Kashmiri: We want azadi.
Indian: We'll give you development.
Kashmiri: We want azadi.
Indian: We'll give you jobs.
Kashmiri: We want azadi.
Indian: You'll survive without us? How?
Kashmiri: As against now?

To the soldier in Siachen

Come back,
the snow is treacherous,
come back,
they are making you fight a treacherous war,
you were not born in snow,
you do not know snow, come back,
I do not want you to fight that war in our name,
I want you to rest, I want you to be able to feel your fingers,
I want the snow in your veins to give way,
for you to be able to breathe, to melt
into a corner, to sleep.

Come back.

Go home.

Go home to Dharwad,
Go home to Madurai, go home to
Vellore, Satara, Mysore, do not stay in the snow,
go home to Ranchi, that war is not for you to fight, that war
is not for us to give to you to fight, let not our name be ice,
let it not heave on your shoulders, do not let us steal your breath,
the people there, the people of the snow do not need us,
they do not need you to fight, come back,
you were not born to snow,
you do not know the treachery of the snow,

go home,
to rest, go home to the sun, to water,
go home to the nights of your village,
go home to the sweltering market-place,
to the noise of family-homes, to the sweat of the Ghats,
to the dust of the plains, go home,

may you never
have to see white ever again like that,
may you never have to see
a colour become death in your very palm.

For someone who'll read this

500 years from now

How are you?
I am sure a lot has changed

between my time and yours,
but we're not very different,

you have only one thing on me -
hindsight.

I have all these questions for you:
Do cars fly now?

Is Mumbai still standing by the sea?
How do you folks manage without ozone?

Have the aliens come yet?
Who from my century is still remembered?

How long did India and Pakistan last?
When did Kashmir become free?

It must be surprising for you
looking at our time,

our things must seem so strange to you,
our wars so little,

our toilets for 'men' and 'women'
must make you laugh

our cutting down of trees
would be listed in your 'Early Causes'

our poetry in which the moon is still
a thing far away

must make you wonder, both for that moon
and for the poetry.

You must be baffled,
that we couldn't even imagine

the things you now take for granted.
But let that be,

would you do me a favour,
for 'old time's sake'?

Would you go to the Humayun's Tomb
in what used to be Delhi

and just as you're climbing the front staircase,
near the fourth rung, I have cut into

the stone wall to your left -
'Akhil loves Rohit'

Will you go and see it?
Just that, go see it.

His suit buttoned, his hair brushed,

eyes nervous but smile, damn elfy -
right before he goes on stage, Modi
looks at the mirror, seeing himselfie.

5 Steps to Get a Bharat Ratna

1. Write bad poetry,
2. Especially about Kashmir,
3. Level a mosque; then do
4. Ensure someone worse follows you
    so that you appear to be "moderate"
    in hindsight, then finally,
5. After lighting a fire, gracefully retire.

(I must be close to winning one
My step 1's already done.)

Cocky Abdul

tr. from Rahul Rai's "??????? ??????"

Just imagine the cockiness of poor Abdul:
Poor Abdul says - "I will be a big man one day."
Poor Abdul says - "I will go to school."
Poor Abdul says - "I will eat till I am full."
Poor Abdul says - "I want to be free."
Poor Abdul says - "I hate to pull the rickshaw."
Poor Abdul says - "I hate overtime."
Poor Abdul says - "I don't like being scolded by the babus."
Poor Abdul says - "I hate unpaid work."
Just imagine the cockiness of poor Abdul,
so many demands, despite being poor.

Rahul Rai