Wayanad 09 - Stelae Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon
Wayanad 09 - Stelae
They say, man needs
just six feet of land
once death takes over
and a piece of stone, a stela.
Two hundred fifteen persons
whose bodies recovered
but not identified, remain
mere numbers in their graves.
their stelae bear
a different inscription.
The 215 bodies I referred constitute thirtyone whole (nearly) and 184 parts. Some of the body-parts are just a finger or a toe. The six feet I mentioned is for those whose bodies were recovered whole. For some others, a few square inches was sufficient.
What a deeply poignant poem. Bless the souls of those 215 unidentified persons and with deepest sympathy to their families and relatives. Very touching.
The families of all those missing persons…all of them are quite religious and would have a proper funeral and rituals conducted for them, now that it is certain that none of them is alive
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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8/29/2026 5:14:58 AM # rel_20260827T145718Z_a0f1bd3
Thank you, Rose Marie for appreciating the poem.