The Motherland Poem by Sanjib Saha

The narrow space between
the wall of our house's veranda
and the high wall
of the neighbouring house
was the birthplace of
almost thirty people.
This space, which was once
a place of utter neglect,
was the only route for the five daughters-in-law of our house
for the whole year.
Otherwise, it was considered an impure place, a place for waste.
If you stepped on it,
you had to take a bath.

The place where humans are born, is it impure?
Doesn't it keep the earth alive? Doesn't it give life to the earth?

No one else had the right to enter that space,
only the midwife did.
Because no one touched the midwife,
she was untouchable.
If you touched her,
you had to take a bath.

There were four small buildings
around the big courtyard.
Two of them were old,
dilapidated, and plastered.
The children would play, run around, and jump in the courtyard.
The colorful houses
were inhabited by people.
The boys would run across
the courtyard, jump over the wall, and pluck ripe guavas from the gava tree.
The seeds of the ripe guvas were sweet.
They would suck on them.

The gava tree was surrounded by
a group of boys from the neighbourhoods who would play stick games. Mock battles.
The women would bathe
at the ghat behind the house,
talk, and sometimes indulge in playful teasing.
They would return to the courtyard, their heads bowed,
wearing wet clothes,
looking like colorful sculptures,
with a child in someone's arms,
like a half-broken Jamini Roy's painting!

The children grow up crying.
The courtyard and the houses,
the gap between the houses
and the courtyard,
how many days have passed through them? Cruel time!
Even the elders cry now.

Because that narrow space
where thirty people were born
is no longer found.
Stones have been laid.
Walls have risen around the chest. No one is born
in that narrow space anymore.
New rooms have been built
inside the chest,
and emptiness surrounds the new rooms.
The mock battles have become real.
Yet, the birthplace has grown,
and the whole world has transformed into motherland.

---------- Sanjib Saha


The text features vivid descriptions, metaphors, and poetic language, creating a rich and immersive atmosphere. The author's use of imagery and symbolism adds depth to the narrative, inviting the reader to reflect on the importance of roots, family, and the passage of time.