Karn Sanjay
Today, once again, Kolkata is sleeping dead with deaf ears
People are dead before death
Perhaps
Among the dead
She was crying bitterly
has been crying
has been faltering
has been looking stone- eyed
They were injuring her body as do vultures
were gobbling as do jackals
blood was dripping from her eyes
seamen was oozing out of her vagina
her resistance was working no more
her character was being shattered into pieces
they continued doing rape
with the soil of her body
with the water of her body
with the fire, air and sky of her body.
The sky is filled with vultures
human and human flesh is being sold in broad – day light
even the heart, the kidneys and the lungs
Now-a-days
wolves abound in every house in human guise.
Momita is not the first and the last prey
Sensitivity is mocking at the dead society
naked corpse of a daughter lying in the seminar hall
the corpse of the unfulfilled desire of the whole civilization.
Death itself is standing at the door of the mortuary for the post-mortem report
please look through clean glasses
both the police and their officer are sleeping
the government and the government hospitals run in slumber.
Bring down the hanging sun from the sky
put out all the lamps and the lamp of the family deity enshrined in the dwelling house
put out all the street lights and the lampposts
bring down all the twinkling stars
tonight is the victory celebration of darkness
the city is dancing like a defeated dancer with slur marks on the face
the Time standing on the spaceless stage is wholly speechless
a woman’s body burdened with a daughter’s load has blossomed red like a ‘ palas ‘ (flame tree)
and a number of trees shining red in the fire of ‘palas’
her smooth body- build dazzles red like fire
body like a falling flower
body like a green leaf
body like a raindrop
body like the fragrance of a sandalwood
body like a drumbeat
body like the step of death.
Let us come together
in the silent hours of death
with the burning ashes from the pyre
let each one of us mark our forehead with a slur
where people apply sandal paste.
(Context : Kolkata Rape Case )
(Translated into English by Ayodhyanath Choudhary from the Maithili poem titled Gidhha san Bharal Aakash)
