We came on foot, we came on boats, shouting slogans of Azadi.
We stood on roof tops and sat on walls under the burning midday sun,
Listening to the words that we had longed to hear for so long.
Words that had been scripted through the lonely fears of our hearts.
Words that were spoken now with the clarity of courage.
Words that were spoken now with the suppressed strength of pent up anger.
Words that were spoken now with the certainty of belonging to the soil
Which had become one with the dust of our ancestors.
We stood there in the waves of heat
Feeling the surge and press of countless bodies around us.
Bodies meshed through the odour of sweat
And the shared fear of a common persecution.
And hanging from the roof tops,
And tied to the poles,
And clutched in hands slippery with sweat,
And wrapped round the pillars,
And spreading into our blood,
Were three strips of colour with a wheel of spokes,
Sewn together into the shape of our being.
Woven into the folds of our future and the creases of our past.
Stitched to the seams of the earth, the water, the air and the sky
That belonged to us and to which we belonged.
And we stood there from noon to evening,
We the people of India.
Raising our clenched fists like signposts to the future.
Chanting slogans like a new anthem.
Kin to each other through the ties of community.
Born to live and die
In a nation that was ours to hold on to
And ours to belong to.
Dr Parinitha is a professor of English in Mangalore University. She penned the poem soon after participating in the historic protest against CAA, NPR and NRC at Shah Garden, Adyar, Mangaluru on 15th January, 2020.
Also Read:
‘The more you try to divide us, the stronger and united we’ll be’: Record turnout in Mangaluru’s anti-NRC protest
Anti-NRC protest in Mangaluru brings ‘media bias’ to the fore
Comments
PFI is the first kind of organization which is doing community work in all the walks of life.
and providing the helping hands to all the Indian community doing marvelous job.
this is the first organization fighting against corrupt and injustice following the principle of our father of nation mahatma Gandhi’s.
the corrupt and injustice people in the society not ready to accept their policy and trying to stop the voices of justice to the society.
I wish PFI and its sub organizations will continue to support to the society and keep the good work so that people are with you.
Wah what a joke.
RSS is blamming others as terrorists.
Constitutionof RSS is a terrorism. Stupid Hegevar and Savarkar are the heroes of illiterate stupid community.
The whole intelligent community including European Uniion and US openly declared.
This is the sure end and downfall of RSS, which will never come-up again. You woke-up of peace lovers.
Thank you.
You people are never fit to run even a small village and how come thinking of ruling a big country.
RSS is the most active and first ever terrorist organisation in India and it should be banned first. There is no proof of terrorist activities by SDPI and PFI. BJP is afraid of these organisations as they give tought resistance to BJP and this is the reason why its planning to ban these organisations. BJP is doing propoganda only. Real thread for peace + harmoney in India by sanghis. We should ban them first.
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