Nation In Making

by Ananya S. Guha / December 17th, 2017

A country a land
where rivers, tributaries
merged after flotsam jetsam
color, religion, race, mingled
into architectural shapes, texture
a huge monolith, a temple of bewilderment
a country where war and peace lived
where ancient seers told stories of a King
or a great ancient battle, bedrock of entire
civilization. Where foreigners sought expediency
ruled, shattered economy but foisted a language
a hermitage an offspring, Macaulay’s pen spurned
a language, even they say Renaissance
such was the power of his minutes
a country of Maharajas spawned at feet of new rulers
till a nation in making became a nation breaking
into tears of wisdom, dirty blood
Go back they shouted
and they went
after they left murmurs of hope, secularism, freedom
rent skies a nation in making, making
made they said in triumph
years passed like ripples in ocean
make, break, cut, fire, kill
you who are heretics, caste less, death less
ours is river of sanity
not your wholesome depravity
even as bodies floated
we preserved an ancient heritage
of man wearing skins and painting
his face to hide truth and mockery

Ananya S Guha lives in Shillong in North East India, where he was born and brought up. He has been writing and publishing his poetry for the last forty years. His poetry has been published in both electronic and print formats such as: Indian Literature, Other Voices, Osprey Journal, Glasgow Review, The Literary Nest, Up The Staircase, Asia Writes, Art Arena, Praxis Online, Muse India, Your One Phone Call, In Between Hangovers, The Peeking Cat Magazine, Post Colonial Text among others. He has also written widely on educational and social matters. He has ten collections of poetry and his poetry has been anthologized in various collections of Indian poetry in English. He holds a doctoral on the novels of William Golding. Read other articles by Ananya S..

This article was posted on Sunday, December 17th, 2017 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.