Cecil Rajendra

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Cecil Rajendra Death of a Village" Here intimations of death hang heavy in the air Everywhere there is the stench of decay and despair The river strangled by exigencies of industrialisation is dying…. and nobody cares The fish in the river poisoned by progress’s vomit are dying…. and nobody cares The birds that feed on the fish in the river poisoned by progress’s excrement are dying…. and nobody cares And so a once-proud village sustained for centuries by the richness of this river dies…. And nobody cares To that mammon DEVELOPMENT our high priests sacrifice our customs our culture our traditions and environment and nobody cares We blind mice We blind mice see what we’ve done see what we’ve done We all ran after Progress’s wife she cut off our heads with Development’s knife have you ever seen such fools in your life as we blind mice? To My Country If I did not care i would not dare chart your imperfections i would sing only your praises picking the best ignoring the rest but i am no starry-eyed lover i cannot cover your many blemishes so if i snarl at your greed your subterranean prejudices… the callousness of your children your many unkindness bear with me beloved love and hate are forged in the same cauldron faults in another that would not matter in our loved ones assume cataclysmic proportions one loathes the worst in those one loves the best and if i did not care i would not dare chart your many imperfections Never say, you do not care remember, you are your neighbor’s neighbor and all our destinies are fanged waves knit together inextricably the tide that overtakes others today, waits to ambush us tomorrow alike for each and each these times, a future unfurls pencilled with menace uncertain as the crimpled sea ….

Death of a Village"

Here
intimations of death
hang
heavy in the air
Everywhere
there is the stench
of decay and despair

The river
strangled by
exigencies
of industrialisation
is dying….
and nobody cares

The fish
in the river
poisoned by
progress’s vomit
are dying….
and nobody cares

The birds
that feed on the fish
in the river
poisoned by
progress’s excrement
are dying….
and nobody cares

And so
a once-proud village
sustained
for centuries
by the richness
of this river
dies….
And nobody cares

To that mammon
DEVELOPMENT
our high priests
sacrifice
our customs
our culture
our traditions
and environment
and nobody cares

We blind mice
We blind mice
see what we’ve done
see what we’ve done
We all ran after
Progress’s wife
she cut off our heads
with Development’s knife
have you ever seen
such fools in your life
as we blind mice?

To My Country

If I did not care
i would not dare
chart your imperfections
i would sing
only your praises
picking the best
ignoring the rest
but i am no
starry-eyed lover
i cannot cover
your many blemishes
so if i snarl
at your greed
your subterranean
prejudices…
the callousness
of your children
your many unkindness
bear with me beloved
love and hate
are forged
in the same cauldron
faults in another
that would not matter
in our loved ones
assume
cataclysmic proportions
one loathes the worst
in those one loves the best
and if i did not care
i would not dare
chart
your many imperfections

Never say, you do not care
remember, you are
your neighbor’s neighbor

and all our destinies
are fanged waves
knit together inextricably

the tide that overtakes
others today, waits
to ambush us tomorrow

alike for each and each
these times, a future unfurls
pencilled with menace
uncertain as the crimpled sea ….