yes,
this is all in all,
just
like Aladdin’s lamp.
sh…come
closer,
it
is a mini Magna Carta,
a license,
a mandate , a whip,
a
key to open many closed doors !
even
the degree certificate in its absence
is meaningless !
it
is the recommendation letter to the employer
perforce
written and reluctantly accepted.
it
is a tremendous concession !
--
Bata boots in concession
--Raymond’s
pants in concession
--
Vagharin’s vegetables in concession
--water
of the village-well in concession
--even
the air on the earth in concession !.
this
piece of magic paper covers
a
multi-purpose scheme.
--it
is an enormous relief fund,
--it
is a duplicate ration card.
sh…that
is why
it
is more respectable than our Indian tri-colour.
and
why should one take it otherwise ?
otherwise?
come
closer, and lend me your ear :
from
therein oozes the odorous papyrus.
by
its unwholesome stink, the white nose nauseates.
this
paper is a deed
of
legal begging
and
the sale of the soul.
as
the refugees hide their poor faces
under
their tumblers
the
students queued for scholarship
hide
their faces
making
umbrella of this transparent paper.
it
is both funny and foolish
like
the balloon made from
the
foolscap paper :
as
soon as it is exposed
it
becomes lighter and ludicrous.
it
entitles the prisoner on parole
to
move in the open jail.
otherwise,
this
paper is purely provisional.
i
have earned this paper
in
lieu of my identity.
and
that is why
i
nurture it more dearly than my life.
like
any other paper, however,
this
too is not bullet-proof.
even
though I wear it
like
the armor of a warrior
some
savarna damsel’s arrow
pierces
through my heart.
sh…and
don’t tell anybody
that
this magic paper is my caste certificate.
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