By the River Parvati, I Sit.

By Ishaan.

on a sunny noon,
by the river Parvati,
I sit. staring-
into the fierce battle that rages within.
most days her waters are a gentle calm –
a shade of breathtaking blue.
but today –
she roars a revengeful brown.
today –
she flows with an anxious fury,
of a faltered lover’s frown. crashing,
into every rock, as if –
all her despairs,
she’s set out to drown.

some say it’s just the rain,
but beneath her spiteful wrath,
I see the pain.
the vengeful vexation,
of a woman scorn’d.

but to wrestle against,
the majestic mountains,
was harder done,
than thought.
she knew-
persistence was the virtue,
impulse was not. thus,
relentlessly, she trickled on.
through crevices and cracks,
carving out dogged tracks,
until there was a brook.

time rolled long,
until that’s where the brook always belonged.
yet, she refused to cease,
as she flowed on, and-
on the face of her persistence,
even the mountains surrendered,
and split for her,
to recast herself into a river.

oh, i can’t help but wonder,
what if the brook thought?
‘there is no way I can cut through these rocks.’
but she chose not to let adversity,
wear her down.
seeping through every nook,
and corner,
through the unyielding peaks,
she recast her own ground,
until she was –
the pious Parvati.

she knows her end is certain:
a traceless convergence into oceanic coexistence.
is it tragic?
I know not.
maybe, nor does Parvati,
yet, relentlessly, she flows on.

as by the river Parvati,
I sit – in awe.
on the face of such odds,
what if Parvati thought,
she cannot?

change.

o brother!
i know the news of our nation,
makes you anxious. watching-
the land you graced as your own,
maligned by majoritarian testaments;
or your own kin, slain-
for their choice of-
taqiyah, turban or vestaments,
unnerves you. as you offer,
your prayers today, i hope-
you pray for them, and-
silently remember,
to raise your brethren better!


o sister!
as you walk down the aisle,
adorning a grand dress-
a salwar, gown or lehenga,
i hope you remember,
of so many others, like you-
who met a very different fate. dragged-
though the same aisle,
that you today tread on,
and put through a forced ringed ordeal,
i shall not be afraid to call-
‘RAPE.’
simply because her social groom was-
cast out of the same caste dye,
as her own consanguine race.
as you take your vows today,
i hope you avow to sire the next generation better,
no, you don’t have to say it aloud.
merely abide by it,
for your conscience’s sake.

and all the privileged members,
of the majority masses!
i hope you remember, that-
rama is the hero of his epic,
because he stood for his ideals,
not because he demolished,
some demon king. so-
every time you chant his name,
I hope you take it to make peace,
not prejudice. for-
nothing shall elate a king better,
than to see his subjects break bread,
as brothers.

you see, the change starts with you,
and it shall never start,
until you do. for-
if little drops of water,
can make the mighty ocean;
we are a collective of 1.38 billion,
empowered individuals.
it’ll surprise you-
what a little effort from each one,
could do.

Ish.





I Want To Kill Myself.


Some Nights-
I Want To Kill Myself.

Hold A Knife To My Wrist,
And Slice Right Through.
I Know, Occassionally-
You Do Too.
Some Nights,
It’s The Betrayals and Heartaches. Others,
Worse Weekday Blues.
I Know You Have Your Reasons,
I Assure You, We All Do.
But, Don’t.
If Not For Yourself,
Then For The Toil Of The Ones,
Who Raised You.
If Not Them, Then-
The Millions,
Whose Death Dawned On Them,
Before Maturity Did.
Who, Never Had The Choice Of Life,
Like You Do. Who,
Would Sell Their Souls,
To Salvage The Light Of Another Day.
The Same Life, You Choose To Erase,
In an Unceremonious Way,
Just Because, Someone-
Did What They Did, While Others-
Ignored Your Cry For Help.
But, Don’t You Believe,
It’s A Victory Of Those Turncoats,
If You Chose To Recede,
Into An Eternal Stupor,
Six Feet Underneath?
I Promise You, There’s More To Life,
Than This.

So-
On A Sorrow’d Night,
When The Devil Knocks,
Beckoning Your Soul,
Steep’d In Tragedy,
To Grace His Feast Of The Fallen.
I Hope You Find The Courage,
To Tell Him,
That You Shall Live,
To Die Another Day.

For-
The Goal of Life,
Is Never To Simply Cease To Exist.
We’re Not Poultry, Friend.
Our Value Doesn’t Begin,
At Death. If You Think,
You Could Do No Good Living,
I Assure You, You’d Just Be Worse Off,
Dead.

Now, Calm Your Heart,
Know Your Worth,
Cherish Your Survival,
And Go Right Back To Bed.

Ish.