Village Poem by Kanishka SricharanPratap

Where is lost
My lovely village!

The temple of village goddess
Is no more a temple,
Who did encroach its land?
Violence and bloodshed
Sometimes here!
The temple-yard is a dice-board!

The holy cottage of Bhagabat
Has turned into a club,
Entered politics
Chicken, liquor
Sword, dagger with bomb.
How to ruin
One's line of descent?
How to destroy
One's means of living?
Calculations on
Tit for tat!

School building is quite new,
With ugly pictures
And obscene words
Written on
Its walls.
Teacher loots rice and dal
Steals eggs,
Committee takes bribe.
This is how
Pupils are taught!

At the pond's bank
Turns round the eagle's eyes,
Half-naked ladies and girls
In drenched clothes
Have their baths,
Give something...
Take something...
Catch fishes by sharp eyes,
Young and old
All otters
Are equally over-drunk!

And someone
Pours poison
In the water!

Where is village cremation ground!
Chakunda, palm, kochila trees
Who has cut and taken away,
Ploughed the land!

How disappeared
Mango orchard!
Not known to anyone!
Fox, jackal and mongoose...
Vulture, kite, lark, myna...
Weaver birds flew away
Who knows
Where they are!

At the village square
Wine, ganja, hemp-syrup
As much as sex oil
Sex capsules
Net packs,

Facebook makes
More drama
Blue film
Raw sex,
Turmoil at each home!

All gods meet here!
Ganesh, Durga
Viswakarma...
In gorgeous celebrations,
Huge collections
Nude dances
Huge excitement!

Left behind
Half ploughed field,
Herb patch not in garden,
To labour who cares!
If one does,
Where comes thief ?
One rupee rice
Government pension
Make everyone's brain out!

Where is river's islet?
New born girl is thrown there
In screw-pine bushes
And pushed to die!
New married bride
Is murdered for dowry,
Her skull is found there.

Village girl is raped...,
Hangs from tree
Whose dead body
Floats in the river!


Translated from Odia by
Subash Chandra Mohapatra