Here are the covers of two of my books. One is a translation of Punjabi Dalit poet Madan Veera's selected poetry and the other a collection of my own stories in English. Hope the books would interest some readers.
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This poem on a contemporary leader might interest the readers of this blog.
On the
Leader-Speak
He has painted
his own face black
with his own
hands
to shine in the
firmament in brightest colours
He mistook his
own face for that of another
to outshine him forever
Would history
that relentless judge assign him
to the murkiest
corner of the firmament
where the darkest
luminaries form a cluster
Turning the pages
of history
if he could in his
afterlife
would he become
remorseful
about the
torrents he let loose day after day
or feel at home among
the ensemble
of Margdarshaks
who mentored him
to unbridle his
tongue
---
---
Raining Guarantees
During the last seventy years
they did nothing worthwhile
at best they were measly miserly
Today we are showering guarantees on all
on th hungry
on the homeless
on the old
on the sick
on woman
on farmers
on one and all
Further we have opened safe havens
for those chased by sarkari bloodhounds and handcuffers
they have just to walk in with their baggage
And above all
We are dishing out Bharat Ratnas
for those who feel their leaders have been left out
Now Ratnas are theirs for the asking
at a price though
---
Please read the poem and two comments that follow.
MENTICIDE
Killing of the mind!
How is it done?
No knives
No clubs
No guns
No bloodletting
No violence
of any kind
not at all
It is done
gently
quietly
seductively
insidiously
projecting the hologram
of a messianic face
all over
everywhere
All else is submerged
in its blinding darkness
The mind sees
only
one insignia
one colour
one face
and bows
in blank submission
---
Two comments
on the poem
FISH DID
NOT DISCOVER WATER
"IN FACT,
BECAUSE THEY ARE COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN IT, THEY LIVE UNAWARE OF ITS EXISTENCE.
SIMILARLY, WHEN A CONDUCT IS NORMALIZED BY A DOMINANT CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT, IT
BECOMES INVISIBLE. "
‒ Marshall McLuhan
"Our may
become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but
by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous nonsense they are teaching
our children."
‒ Thomas Sowell
