A tribute to U.R. Ananthamurthy
Schools closed, vultures circling above,
markets deep red
chants of "narayana narayana"
(or replace with your fav diety)
ringing in the air
It first hit Narayanappa,
the rebellious, beef-eating maverick
infamous for his "azadi chants"
in the otherwise devout agrahara
And overnight he died
no fuss, no long-drawn illness,
no last words, no goodbyes,
and now he's dead.
So let's cremate the dead.
easier said!
Need to answer Yaksha first
but who can?
none but the assiduous conscience keeper !
The hamlet's called Durvasapura for a reason
(Durvasa wasn't exactly a peacenik, was he ?)
The Garudas and Lakshmanas are baying for blood
But will they get it ?
Get it, they will.
No, not "their" gold back from the dark skinned Chandri
No, not those farms or other riches
What they will get is the same "it"
that which hit Narayanappa first !
Corona, unlike Delhi police, doesn't differentiate
Leveler par excellence
Health minister or oscar winner or a commoner
mask or uniform,
helmet, turban or prayer cap
moholla, market or mall
slogans don't count
flags don't matter
But the conscience-keeper of the agrahara
cannot refuse the yaksha !
he re-reads the holy book,
he toils, he suffers
but is still none-the-wiser
Yakhsa keeps winning !
Tired yet hopeful,
as the last resort,
he takes Yaksha's probing to God
But sadly,
god (who's he?)
also fails him !
And thus it happens
One moment of conscious indecision
(Free will, any takers ?)
One moment of madness
One moment of mayhem
One un-defining moment
and our hero is undone !
Roiled in his own contradictions,
Piety vs Pleasure
or morals vs power
Knowing vs doing
or existing vs living
means ? ends ?
the sheer otiosity of his life thus far !
"Parroting" (God's name)
Is that all I know ?
Is that all I care ?
Or, that's all there is to me !
Soul numbed, voice silenced
acceptance or resignation ?
Schools closed, vultures circling above,
markets deep red
chants of "narayana narayana"
(or replace with your fav diety)
ringing in the air
It first hit Narayanappa,
the rebellious, beef-eating maverick
infamous for his "azadi chants"
in the otherwise devout agrahara
And overnight he died
no fuss, no long-drawn illness,
no last words, no goodbyes,
and now he's dead.
So let's cremate the dead.
easier said!
Need to answer Yaksha first
but who can?
none but the assiduous conscience keeper !
The hamlet's called Durvasapura for a reason
(Durvasa wasn't exactly a peacenik, was he ?)
The Garudas and Lakshmanas are baying for blood
But will they get it ?
Get it, they will.
No, not "their" gold back from the dark skinned Chandri
No, not those farms or other riches
What they will get is the same "it"
that which hit Narayanappa first !
Corona, unlike Delhi police, doesn't differentiate
Leveler par excellence
Health minister or oscar winner or a commoner
mask or uniform,
helmet, turban or prayer cap
moholla, market or mall
slogans don't count
flags don't matter
But the conscience-keeper of the agrahara
cannot refuse the yaksha !
he re-reads the holy book,
he toils, he suffers
but is still none-the-wiser
Yakhsa keeps winning !
Tired yet hopeful,
as the last resort,
he takes Yaksha's probing to God
But sadly,
god (who's he?)
also fails him !
And thus it happens
One moment of conscious indecision
(Free will, any takers ?)
One moment of madness
One moment of mayhem
One un-defining moment
and our hero is undone !
Roiled in his own contradictions,
Piety vs Pleasure
or morals vs power
Knowing vs doing
or existing vs living
means ? ends ?
the sheer otiosity of his life thus far !
"Parroting" (God's name)
Is that all I know ?
Is that all I care ?
Or, that's all there is to me !
Soul numbed, voice silenced
acceptance or resignation ?
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