Tragedy of the Century

My Weekend Poems# 6

Tragedy of the Century  

When Death Lost Dignify

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

Sorry, I am sorry – very sorry

seek apology – beseech apology – implore apology

beg – pray: apologise, please apologise.

 

You had surrendered your holy possession

the life in your body, soul to liberate

keeping the trust in me

to have your corpse

just for a funeral.

 

You were kind and considerate

with ever welling passion for me

to lit and fuel my life -

learning from you:

dignity for dead.

                             

But sorry, I am sorry – very sorry

I tried, tried with intensity,

intense intensity, and more intensity

begging, begging and still begging

for a crematorium space to lit your pyre.

 

Refused – rebuked – scolded, without let

I had to carry you on, on and on

crematorium to crematorium

here, there – there and there

for my duty to lit your pyre.

 

Sorry, I am sorry – very sorry

for you had died of Corona:

shrouded - body bagged in plastic

and defined: untouchable for funeral

to find no place - no face – no space.

                                                     

Oh! Father you lie sealed motionless

on the Earth, shrouded facing the Sky

I, zipped in a PPT kit run hither and thither

between the Earth and the Sky

to find a space to make a pyre for you.

 

I do not lose resolve to lend you dignity

but, Ah! my body, on the run, simmers in my kit

in hot pursuit in a hot scorching summer day   

on cold still tracks, wishing to find a crematorium -

but, sorry, I am sorry for my inability to hold.

 

I shout, I cry, I wail for a pyre

I yell, I scream, I howl for water -

neither for you, my father, I find a pyre

nor do I find a mouthful of water for me

father, you go longing for fire, and I for water.

                                                     

I know my father, you are exhausted

so am I dehydrated and consumed

even sun is, now to set, to call it a day

thus, I leave my body to come to you

father, hold me close, very close, quite close.

                                                    

I was not let, give dignity to your death, Here

I promise – promise, faithfully promise

to lend you dignity There

now I am not sorry, beseech no apology

for I come to you, to escort you, to take care of you.

 

Please don’t lose trust in me, my father

today, on this father’s day - Here

I had nothing to wish and say

for, Here, the man is dead, death not to dignify

so, I accompany you, be sure, very sure- There

We will have Father’s day together to cheer.

 

Arvind Shah ©0622

(This poem was written by me on father’s day; based on the fact when two sons carrying the corpse of their father died searching a crematorium for the last rites of their father: Jammu)

 

We Still Live Together

 

My Weekend Poems #5

We still live together
**********************
Two decades and half
With my so called better half
And we still live together.

Warmth of body to share
A treat quite dear
And progeny got forth
For a feel of growth.

Though our reasons do not meet
In fashions of walk, talk, eat and treat -
Differences day and night
Not to find wrong and right…..

But to churn a bond
Of acceptance strong -
Defeating reasons, togetherness to win -
And we are together thick and thin.

A fragrance filled carnation
The freshness in the relation -
Keeps live this and next moment
By essence and not by agreement.

The breath of care
She keeps to share
Cheers the life together
For joys of living ever.

Is this love, I do not know
But freshness is ever to show.
This is a woman, family to nurture
I know, she is holding  the future.

Two decades and half
With my so called better half
And we still live together.

©Arvind shah 61014
To My Wife On The Silver Jubilee Marriage Anniversary 

Independent Impression Mother tongue and kashmiri Pandit

The resolute commitment (tapasaya) by the Batta ( kashmiri pandit) , after 1990 brunt of socio- political catastrophe inflicted on the community yielded worthy results to win that crisis situation, gracefully .

….Now the time has come that kashmiri pandit, as a community shall show the same resolute determination to keep commitment and nurture belongingness to, motherland and mother tongue – ancestry and heritage – religious inkling and spiritual commitment - cultural bond and social compassion. All this is important because life tends to become more and more burdensome as age comes up to load. When an individual, a family and a community integrates ingredients of ancestry, in making of the personality and life skills, life then is a virtue, all through. When the strength of muscle and money are losing virtues by and by, then it is only a vibrant and virtuous life skill – family support and social bond that is handier to stand by.

Every Kashmiri Pandit shall have the same resolute determination to settle in Kashmir as a shareholder of the motherland. One can work anywhere in the world but Kashmir is our home. Every Kashmiri pandit shall have the same resolute determination, not to let the mother tongue get extinct in the community.

There are different processes of language learning. One of the ways, in the structural process of language learning, is translation. Translation system of language learning is presently getting more and more prevalent because Google is strongly creeping in this area. The google translation system is working to widen its base for Google Translation System. Kashmiri language in Nastaliq script (persio-arabic script) has been incorporated in google translation system. But the same system for Kashmir devnagri script is not there in google translation system.  

When google translation system becomes efficient with artificial intelligence then the barriers between the languages will narrow and a day may come when an international language pool will do what English has been doing for so long. And Kashmiri in devnagri script shall not miss here. Having realised this objective, A Team is working to get Kashmiri Devnagri Script with in Google Translation System and  for getting Kashmiri devnargi  incorporated in google translation system.

 There are different parameters that need to be met. The main areas are: 

1 - A body of the Kashmir Devanagari shall be available online for google search engine . 

2 – The tools of translation shall be available on google search engine. 

3 – There shall be a technical team of professionals to develop a uniformity of Kashmiri devanagari script through Unicode etc.

Actions on anvil

 A. Some technical professionals are the founders of the team, they are on work.

B. Some distinguished language experts and litterateurs are the founders of the team; they are also on work.

  All authors / writers who write Kashmiri in devnagri shall put their materials online. And the  manpower working today is little to meet the need, a wide community support at all levels of social functioning will make the project a success.  

Arvind Shah,

(Independent Impression)

writer poet translator

Author: S.Chand Prabhat Dreamland 

Mother

 My Weekend Poems # 4

*Mother* 

(Today,  on Mother's Day - 12/5/24)

Mother 

no other -

whatever be the weather: heat

hail, storm, rain or sleet 

she is a shield, all to bear

with no frown, but with cheer.

The radiating virtue  vibration

a compassionate stimulation - 

always eager  to share care, is her habit

simple, cool, sober touch, never to wear out.

May I get the simple cool virtue of this soul: the 

idol of His worth

for, she in  my birth, has given me the share on this cosmic earth .

May I bear a bit of her on my nerve to be there,

and be her mother, when she needs me near.

May I not be scattered in a market toss

to see my interests of  gain and loss.

May I be more than the formality to bow and salute her, on her end

for, mother is the divinity to have come on earth, love to fend !

© Arvind Shah 120524