HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
I
The moon had been waiting to bid adieu for the day
Waiting for his peer eagerly
I woke up with the impatient alarm shouts
I sauntered into the streets
To reach the distant grocery stores
Not that I’m systematic or health conscious
Today is the Independence Day celebrations
We need to have flags in our hands and on our chest
We aren’t recognised patriots if we don’t possess it
II
Uncle Bharat had been waiting for his coffee
Sitting in his chair carefree
Reading the President’s speech in the English daily
Shouting at Bharathi aunty as like everyday
But today with some special ability
Ordering her to keep the house cleanly
As the legislator is to dine with them today
She had been answering her husband’s questions patiently
With some sugar coated locutions
Muttering the real answers
Reluctantly cleaning the thoroughfare
And put some designs with a chalk
Inviting the so called Reverend Guest
I looked into her restless eyes
And wished her HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
And went on my way
III
The punctual Sun contrary to me is at his duty
The boulevards, beautifully decorated with tricolour ensigns
I savoured the aromatic laddu’s fumes
Emanating from the Party’s offices
A crescendo of Patriotic songs started playing
From a band of youth near Gandhi’s statue at the left
Another band of youth near Ambedhkar’s statue at the right
One band was hooting
‘Mera Bharat Mahan’
The other group raising their pitch hooted ‘Bharat Mata ki jai'
They had wrangled raising the volumes of the speakers
They also competed in distributing roses
I wished each of them HAPPY HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
And went on my way
IV
The roads were unusually cleaned and bleached
The huge banners inviting the legislators flooded
The poor street boys wanted to move back to their huts
As they found nothing on the streets
But they waited for the program to complete
To collect the refreshments that‘d be given
The repetitive speech of the legislator guest
Made me impatient but
The elite walkers who could comprehend clapped
I wished the exuberant walkers HAPPY IN ‘DEPENDENCE’ DAY
And went on my way
V
The drunken followers of the legislator camp
Crowded at the nearby bus stop
Teasing the girls waiting for the only bus
One of the hooligans hooted at me
Enquiring about my sisters arrival to the bus stop
I acted it uncomprehending
Wished him HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
And went on my way.
VI
I reached the distant grocery store
People were pushing themselves for the flags
The crowd t the bus stop astonished me
I stood there for the crowd to dilute
And later went to get my flags
The shopkeeper answered that there was no flag
I wished to push the people in the crowd then
But a sense of Patriotism stopped me
That Independence isn’t arrogance
But a greater interdependence
To break the doleful menace
And give ourselves some solace.
-PITY PARKER
DESIGN:
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