Sedition, A Child Born In Doubt Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

I've never seen a word of greater clout,
Nor one, more passionate to creed a child,
Sedition is an offspring born in doubt—
No motherhood me think is more reviled.

As fruit of lust— born she was of a Greek
Descent called ‘stasis' reeking of stalemate,
Strange, but the word reeks of ‘revolt' if meek,
So, confusion confounds ‘tween mom and mate!

Or may be she has a Latin descent,
‘Seditio'— turning to self, to one's heart,
In tension to move farther, far apart,
A twain of moms never in agreement!

For long a fond child of mom-land, England,
Abandoned there, but fostered in this land.
______________________________________________________
In India the law against sedition has a colonial legacy. The word itself has doubtful and conflicting etymology. A democracy should have no place for sedition, as preservation and status quo are against the grain of the rule of people. In democracy, change should always be welcome. This poem highlights the conflicting parentage of the word. The last two lines allude to the fact that Britain, where the law of sedition was first born, has repealed it altogether after long vacillation. So have many countries. India is still in two minds, thanks to our two-mouthed politicians.
______________________________________________________
Happenings | 03.03.11 |