Muktidham* Poem by Ajit Das

When I came into this world,
I was carrying a stigma -
the birth mark of my origin.
It has stayed with me
through the avenues of life,
never got erased, rather shining
with its discriminatory purity.

The journey meanders along
a separate side walk hedged
by roads, lanes, bylanes,
heading towards a wasteland
at the outskirts of the village,
now earmarked as ‘muktidham'
for final release from the bondage.

*a separate crematory for untouchables