Pakistani Army, who might very well be behind the attack on Mumbai.
Also, I think that it is of utmost importance to start a global movement against terror emanating from Pakistan. India should go about convincing the powers that be in the world that enough is enough. The US and its Coalition has given the government of Pakistan enough time and resources to stop the breeding of terrorism from its soil but with no results. Now, it is time for intervention by a body constituted from agencies/experts of countries like USA, UK, Israel (which might be unacceptable to Islamic nations but they have considerable expertise in countering terrorism) India and Pakistan. This body would be stationed in Pakistan and the Pakistani Government should be made to co-operate; it is hardly in any financial position to refuse.
So it is time that the Government of India constituted a team to go and seek the masterminds and funders of the Mumbai attack and any subsequent attacks and eliminate them, even if it means violating the sovereignty of Pakistan or Bangladesh or any other country, even if it means eliminating General Musharraf or the top brass of the Pakistani Army, who might very well be behind the attack on Mumbai.
Also, I think that it is of utmost importance to start a global movement against terror emanating from Pakistan. India should go about convincing the powers that be in the world that enough is enough. The US and its Coalition has given the government of Pakistan enough time and resources to stop the breeding of terrorism from its soil but with no results. Now, it is time for intervention by a body constituted from agencies/experts of countries like USA, UK, Israel (which might be unacceptable to Islamic nations but they have considerable expertise in countering terrorism) India and Pakistan. This body would be stationed in Pakistan and the Pakistani Government should be made to co-operate; it is hardly in any financial position to refuse.
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