Jai Hind
Today, Republic Day, a flutter of flags is hoist
And pinned on every shirt
Jai Hind for the orange, the white and green
Anthem and sharing of sweets
Jai Hind for the bony backs of cows
Who placidly graze
For goats in groups, ill-disciplined
Snacking on funeral flowers
Yesterday’s garlands of roses, marigolds
Yellow magenta and green
For the cheeping of chicks on stick-thin legs
The wood smoke sweet in the air
For bright green rice in the paddy fields
Mirroring the sky
For clouds on the ground and drowned
The coconut palms, reflection and blessed shade
For spread, red in rows, the chillies darkening
For women who weed and suffer the sun
Bent over bushes in fields
With all of her squalor, injustice and pain
And Tragedy’s frequent calls
Still India shines like a jewel in the sun
Beloved and beautiful land
She sings like a song that squeezes the heart
And smiles with the brightest gleam
Jai Hind for the orange the white the green
For Gandhi’s midnight dream
Today, Republic Day, a flutter of flags is hoist
And pinned on every shirt
Jai Hind for the orange, the white and green
Anthem and sharing of sweets
Jai Hind for the bony backs of cows
Who placidly graze
For goats in groups, ill-disciplined
Snacking on funeral flowers
Yesterday’s garlands of roses, marigolds
Yellow magenta and green
For the cheeping of chicks on stick-thin legs
The wood smoke sweet in the air
For bright green rice in the paddy fields
Mirroring the sky
For clouds on the ground and drowned
The coconut palms, reflection and blessed shade
For spread, red in rows, the chillies darkening
For women who weed and suffer the sun
Bent over bushes in fields
With all of her squalor, injustice and pain
And Tragedy’s frequent calls
Still India shines like a jewel in the sun
Beloved and beautiful land
She sings like a song that squeezes the heart
And smiles with the brightest gleam
Jai Hind for the orange the white the green
For Gandhi’s midnight dream
26th January 2012, RUHSA S India
From Gill via Facebook
ReplyDeleteHi lovely, read your blog - how brillaint all the way from India too, now I know you can ride a bike we will have to go off when you return to France...xxxx