MADHUSHAALAA REVISITED (SHODDY BAR)

They sat facing one another
Inside the shoddy bar
Swarthy figures
Like in American cartoons
Their visages waxen
Looks distant
Cadaverous blank

The figures of Jesus On The Cross

His pain lighted
By a low watt crimson bulb
Smiling Lord Ganesh
Granting boons
With burnt-out incense sticks
Before him
Presided over the scene
 

Each had a burden

Perhaps the dejection
Due to cruel rejection
Of the past to bury
Or a long-lost love
A broken wedlock
Death of a sweet-heart
A broken heart of some sort

They sat

Puffing at their fags

Or beedis

Or whatever they had

The glow at the tip

Of what they smoked

Said it all

The burn that rued their hearts

Aches of the like

The winds of the plains

Could hardly hope to sooth

Angst the wisdom

Of the silent mounts around

Could ever undo

They sat puffing and drinking

In silence at the cacophonous bar

Shoddy, dilapidated

Infested with flies

Flying insects and mice

 

Dreaming they could once again

Sit with their kids

Under hurricane lamps

Late into the night

Helping them with their lessons

As the clouds rumbled

On distant mountain tops

As their wives garnished

Some favourite dish

In smoky kitchens unlit

Wiping burning eyes

With greying sari tips

 

Later to return

To their late night beds

To grant midnight warmth

Of sweat and love

That made the nights

More odoriferous

Than the incense burnt

Before indifferent Gods

They longed and longed

As every drink sank

Into their burning core

To return to the shores of love afar

As the world outside brimmed

Calling them drunkards

 

Refusing to grant

There are addictions of sorts

Religion, power and fads

Women, avarice, greed

That ruined humankind

More than the drinks

The entire humanity drank

 

With their glasses emptied

They would now decamp

Like moths fleeing a dying lamp

Into the night's waiting arms

To the big bar under the shimmering stars

Where the cups are full again

With tears frothing in grief and pain

Where they would lie wide awake

After a fitful nap past midnight

On their unkempt beds like dried up twigs

To roll and roll alone in pain

Sob and cry again in vain

And sing to far off receding plains

Where their solace hidden remains

 

 

ODE TO SACHIN

A banner in a remote village of Kerala

Greets the worthy son of Maharashtra

Fluttering in the mountain breeze

His smile excels the morning sunshine

A teenage fan of Sachin

In that tribal hinterland

Had hung the banner aloft

On swaying tree tops

As the hero of her heart

Was all set to begin

His last test innings

In far-off Mumbai miles across

Her love for the star was evident

In the manner the passing winds
Fondled his gleaming visage
No doubt what connected the fan
And Sachin across miles of the land
Was the breeze that flowed unseen
The breath of the Nation
A profound Indianness
Born out of centuries
Of lovely cultural co-existence

Whether he scored a ton

Or a lesser yet precious seventyfour
Sachin once again proved
He could bind the Nation
Keep it spell-bound
Together in a fondly clasp
A feat not a single soul
Of our land can these days
Dare claim to perform
Be he a leader or a saint

Faith, age, language
Or region had no place
In this adhesive embrace
Which the magic of Sachin spun
As the Nation listened to his farewell address
With bated breath, thumping heart
And overflowing eyes

They would replay the speech again and again

Be together and shed tears
For days and days to come
So their India will sure endure
Held together by an eternal bond

Sachin, you batted in days

When the game got commercialized
By money-makers who reduced
The number of overs to suit their whims
Flouted discipline and rules
Made pawns out of batsmen
Who hit left and right to spin their tons
Like buffaloes let lose in muddy ponds

You stood the tide

Never pawned your artistry
Immaculate form and grace
Dedication and punctuality
In a manner resolute
Acclaimed internationally
Played the game with the demeanour
Of great Englishmen of yore
Least swayed by the luring machinations
Of the greedy who indulged
In match-fixing deals
And got embroiled in politics and scandals
With women, loot and wine

You proved yourself

A great son of India
Akin to the Mahatma
A role-model for the new generation
A beacon that should now
Show the way and lead them ahead
To their destiny in togetherness

The Nation roars in unison

Sachin can’t retire and leave
He is the fittest person to lead
Having his mettle doubtlessly proved
 

The mantle of the Nation

Has fallen on your shoulders
The mandate has never been so clear
So pick the new bat of our love, Sir
Autograph it in the shining ink
Of your truthfulness, courage
Deep wisdom and composure
Get into the Indian crease and hit
Sixes into our skies and beyond

Please do proud

Of the great land of the Ganges
We are out on the grounds
Holding the tricolour
Under the vast Indian skies
To run with you our torch-bearer
And celebrate your triumphs
The breeze and winds will follow
As we together make our morrow
Breathing India in unison