Dandi March

The following poetry (or just call it a few lines for the lack of rhyme) was written on the eve of infamous Gujarat riots. I chose it to be my first blog for the inherent message within.

Dandi March, a jallianwallah, a Bapu and independence
Fifty years hence…
The dust settles and the veneer erodes
And
Out emerges a nation with ethics stenched
Rights… often misused
Freedom… often mocked
Values … often murdered
Traditions …. often mutilated
The vibrance of Indian palette
With colours of peace, of harmony and of fraternity
Is replaced beyond recognition
By chaos, by anarchy and by hatred

Past… as they say, slips away
For present
And the face changes

We have come a long way
A long way ….indeed
From prabhatpheris to rathyatras
From donations to bribes
From Ahimsa to bloodshed
And who else can bear a testimony so striking...
Than mentally deranged old man
Who weeps in the solitude of a dark street corner
Whose daughter was raped
Wife and son murdered
Because they said…. He belongs to the other side of an imaginary line

It is the time, when we looked back
And confronted us
Is this the legacy we leave behind?

The day we did it
Not as a person, but as a humanity
The song of Iqbal will sing again
Sare jahan se achcha hindostan hamara