Independence Day Evening

The sun has set for today; the speeches have echoed in deaf ears

indifferent souls having tea in humid summer; 'maoists' shouting in the forests

and 'kashmiris' in the mountains; hunger in the streets and corruption in the corridors of power

statues and parks for bygone 'Netas'; grains rotting away in godowns for the emaciated souls

The non-inclusive forest-dwellers and the land where sun rises

Xenophobic population; identity defined by surnames and caste names,

Sticky brands followed through generations,

Divided by language; divided by birth; by the direction of worshiping god;

by the length of facial hair, color of skin, dialect of language;

Morals only for school kids, with the luxury of daily bread

The sun has set for today and will it rise tomorrow ?

There were people in the past who had souls

Today locked in photo frames and remembered during national holidays

The sun has set for today and will it rise tomorrow ?