Pigeonhole

Back again with another amateur poem after almost three years...

Don’t seduce my mindless mind 

unless it makes you shiver 

Don’t reduce me to a final conclusion

until you score the decider 

I won't mind a heartless dictator 

Putting on a burlesque for your peers

I promise I won't resist 

If you insist, I won't break down in tears

But don’t play those mind games 

The game aint gonna be over 

Don’t go by my ancestral roots

Trust me, you won’t get too far 

If you want, you can be the detective 

on a mission to expose all my illicit affairs

You can judge my unfinished book

skimming through the unwritten chapters

But don’t make those assumptions 

when you are not ready to dive deeper 

Don't normalize my blissful ignorance

when you are not ready climb steeper

I won’t mind if you change my selfish narratives 

And downplay all my credentials

Feel free to dismiss my sweet nothings

Expose all my wasted potentials

But don’t shatter my childhood into pieces

unless you are ready to face blood

Don’t try to rationalize my ulterior motives 

unless you know how to escape a flood

 

If you want, you can be the winner

who has the last word in every contest 

You can be the torch bearer 

walking all over my empty nest 

But don’t seduce my mindless mind 

unless it makes you shiver 

Don’t reduce me to a final conclusion

until you score the decider 

Endless

Finally, it's time for the second poem of the year. The title is inspired by the 2009 Bengali movie of the same name "Antaheen...". Metaphorically, the central idea is similar to someone in lockdown, going through endless mixed emotions in the landscape of the past, present, and future while embracing the uncertainty of life. I am thankful to the readers of my previous poem who encouraged me to write more. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Please continue to stay safe and healthy everyone!

Frantically running downtown
Dodging a thousand bullets
Infinite second chances 
A million stumbles later
I walked up the vanishing path
Catching my breath letting it all go

Staring through a series of flashbacks

My mind travels backward
Countless narrow escapes
Untold comebacks later
My racing heart nears a vantage
Bursting into tears letting it all flow

Fast forward to a frozen wish

I wake up numb at a question mark

My scattered words
Fighting an awkward wind
My empty brain cries out a shout
On a wild day letting it all blow

Back to the present day 
Hitting an old dusty trail
Making a way through the wilderness 
I meet your ocean eyes 
My reckless soul stands still 
With a dazzling sunrise letting it all glow

P.S. The overall narrative of the first two stanzas is inspired by a 2018 Bollywood song sequence from the movie "Blackmail", especially the last 2 minutes or so that elevates to a surreal level of ecstasy matching the heartbeat of a broken heart and the insanity of a devastated soul all captured beautifully in a short sequence of distraught run.

Na Hanyate (It Does Not Die)

After 8 long years, it's time to get back on the horse. The title of this amateur poem is inspired by the famous 1974 novel of the same name by Maitreyi Devi. This is also my very first attempt at writing poetry in English. I want to thank everyone who provided early feedback on the initial version which is very much appreciated. Without further ado, here goes the poem 'Na Hanyate'.

Love is often contradictory in nature as the saying goes
'Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur'.
Thanks to a friend for this one.

Let's not ignore the red flags anymore

                    For heaven's sake - for our own sake - let's not make it a chore

I mean this was a long time coming
                    You know it deep down 'coz you're strong and wise
As much as I'd like to believe we can restore our fate

                    Let's not gamble anymore and absolutely not roll the dice

Do we owe each other an apology? May be but who cares?

                    Let's not lose ourselves in quest of a closure

Some things in life are too good to be true

                    Let's not play the blame game 'coz there is never a winner

Let's not avoid the warnings any longer

                    For heaven's sake - for our own sake - let's not make it a daily banter

As ironic as it may sound the onus is on me for letting you down

                    I've always learned the hard way now I know love doesn't conquer

I must admit the heartbreaks caught me completely off guard

                    I can't promise to heal your wounds but I truly wish you recover

For one, we could not afford happiness among other earthly treasures

                    Let's agree to disagree but not at the expense of each other

I feel sick to my stomach taking a stroll down the memory lane

                    My future is uncertain but I'm certain we're never getting back together

Let’s not take each other for granted - not even a tiny bit

                    For heaven's sake - for our own sake - let’s not make it a habit

We have come a long way through dust and darkness

                    Little did we know we were headed for a miserable fall

Two drowning people can only drag each other down

                    Let's not be vulnerable and let's not sympathize at all

I low-key hope that we will together go miles in our next life

                    With a much better version of us meant to be together

I hope you won’t mind if I finally win you over

                    Let's then be madly in love - made and mad for each other

Until then, let’s not neglect our total failure as a pair

                    For heaven's sake - for our own sake - let’s not pretend we have a future

It must feel good to dream of an alternate reality full of hopes
                    'Coz love makes you strong and unrequited love stronger
Sometimes, I am left shivering thinking of our happy times

                    But hey, we had a good run and nothing great lasts forever

I get to write this now without any regrets
  'Coz you were unapologetically you in pulling the trigger
Don't get me wrong it's a dream come true to be a part of your life

                    We crushed our dreams but let's not crush each other

Let’s not be held at gunpoint as a begging gesture

                    For heaven's sake - for our own sake - let's not make it an everyday affair

A scene from the movie Fanaa (2006).
We failed as a couple, let's not fail as a solo traveler in this journey called life.

Singing the Unsung Hero - The Renkoji Temple And Beyond

Although highly disputed, it is believed that Netaji’s ashes have been kept in an urn at the Renkoji temple, one of the believers being none other than Ms. Anita Bose Pfaff, Netaji’s own daughter! It is well-known that the Mukherjee commission concluded in their report in 2006 that Netaji did not die in a plane crash, although the previous two commissions reported otherwise. Much water has flown under the bridge and many other stories emerged as ‘popular’ such as the ‘Gumnami Baba’. Each of these stories has its own shortcomings and hence the death mystery remains inconclusive till now. As a consequence, Netaji is still alive ‘theoretically’!

This summer I had the privilege of visiting Japan for attending a research conference. It was a tight and hectic trip of 8 days in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. During my stay in Japan, I had the opportunity to visit Renkoji temple at Suginami-Ku, Tokyo on 23^rd June 2012. It was my lifelong dream to visit this ‘holy’ place. Being situated in a residential area, the place was quite calm as compared to other places in Tokyo. I took the subway Marunouchi line from Shinjuku to Higashi-Koenji station to reach Renkoji.  I was a bit nervous while approaching the temple. Upon arrival, through the main gate, along with some scriptures written in Japanese, I got a glance of my favorite childhood hero standing alone – the ‘Patriot of Patriots’ as called by Mahatma Gandhi and ‘Deshnayak’ as called by Tagore. A closer view took my attention to another inscription written in Hindi in 2001 by then prime minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,  a ‘rare’ effort from the government of India. I could not go inside the main hall as it is open to the public only once a year i.e. August 18^th – the date the alleged plane crash took place in 1945! Keeping aside all controversies, I must say this was a lifetime experience and definitely one of the proudest moments of my life!

I spent another 30 minutes there. As I wandered about in the temple premises, my mind took a little digress to recapitulate some recent findings by a group of Netaji truth seekers. As of now, it is an ‘unofficial’ proven fact that the ashes kept in the Renkoji temple are not of Netaji. To substantiate further, some sources reveal that Netaji was ‘seen’ after the plane crash. Frankly speaking, these facts could not alter my visit to this ‘mysterious’ place. As an ardent admirer of Netaji, it is the constant indifference, non-cooperation, and apathy shown by the government towards a true son of India that bothers me more than the mystery itself. It is indeed a painful national shame the way his death issue is mystified, the way he has been deliberately humiliated, the way his greatness has been distorted in popular culture! Simply put, a man who sacrificed his life to dream about a prosperous India, who chose to stand different from the crowd of ‘greedy’ politicians, who took breath-taking risks to form an army of nearly 45,000 soldiers to free India, must not be forgotten! I closed my eyes in anguish. As the sun was going down, thoughts of mere disappointment gradually occupied my mind. There was a copy kept for the visitors to write something in it. I wrote, “Dear Netaji, we don't deserve you! Don't forgive us ever!” A resultant futile protest in deep darkness!

In the next few days of my trip, as I sailed through the land of the rising sun, experiencing Japanese food and culture, among other things, I was truly mesmerized by the courtesy and politeness of well-dressed Japanese people. What fascinated me most is that despite some potential threats like regular earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear attacks, the country is neat, clean, highly disciplined, and extremely well-organized. Japanese people are known for their genuine love for their country as well as faith in themselves. I saw a glimpse of Japanese sincerity through the places I visited. Be it a traditional Japanese temple or a masterpiece of modern architecture, Japanese dedication was prevalent everywhere. Henceforth, over the course of my journey, I have developed a huge crush on Japan and Japanese people. Swami Vivekananda once said when asked about Japanese people, “If you catch the social morality and the political morality of the Japanese, you will be as great as they are...When you have men who are ready to sacrifice their everything for their country, sincere to the backbone — when such men arise, India will become great in every respect”. As known to many, Vivekananda’s messages and dynamic personality had a huge impact on Subhash Chandra’s life. Indeed, Vivekananda’s aspirations were given shape and existence by Subhas Chandra as he reflected his guru in dreaming of establishing socialism in India. Throughout my journey in Japan, I felt the essence of patriotism in every nook and corner! Probably, that’s why a true patriot like Netaji is being respected in Japan – a country that symbolizes patriotism! 65 years have passed after independence. Today, India is struggling with corruption, poverty, unemployment and so many other issues. Amidst all these, Netaji is missed like never before. His ideals, his works, his achievements are much more needed to heal our wounded society. Hopefully, one day will come when he will get his due respect when we will become better human beings and will learn to love our country like he did and I believe, a better nation will be born! Then only, his immortal soul will get solace and a truly proud moment for India will arrive! This is when his death mystery will become irrelevant and a true homage towards a national hero will be paid! With that hope, my memorable journey in Japan concluded with a happy ending. No wonder, Netaji will continue inspiring future generations to come for years! My heartiest regards and ‘Pronam’ to the great leader and a 'real' hero. Jai Hind!

"তুমি  দেশের  জন্য  সমস্ত  দিয়াছ, তাই  তো দেশের  খেয়াতরী  তোমাকে বহিতে  পারে  না...তাই তো দেশের রাজপথ  তোমার  কাছে  রূদ্ধ...কোন  বিস্মৃত   অতীতে  তোমারি  জন্য  প্রথম  শৃঙ্খল  রচিত  হইয়াছিল ...কারাগার  তো  শুধু তোমাকে মনে  করিয়াই  প্রথম  নির্মিত  হইয়াছিল...

মুক্তিপথের  অগ্রদূত...পরাধীন  দেশের  হে  রাজবিদ্রোহী...তোমাকে শতকোটি  নমস্কার..." (পথের দাবী, শরৎচন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায়)