Plight of A Child - labourer

A petal among the thorns,
A light in the darkness,
An innocent lamb,
Thrown in the midst of the tigers
Ready to be torn into pieces.

Thou art born in this gory world
Struggling day and night
Labouring with silent tears,
That smile which were to be
On thy innocent face
Has vanished in pain
And labour monotonous
Born in this penury,
And dying of hunger.

When dawns the day
Its time to go to the fields
To garage, to restaurants and hotels
To houses, to rickshaw-pulling.
What not these little hands have to do.
Thy chopped hands,
Thy torn clothes,
Thy sullen face,
Upon that you are scorned.
Working harder than a grown-up man
Your share is a petty pay
Fed in crumbs, left over
By the meals of a previous day.

When children go to their schools
With satchels hanging by their sides
Riding in their bikes,
You with luggage on your back
With stones on your head
Or listening silently to an employer’s rebuke
Are wasting away your childhood,
You are like a withered flower
Aged prematurely.

What life is this?
Hard labour through the day
Little to feed on,
And tattered clothes.

The sun passes away
With the hope of its return,
The kids back from their schools
Are playing with their chums,
You are still labouring your labour
Without any education, any knowledge
Your life will be the same
By adolescence you’ll be middle-aged
And by middle age an old man
And before old age there will be death
Oh! What a vicious circle you are lost to
What life have you lived?
No childhood, no adulthood
Are you that child
Who were to be the father of man?
What will this labour bear?
No fruit, no flowers, only thorns bare.

Ode to Paradisiacal Beauty

Haunted I am day after day
By this sylvan beauty
Which never makes me cloy
So serene is the lake
Amidst the towering mountains
Sweet elegant yachts glide with the winds
As they were kites in the sky

Oh how lovely is this place!
Only artist understands its worth
And it arouses that artist in every man.
I for one, who has grown each day
In this paradise, have fallen in love over again
With each passing day

As the sun rises, its beauty
Is broken to the waking eyes,
One beholds the glimmering surface
Of the lush green lake
Like one in the looking-glass
Adores one’s face

One can sit for thousand years
In profound contemplation of the soul
Such silent is the morn
Only broken by the melodies
Of sweet chirping birds

As the darkness lightens
A muezzin calls
Accompanied by church’s and temple’s bells
One believes he is in god’s kingdom
Where there’s no religion
Only profound spiritual bliss

With early hours gone by
Men begin to depart,
Not in a frenzy
But in serenity,
To their respective jobs
Assigned by God

School children with their satchels and bags
Do not drive
But walk to their second abodes
Breathing the pure, purging air.

The institutions of knowledge
Are ancient and old
With mighty awe-inspiring buildings
Situated amidst the thick woods
Excelling in their roles.

The day smoothly passes by.

As the day bids goodbye
And eve takes its form
The sweet little town
Breaks a new dawn
As a man newly got-up after a chronic illness
The towns-people come to life

The socialites go to the clubs
The devoted to the places of worship
The children play their games
The learned to their studies
Some go fish-feeding
Some for a lake-side stroll

The nature-lover adores the setting sun
That hides behind the hump- backed hill
Oh what a sight it is!
The sky becomes sanguine
The birds chirp again
Calling their children home
God created nature to be adored for its beauty!

The bells toll again
The muezzin sings again
And again the sky is dark
Still you can hear the lark

As darkness comes,
The town glitters again,
The lights of the houses on the hills
Twinkle in the waters of the lake
From the chimneys emanate the smoke
One is again lost in profoundness.

An artist, who paints with words,
Sits up as the night passes by
He hears the owl hoot,
Distant dogs bark,
Once in a while a leopard’s roar
From nearby jungle
Brings him back to the world

With candles burning
And lights switched off
He inhabits the attic
And more than often
Behaves a mad man
He steals a peep out of the window
And is overjoyed and thrilled
Like a new born babe
Just come out of a mother’s womb

He beholds a moon overhead
Its beauty reflected in waters below
Shining silvery white,
The hill opposite with a glow
His heart stirs and something overcomes him
He in the dead of night
On a whim
With a half-burnt candle in the lantern
Ascends to the graveyard uphill,
There he sits near a grave
And is lost to a distant world
Which only few understand.

As morn grows again
He returns home to sleep.
The mountains come in view
With the growing light,
The thick lush woods
With diverse fauna glitter green.

As winter will come there will be heavy snow
The paradisiacal town will go to sleep
Under a blanket white
The dead and living
Both alike will rest in true poise.

With the chill will come the warmth
From the burning hearth.
Soon to ripeness will come the earth
Men will be lost in mirth.

Ode to the Graveyard

How beautiful was it
To be among the dead!
When today I hovered over the graves.
The graveyard was so beautiful
No more in use
Overgrown with disuse
The thick lush bushes
Growing over the stones
Beneath which lie the dead
More than a century and half old
Were the graves.

An Edward, a Margaret,
Little children, of unfortunate parents, dead,
‘Our dear, darling child’,
One epitaph read.

Multitudes of graves
Wide wild graveyard
Which has silently died its own death.
Still a haunting charm draws me to it
Like a beloved one you want to meet
After a long absence,
I long to visit that place
Where beneath lie the dead,
Consumed by the earth.

Once again, like a ghost,
Just got up from its slumber,
I descend in a possessed trance
To the place where beneath lie the dead.
Some Scottish, some English, some Irish too
Long lost men, forgotten by the world
Lie their bodies in an alien land
Where they served and ruled.

One day same fate awaits us,
Will anyone remember us?
When down the ages all will be lost
Our names in the tombstones
Overgrown with green slimy grass,
Beneath our flesh reduced to bones,
Or in a crematorium
Will our bodies be charred to ashes.

Why do we forget what awaits us?
Sin upon sin,
Injustice on injustice,
Seven deadly sins
Do we commit,
With undaunted spirit
Spirit that will evaporate into nothingness.

When on death’s door
We would be lying
Who will soothe us,
And save us from dying?

Many graves were broken
And are broken still
By men, by children,
Whose end, though gradually,
Is drawing near.
Oh why is there this fear
Of dying and death,
When sure it is to come?
Be ready to embrace it
With vigour and valour
Let’s face the unknown, the mysterious
Let’s be done with it!

ON DIVINITY OF MAN

One high power above us all

Greater than the loftiest mounts

A day will come when our soul

Will mingle with that power high

Strive, O men to achieve the goal

live not lives idly

Lost in material bargains

Forget not the Supreme Soul

When away from the hurly-burly of the lives we lead

We shall sit in poise and calmness deep

A magical sensation, an overpowering illumination

Will grip your precious soul

The Divine protection and His over-engrossing attraction

Will make the spirit advance its way

And a day will come when you'l be lost forever

To that God, to the Lord

The one you've never beheld with your eyes

You'll no longer long to see

For thou wilt realize whithin you HE resides

The very essence of yours is Divine

Neither the desires of material gain,

Nor any whims shall in you remain

For that 'I' in you which you consider your Self

Shall be lost to nothingness

SYLVAN SURROUNDINGS

The howling winds,
The haunting fog,
The misty mounts,
The lovely lake
Transport me to an alien world
No want, no desire hovers there
I silently serenely sit alone
Lost in the woods, among the trees
Tranquillity overcomes me; I am filled with bliss,
Tears roll down the cheeks,
The soul is purged pure.

I love thee God, the soul,
Which like me resides in all.
I know this entire enchanting sylvan world
Resides within me, in my inner space.
For hours, for days
Without a longing of material world
I am lost in such marvel!

Each moment passing by
Makes me conscious of my essence.
The soul becomes whole
Ready to mingle with the Supreme Soul.
No pleasure, no pain, no earthly gain
Does it want again and again.
Without longing, without desire
It has become ever blissful.
Rain drops trickle down the giant trees,
Falling on my eyes, my hairs,
On my earthly existence,
I am replenished, my soul cries in joy.
There’s thunder and lightning strikes
Without there’s strife.
My soul evaporates
In communion with nature it resides.

Ah! Alas! So reluctant am I
To return to the gross world,
To be among the crowds
In the streets hovering with cars,
Although, this all no more torments me,
But blissful peace I attain
When I am among the thick woods
Of the misty mountains overlooking the lake
Where clouds overhead form the hood.

IN THE LAND OF GODS

THIS FAR HAVE I TRAVELLED

TO BE IN GODS' LAND,

IN THE COUNTRY OF MY FOREFATHERS,

VIBES OF SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT

STRIKE ME LIKE A LIGHT

DEEP WITHIN MY HEART LAUGHS.

SEATED IN THE BANK OF GANGA

HEARING THE CHIMES OF MYSTICAL BELLS

TEARS OF JOY, OF CONTENTMENT

FLOW DOWN THE CHEEKS LIKE STREAM,

A FEELING FROM WITHIN EMANATES

WHICH MY WORDS LACK TO DESCRIBE.

AS THE EVENING COMES BY

THE MYSTICS THE SAINTS THE UNPURTURBED SOULS

SING SONGS OF GLORY TO THE RIVER OF OLD

IN SUCH AMAZEMENT AM I LOST

I FORGET MY BODY MY OUTWARD SENSES

SUCH COMPOSED FEELING SUCH CALMNESS

COMES OVER ME

THE MATERIAL WORLD IS LOST TO ME,

I CRAVE AND LONG ONLY FOR GOD

GOD THAT RESIDES WITHIN US ALL.

AS I WALK BACK TO THE ASHRAM

IN A TRANCE I MOVE AHEAD

SEEING BEFORE ME THE LOVELY END

THE END THAT WILL COME ONE DAY

LEAVING BEHIND THE BODY

THE SOUL WILL GAIN SUPREMACY

IN SILENT CONTEMPLATION

I SIT AND AM LOST TO THE WORLD

TO GAIN AN INSIGHT INTO THE UNIVERSE THAT I HOLD.

A Saw Goes Back and Forth

A saw goes back and forth
It’s working on the wood
Saw dust is falling to the ground
As the winter’s snow
If the wood were replaced
With the nape of a man
It must be someone’s or mine,
Who cares!
But then no saw dust will fall
But blood will trickle
Drop by drop,
Not like snow but
Like a drizzle without any reason
The man may cry in agony,
Perhaps not,
The tears might be of ecstasy,
He may remain calm and silent, helpless
Embracing what has come.
The jaws of the saw, cutting down deep,
Soon the life will be lost
With or without the pain
The soul would, new world gain
The head will fall down,
Eyes protruding out,
Or serenely closed,
Blood will dry up and become cold
In the chilly winter
Slowly the body will decay
The world will move on
Turning its head away
Following the age-old trend.

One innocent soul,
Rare to find today
May question
Are such horrid deeds done?
They are done for sure
Not on one but all
The life’s impartial to all
Envy, a jealousy or hatred
Acts like the jaws of a saw
Cutting down deep
On our heart and neck
Without blood we bleed.
From time to time we read
With shock and surprise
Which also seems vague
Men have butchered one another
In all sorts of ways
Since times immemorial
Once a sword, once a guillotine,
With blood the man bleeds
Man on his brethren has always preyed!

A man stands in the crowd

A man stands in the crowd,
The crowd is immense
It expands to multitudes
He feels like a midget
As small as a cockroach
Or an ant;
He is afraid to move on.
Is there place for him anywhere?
The world was once vast,
Explorers weren’t able
To find the ends meet,
Now the world’s a village,
Global village by name.
Man loses his identity, his caste
So very easily and in haste
Each day he comes in contact,
With so many human beings
Who have lost humanity of old
Have turned numb and cold
Young, middle-aged and old
Poor, middle-class and rich
He is one amongst each
Lost his power to think deep
Life is lived like a barren desert
Which at last also ceases to exist.

WAY TO COLLEGE FROM HOME

The morning has come
It’s not bright
It’s filled with gloom
Prognosticating the doom
That will come very soon

Delhi’s hazy and dark
With clouds cast overhead
I advance leaving my single-roomed lodging
To my college
In the heart of the city

I am greeted with sullen faces as I tread along
No emotion, blank eyes everywhere
The rush for money has begun since early morning
The roads are packed:
Big busses, small and long cars,
Bicycles, rickshaws, autos, scooters and bikes,
Young men and women, college students showing-off
Typical emotionless cacophony of the materialistic town

As I descend down the metro-station
There’s rush again,
The train is over-crowded,
People are huddled,
Their bodies piercing against one another’s,
I am also one of them,
Stuck between a young girl and an old man,
Your identity easily dissolves here,
You are frustrated with the crowd,
Their pushing and pulling,
And no way giving,
The population explosion indeed,
But isn’t each individual a part,
I ponder and wonder,
How will the future be like?

But halfway through the thought,
My station arrives,
It’s called New Delhi
With much struggle I deboard,
And lastly a sigh of relief,
Exiting the station with difficulty,
I am in the open air,
Oh what a pungent smell,
By the roadside as you walk the pedestrian way,
There are men urinating on the public walls,
They are neither proud nor gay,
Rivers and streams flow poisoning the air,
Not only that there’s human dirt everywhere.

If you follow this way further, (you need courage sir!)
You will see true India in its dark colours,
Men and women,
Old and young,
Living and dying,
Covered and naked,
Dirty and filthy,
Hungry and numb,
For days and days their stomachs have ached,
They look for opportunity,
They steal and they beg,
They add to the cacophony

Policemen you will see in this very way,
From this early morn,
They have begun to sin which they consider pious act,
Bribery and corruption blossoms,
It grows day by day,

If you find it more than enough to bear,
Take a turn midway to your right,
Take a bus or just walk by,
In few minutes you will reach
The posh circle of C.P.
Just take a stroll along the swanky buildings,
Or just go and sit in the Central Park,
But beware a bomb had blasted there just only last year,
It may happen again,
For all know well, its now quite common,
An everyday occurrence

Now let’s come back,
I’ll take the way straight forward,
For you know I am getting late,
One always is late in this city,
Oh what a jam!
Traffic is unbearable,
There is not even a place,
For an innocent soul to pass by the road side,
A bike or bus may break your head off,
I take a longer route,
Round I go and now I am almost there,
The guard asks for my card of identity,
How is one’s identity defined?
I ponder everyday, but never is an answer found!

Now I have reached my college,
Once again, safe and sound,
The airs have changed
There are trees and flowers around,
I am late once again
My teacher gives a cold stare
Through her glasses round,
I take my seat and am lost somewhere profound!

The day will end in the same way,
And again I’ll take my way back home,
It’ll be the same one, only the chaos will extend,
But this time it may be in a friend’s company,
And in deep discussions we may fall
Over the faults of political system and society,
We’ll depart with no solution, nothing would be gained,
And this monotony of life in this hubbub of this town
Will forever and ever persist,
Our lives would be lived like the acts of a clown!

Prince In Penury!

I've heard, once we were famous and rich,

Since my childhood till today,

Through legends and lore

I discover my ancestors' glory

Alas we are rich and famous no more!

I know not where it did all go?

All is lost, all is gone

Ones that are born

Today in our lineage

Are without money and a name!

They ought to strive for their fate,

Fortune and fame.

We weren't born to see

The mighty castles and carriages great!

But alone and only penury!

Days do pass and nights do go

In listening to age-old stories!

Of glory, glory and glory!

My ears are worn out of late,

I despise the ill luck, our misfortune and fate!

Wouldn't we have been feared?

For doesn't awe with power come?

But what would cursing and swearing do?

Now I have full well understood,

I was born to revive our glory!

For my ancestors, for my successors,

I'll stand and be the benefactor

And pave my way to glory!

Here I stand,

Here I advance, Here I go,

Towards my glorious goal!!