An Obsolete Object Of Study Poem by Namita Rani Panda

She was just a bud yet to unfurl her petals
A free bird joyful, pristine and wholly natural
A raging, roaring, vibrant innocent tribal girl
He seemed to be a noble man in his forty
With a refined mind, heart seemingly overflowing with pity
Intruded into her area for research through acts of charity
She, a student in his school, of his daughter's age
He asked her reluctant parents her hand for marriage
And resorted to ‘love marriage by capture' being privileged
From Kaushalya to Koshi, she turned a Memsahib
Ignorant of his tactful trap she lived in a big bungalow in exuberant vibes
Dozens at her call and back, beyond the imagination of her sib
She unlearned her mother tongue to learn English
And accompanied him to party, picnic and films
Visited big cities, stayed in big hotels and dined with dignitaries
But like a migratory bird he disappeared just after a decade
Their flowers of love untimely withered and decayed
As he intruded another land for research, the history was repeated
In her shanty cottage a frail forlorn lady with dim vision
Without being indulged in any blame game waits for his return
Reminiscences the tall and fair man with blue eyes with boundless elation
When his memory is her only wealth during her utter penury
He raised to an eminent figure with countless rewards and crowning glory
For his stellar scholarly works his name engraved on the pages of History
Whereas severed from her culture, tradition, language and tribe
She, now an obsolete object of study, strives hard piteously for an identity to thrive
As nothing is left with her for research to discover and describe