NOT YOUR DAUGHTER

Imagine a girl, of 24

Bubbly, easy going

Affectionate and approachable

With a hundred dreams in her eyes

DEAD.

****

She gave in, last night

Left a note with an empty bottle of morphine

She wasn’t raped, nor harassed

Nor acid attacked

She was just denied

Of true love

****

She was beautiful

In her own way

Wanted to love and be loved back

****

Had taken off her clothes

In such a haste (read trust)

Men do like it, don’t they? She had thought

****

Had rushed into things, true.

Had so much hope though

With stars in her eyes

And love in her heart

****

But alas, Caste and Religion were (are)

So much larger than her affection

Her soul was torn, minute by minute

Every time she was shown the door

****

Some might feel

It was a foolish decision

To be dead over a trivial matter like this

But this society does not know

How grateful it feels

When you are not addressed as

A spinster

A barren woman

A prostitute, or

A failure.

****

As a child

Caste and religion never mattered

As a kid

All the genders could play together

Unity in diversity

They used to say

Where did all that equality go

I wonder

****

I am curious to learn

How age old traditions

Hold more water

Than human emotions

How culture is more acceptable

But a woman’s fondness beyond her boundaries is not

****

As a woman

I have been told many times

That your skin color does matter

Your housekeeping skills will matter

High ambitions? Ditch them, girl

You are going to start a family

Not a business enterprise

****

As a woman

I have been made to realise

That I need to be pursued

And not the other way round

I need to be honest and faithful

And not the other way round

****

Can someone explain

Why a bare bodied woman

Draws more ridicule

Than an upper caste man,

Who has been accused of rape?

****

Roaming around at 3 in the night with men

Uncultured girl. Son, you better stay away from such women

Who have desires higher than you

Because they are all fired up with rogue lipstick and mascara

And will burn you with them too.

****

Acceptance is such a blessing

Desperation is a curse

It makes you love everyone

And makes you lose everything

****

So many movies

Fantasising romance

Surprisingly, they never talk

About the honour killings.

****

It seems all trivial

Till it hasn’t happened to your loved one

Just everyday newspaper gossip

Didn’t she have no shame?

Didn’t she love her parents?

Well, you need not judge her anymore

The bitterness has passed away

The honour of the family has been saved

She is not your daughter, hey!

****

I wish we were more tolerant

Towards cultural integration

Towards women and their ambitions

Towards the happiness of our youth

Without restrictions

****

As a society

I wish we could learn to love our children more

Than our temples, churches and mosques

****

I wish our God could be one

Our hearts and souls could be one

Because our Earth is one

And our Sun is, too

******************************

Hello, dear reader. Thanks for stopping by. I am hopeful that you would understand the emotions behind the poem before firing any sort of criticism. However, your feedback shall be genuinely accepted.

Hinting on inter-caste/religion/state marriages and societal pressures; increasing trend in casual relationships; women: their safety, life choices and ambitions; rising suicide trends amongst the youth; and cultural integration

Regards

Debashrita 🙂

MAA

Tum aisi kyun ho maa

Tum aisi kyun ho?

Apni jaan ko jokhim main daal ke

Humko duniya main laati ho.

Raat bhar bina soye

Humko mithi lori gaake sulati ho.

Bhookh lagne se pehle hi

Khana khila deti hai maa,

Rone se pehle hi

Samjha deti hai maa.

Pyaar se sir pe haath pher de to

Dard mit jate hain,

Sine se gale lagati hai toh

Jannatein mil jaati hain.

Yeh jo do akshar aaj sikh payi hu

Yeh maa ne hi sikhaya hai,

Padh likh kar aaj jo kuch bhi ban payi hu

Sab maa ka hi ashirvad hai.

Aaj badi ho gayi hu

Apne pairon par khadi hu

Laga jaise saara aasmaan cheen liya hai maine

To bhool gayi main maa ko.

Par ek din aisa aaya

Jab pankh kate mere

Zameen pe aake dham se giri main

Tab maa ne hi aake sambhala

Na jaane kya jaadu hain uske haathon main

Uska hai yeh andaaz nirala!

Zuban se kuch keh sakti, uske pehle hi

Aankhon ki nami ko padh gayi woh

Aansu tapakne se pehle hi

Gale laga li woh!

Kya bolu maa, aaj phir se

Ek nanhi si jaan ban jaane ka man karta hai

Tumhari aanchal main muh chupane ko jee chahta hai……

Duniya se bahut ladh lia hai maa,

Ab mujhe wapas ghar bula lo

Bachpan ki tarah lori gaake

Phir se mujhe sula do.

THE WHITE MUGHALS

The whole kingdom was waiting for the golden moment.
The queen was expecting a child.
The Emperor sat anxious, praying for his heir………………
On that bright morning, she was born
Much to the disgust of the Emperor. He sat forlorn,
With his head downcast,
Was there no one to rule his kingdom by caste?

He barely looked at his daughter’s face
And not even at the mother. The queen was unconscious
In her pain, but not in her fate
Tears rolled down from her eyes
When her glances met that of her child.
The baby was cute, her face was radiant
She had features that would make any parent feel triumphant;
But not her father
Who was rather disgusted with the queen and left her side
Whilst all this, the queen did dutifully abide
Her Royal Husband, His Highness
Even though she had fallen from his grace
Still she adorned herself daily, with the choicest of garments,
Ornaments, lauded with precious stones and jewels,
His favorite scent, his favorite flower on her wetted hair;
To seek his attention, she did what
She did what not……….
But alas! The King, he forgot
That once upon a time he had a charisma towards his first consort……………..

He was free to marry as many times as he chose
He loved many, he loved none
He wedded princesses one after the other
It was definitely not a happy family, together, forever!
The new queens and their sons, plotted continuously
To get the throne
The princess, however always remained behind her veil.

She had no say in the stately matters
And was always compelled to remain in the women quarters.
Slowly and steadily, she grew up to become a breathtaking beauty
At the same time, lovely and pretty…….
The queen took great pride in the princess
Who was cheerful even at the time of distress
Her dainty feet never announced her presence at the fort
But her voice did.
Her songs, happy or tragic
Captured a great set of audience.
One day as she was sitting alone by the pond
Someone stopped by to hear her singing.

He looked on, amazed
While she sat gazing him behind her shroud
Tall and handsome that he was
She had seen many like him before
But none of them had ever stolen her heart………….
She tried, with all her might
But could not stop thinking about him, day or night
Same was the case in the opposite side
Even though both of them knew the end of their story would be tragic
They secretly hoped for a magic
A magic, which would change their lives forever
Then they could stay forever, happily and ever after………….

But alas, some dreams do never come true……
In the quest for supremacy
Her love was seized by her own brother
Who ruthlessly killed her lover
Her heart was ripped apart
“How could he do this to me?
My brother, my own brother?”
She realized her destiny
Was not all glittery as it looked to be
The thirst for power had surpassed all blood relations
Human beings killing God’s own creations!!!!
Her kohl rimmed eyes
No longer held the same gaze,
Her soul had been wrenched
Drenched, in blood
Her identity was lost amidst the crowd
She was now just a face of the Harem, as she used to be
She was a Mughal. A White Mughal.

I was inspired to write this poem after reading about the Women of the Mughal Empire. The term ” White Mughals” symbolizes two things. First, white color is usually associated with beauty and purity. White is also the color of the dresses the widows wear. Sadly, the Mughal princesses were living in the biggest of the ironies of the world. Most of the Mughal princesses were unwed, and were living their lives in the darkness of the voids their destiny had created for them. To eliminate more people who were eligible to get the throne, the princesses were banned from entering into matrimonial alliances. Usually in the Mughal family, there used to be marriages inside the same family i.e. cousins marrying one another. But after Shah Jahan came to power, he had already killed his brothers and cousins so there was no one who could marry his sisters. And the trend continued down for Aurangzeb as well.

Read this beautiful blog piece about the Mughal princesses.

THE UGLY MARTIAN

There once lived an ugly Martian

With mighty crispy features

It was named Sandy

By its proud makers.

It loved to gorge on Venusian sand

That’s why its name

Tearing through its Sulphurous atmosphere

Earned it some fame.

While passing nearby earth

It decided to stop

It alighted in my garden

Eating all the green crops.

I cried out loud

All neighbors backed out in fear.

It seemed to look at me; I was cheered.

Some yellow drippings on the ground

Smelt like sulphur

It gave a loud belch

With a stinky odor.

The medium sized creature

Perhaps made of tungsten

Underwent a sudden seizure

Perhaps it was greensmitten.

We wanted it to take it to the local hospital

But sadly we couldn’t

For Mars’s average temperature is nearly 200 degrees Celsius.

It was awesomely hot

Creamed to its three blots

One of which looked like a food spot.

Scientists came rushing

To find it gushing……………………………………..water!

They proposed the following equation:

Veggie greens [carbohydrates] +sulphur + tungsten=water???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Politicians took the matter into their own hands

Spread the voice loud and clear

“The water crisis is over!!!!!!!!!”

Votes cast by people were innumerable

All set into frenzy motion

To take poor Sandy to the lab

To get water

Soon Sandy became the talk of this world

The hit of our educational hubs.

Everyone wanted to meet the great “Aqua donor”.

Thronged its lab with greens of all kinds

Sad for Sandy, who wanted a Sulphur Cake

Got instead a bitter gourd shake.

People thought their problems were over,

India sent to Mars a Space Rover

To know more;

But no surprise, nothing was found, except sand

That unfortunate Sandy did actually want.

It soon suffered from siliconosulphurotungstenaphenesis

Alas! It could not be saved.

The one liter water has been preserved by the lab fellows to understand about Martian life.

The whole world again plunged into deep sorrow.

Water crisis is here to stay,

Along with the sulphur mark in my garden that Sandy made.

Woman Sighted on Mars!!!!!!!

 

 

GETTING TO KNOW THY SOUL

Getting to know thy soul

Is such an experience

That lets you ahead of others,

But you still lag behind.

You get to know about your birth,

But again get notified of your death.

The spirit inside you is a unique one,

We all are uniques,

We struggle to be like others

But actually, who bothers?

In this vast, yet tiny life

We get many things to see,

The births and deaths astonish us,

But yet we are to know the truth within.

The world’s a great stage and we’re merely actors,

We are given roles to try out,

One role goes and comes another,

If it gets bad, there’s no need to ponder.

When things really go to get worse,

Believe in God, and complete the course.

Without your knowledge, one day your acts will vanish into thin air,

You’ll be lost somewhere, without a care.

Who knows when you’d arrive again in a new style?

A new character?

The directors and producers will never mind,

Because they have seen things of such kind.

You’d be the only one alone.

So, let’s start from today,

The art of pray,

Pay for all the sins when you’ve got pain,

And reap happiness for your best.

This is the reality of life,

Here you have to live by and by.

Let your sadness be washed away and happiness stay,

Peace thrive and conscience strive.

RAIN, I FEEL YOU’RE SPECIAL…………..

 

Today, when I woke up in the morning, it was the rain who greeted me……

It washed down my feet and flowed through my arms,

Just like a summer retreat.

The tiny rain drops trickled down my specs and made it difficult to see through.

But I was clearly able to see the reality within.

The flowers, once in their majestic form

Were soaked to the extent,

Plants were bending like a servant by the king,

Or, what else, could I have expected?

The rain can wash lives and livestock,

But couldn’t wash my memories…….

It can bring happy days to the farmers,

But ignite sadness in me……

Flooded streams with toads croaking,

This was not what I bothered,

All I bothered was this lonely day and had quietly sobbed.

When on a rainy day I hated to wake up for school,

Today I was wide awake and stared in the direction of my school.

The gentle breeze crossed my face,

My hairs were out of their place, but I didn’t mind,

Those keratin fibres emitted a spark in me,

It was through them that I could see.

I had stuck my face with them in the class,

To avoid being a joke in just a flash.

How much can jealousy drive you?

Can it, to such an extent, that I’d feel sorry for myself?

Or for them, who are selfish within?

Whatever it maybe, O dear rain, I feel you’re special for me, really,

It’s infront of you that I can pour out my heart so freely!

Send your vast wishes to me so that I can be bold

To feel the inner feelings which have been knocked out by cold,

Send your waters to wash me by,

So that no one can see my tears when I cry……………….

Good day, dear rain, have a great day,

One day it’ll be you, who’ll mix my body in the soil of the bay.

 

 

HOW MUCH FRIENDSHIP MATTERS TO YOU???

Getting in through my old school doors once again

Is such a dilemma……..

Memories hard to be forgotten

Turn my thoughts into an enigma……

I was flying high in the sky

But I’m on the ground again

Gracing the heavenly bonds

That strikes my heart within.

Friendly ties afresh my mind

I was of a silly kind

That I had made up my heart

To get ready to be stricken with arrows and darts.

I was missing my friends but now I’ll be missing them more

My heart’s not that brave, I encore.

My life’s turned again towards my past,

So I’ve yet again got a sore too fast.

12 years of amity burnt a hole

And no wonder my heart was stole,

Yet 2 years await me

I’ve got much more to see.

This time I won’t bother my friends to look at me

I won’t be used up again for free

Let all of them understand my weight

Only then I’d be able to settle up my fate.

Love you friends, this was for you all; you are my destiny,

I shall be yours for all eternity.

THE CRICKET FEVER

There’s something about this game,

Which has earned so much fame.

 Cricket is the ultimate thing that we understand,

 For it we leave our work unplanned.

 There’s no antidote for cricket mania,

 People also forget the game of Sania.

But only helping hands and praying lips,

 Equipments and a few tips,

Overcome our fever

Which makes us excitedly shiver.

Hunger and thirst are forgotten,

Other necessities get rotten.

“Cricket and cinema are our religion’’, this is what Indians say,

For these they are ready to face any situation, comes what may.

 The glimmering lights and the jeering crowd,

Makes cricket feel truly proud.

And this world cup of 2011

 Graced India from the magic of heaven.

Indian players lifted the world cup with joy,

Other people soon engaged in the celebration by and by.

 When Dhoni hit a six,

The Srilankans were in a fix,

India won the game,

 A huge fame to claim.

This season is going to get all the more interesting,

 With DLF IPL in the clearing.

This game of glorious uncertainties,

Is the main cause of our festivities,

Play or pacify, that’s the way,

For a new achievement, a new joy.

Well, I don’t have any might for its continuation,

But this is, and will be my favourite; that’s my decision.

I hope this game of gentlemen

 Will get more popularity in the coming gens*.

Oh, this cricket fever,

Is going to end never.

*generations

THE LUSTY LIZARD

Lizards are our neighbors, I know,

But they too trouble me, and give sorrow,

With fear and anxiety, I stare at one,

And pray to God that it may pass.

But one unfortunate morning that came by,

When I was in the bathroom

I saw a lizard, very close to me,

I closed my eyes not to see,

But surprisingly I noticed some traits,

Which I consider for my miniature researches as great.

It had little small claws,

As black as coal, without any flaws,

I looked back in surprise,

Since I had never seen one like this.

I was more terrified,

Began praying to God, and cried,

All the time it was glaring back at me,

Now I knew, it was easier to ward off a bee.

Then suddenly I put water on it,

It jumped and went out of the room,

I felt so great!

Then only, I could complete my bath,

Finally, the lusty wrath

Was out, and I was in

Bathing with a big grin.

A NEW MORNING

A new beginning awaits everyone
A new morning everyday,
A fresh sun smiling at everyone
A gentle breeze blowing away.
The people retreat from their beds sheepishly
Feeling very sleepy,
As soon as they notice the sun,
They begin with their morn.
Sparks of thoughts emerge in minds,
Shocking them enough to start their jobs of all kinds,
Everyone buzzes of with a work
And a tweet to talk during the work.
The sun shines on them, brightly
Looking into their cheerful faces,
It is the sun who ignites them spontaneously
To make them start their day with a masterpiece.
The day goes on and on
And ends with the drowning sun
The stars come out at the dark
To give the people a nightly spark.
The peoplr retreat to their beds,
With the kids leading ahead
Fluffy pillows and warm blankets,
They cover the people within.
Then again comes out a new morn,
A new day to start with,
A new light on everyone’s face
And the sun bound with the people’s faith.
The lovely morning hangs out with delightful promises,
And pretty jobs to start with,
Thank you God that you gave us a new morn,
To hang out with everyday!