Dark was the dusk
When the storm broke!
Long was the night
When the fires raged!
Deep were the wounds
that seared the hearts!
This is not a picture of long ago,
but of yesterday
when demons born of man's mind
roamed the streets
to ravage, to pillage humanity.
I stood a mute witness
to this nightmare come alive
And thought - is this what we have
come to?
Is man merely a refined instrument
of death in the name of religion,
of land, of tiny man-made divisions?
Has he lost sight of his glorious
self?-
The one in all of us...
If he would only stop to think
to take stock of himself
look around
See... the trees, flowers, mountains,
valleys, plains, rivers....
Listen... to the laughter of a child...
Feel... the blessings his mother gave him..
Share... in the love of his comrades
And come home,
Into his heart... with peace.
Oh please! just pause a while
And thank god for giving you
A mother who has the
largest, warmest, most loving
heart of all...
She has suffered enough..
and now all her sons
and daughters shall join
hands and hearts and sing
with one voice -
God Bless you always..
Vande Mataram!
Written in 1993
****
A Note:
It seemed appropriate to share this one now, with the fires still raging and shooting still going on in Mumbai. This was actually written post-Babri Masjid, when the riots almost shattered the secular fabric of our nation. But fifteen years later, how much has really changed, other than the faces? It is still humans, doing this, to each other, for all those twisted reasons they find, isn't it? Not aliens, not extra-terrestrials! My heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost near and dear ones to these kinds of acts of violence. May God grant them the strength to bear their loss and live through this time of pain and anguish. The silent succor of our prayers are always with you all.
God Bless us all!
28 November, 2008
God bless :)
ReplyDelete*She has suffered enough..
ReplyDeleteand now all her sons
and daughters shall join
hands and hearts and sing
with one voice*
couldn't have put it better myself...this is a time when unity in diversity, which is India's special force, is needed more than ever if u ask me...! and our prayers shall always be with those who lost their loved ones...
vinay.
ps: i also have penned somethin related to this. do visit me when u can please and lend me ur thoughts.
Indeed , it was a sad incident. An incident which makes our life more unsafe than before.
ReplyDeleteOh yes,
ReplyDeleteTimes are the same, though time has changed.
The words are the same, the feeling same, and yet the pain all the more...
Why we are going from bad to worse?
Shalu, indeed, God Bless us!
ReplyDeleteVinay, Thank you. I shall certainly drop by there..:)
Trinath.. right you are. Just hope that things will get under control there, soon enough.
Mampi, I wonder too... somehow, when I discovered this down the list of posts... I was rather struck by the similarity of notions... and then have come to the conclusion that things have not really gotten better ! Thank you for the discerning insights too.
It is a sad time for the country. Those words written 15 years ago, seem so fresh...this is not how it should have been.
ReplyDelete15 long years...times have changed...yet it's all the same. India is where it was!
My condolences to the families of those who have lost their near ones. And salutes to those brave wonderful people who are still fighting it out there! Hats off!
Very well written!
ReplyDeleteThankfully the operations have concluded as I write this comment!
It is sad that our wonderful country is subject to such savage instances from time to time! Innocent people lose their lives for no reason or fault of theirs!
Out country has indeed suffered beyond imagination!
And by the way, I was a student of Rex School until 1994! I was there for 9 long years and can associate some of my best childhood memories to that institution!
I'm glad to be associated with you! The virtual space is a very small place indeed, much like the real world!
those words just perfectly match the present situation...It made me realise all these happenings are unbelievably similar..
ReplyDeletelets hope this is the end battle of all battles:(
Hi Usha,
ReplyDeleteVery poignant lines ..
I wonder how things would be fifteen years hence..
Love,
Me
Exactly....its still the same...we have not learnt from de past...our political syatem is bad...its time we get up and be well-prepared
ReplyDeletewas well-written...a must read 4 every citizen...also for EVERY POLITICIAN...
Yes Tara, it is fifteen years since this write, bt nothing has changed! Thank you for the good words shared here.
ReplyDeleteRakesh, thank you! But then it would seem that some part of the Operation is till on at the Taj. The tenacity of our forces must be applauded.
And yes, glad to be associated with an alumnus of Rex. Wonders never cease.. :)
Praveen, thank you. Still I wish it were not suited.. and things were different.. better...
Me, hopefully it will not be the same fifteen years hence.. let us pray... thanks for the good words.
Rajesh, our politicians would never learn I guess, and we would have to live with it! Good to see you in blogoshere again.
What hit me most hard in this post is this:
ReplyDelete'Written in 1993'
We should be ashamed of its relevance even today!
Wow, you have a great poetic heart! Keep it coming! Good job dear!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog…….
Rukhiya, indeed that is the worst part.. time has passed, but the face of such acts are the only things tht change.. the acts repeat itself.
ReplyDeleteFemin Susan, thank you.
I refuse to associate religion to terrorism.. I firmly believe that religion is but an excuse.. these deranged people would have taken some other cause up for this massacre.. there r people who want nothing but violence.. and such people are terrorists.. for religion teaches us forbearance and not mindless violence..
ReplyDeleteHow can one desecrate a place of worship.. for if god exists everywhere.. surely the whole world is his temple ? Even the most despicable place imaginable would still be his temple!
So I wont say that religion was the reason.. if there was anything.. it was just sickness of mind..
Meena, I concur. They say it is based on religion, or any other so called reason, but only a deranged and absolutely inhuman heart can wreak this sort of ... *words fail me*...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight!
*sigh*
ReplyDeleteHeal The World!
ReplyDeleteGod bless