A SOLDIER LAMENTS

I saw him fight  that night

Not against an enemy at the front 

But a few unreasonable minds

Bent upon degrading

Things and values

He held uppermost

As the love of nation was being termed 

'Forced nationalism '

And shouting abusive slogans

Against one's own  motherland

Was being justified

In the name of freedom

Of expression.

Even the emblem of national honour

The Tricolor 

Was made a topic of heated debate.

And  the veteran soldier's heart 

Could no longer contain 

His sorely injured feelings

 At the most unsavoury  reasoning

Offered by the so-called liberals

And we saw him react  and burst,

Pour out his anguished  heart

Like a thunderbolt at first,

Then  shouting with a lump in the throat

And  helpless tears  at last

His voice silenced all 

And made everyone  realize 

That he was in earnest to react

And  express his strong feelings

With that unusual retort.

That the nation and its honour

Are over and above all else

Are the succour we all live by 

For who lives if the country is dead 

And who dies so long as it is alive  .!

SIACHEN SORROWS

                                            
   O you killer peaks of Siachen!                                Cruel has been your whim,

  Ignoble and insane,  

 To unleash your deadly assault,

 On duty-bound   sentinels,
 Without giving them a chance,
 To fight and prove their mettle.

  Look, every sensitive  heart,,
  Is  struck with a rude shock,
  Wondering what prompted you,
  To play a game so unfair.

  Wasn't it an act of deceit,
  Vicious and  cruel,
  To trap them so unawares,
  In that most unjust warfare?

   Had  some evil impulse,
   Overcome you all of a sudden?
   Mischief so mean  otherwise,
   Couldn't be your normal action.

    Or did you feel challenged,
    Insecure or belittled,
    By the superhuman fortitude,
    Of the heroes posted there .?
                                      
    No, they  hadn't been there,
    To dare your sky-high stature,
    Nor disrupt your pristine solitude,
    Or blemish your snowy splendour.
                                            
     They had come there trudging, 
     The tough mountain terrains,
     To guard the precious lone posts,
      Bordering their own motherland.
                                 
      Just to keep a silent vigil,
      On and around the fields,                                                                                                                                Lest some evil eye should dare,
      Desecrate the sacred portals.

      Yes, they were there braving,
      The most inimical  climes,,,
      Performing their duties in earnest,
       As sacred, religious rituals.
                                 
      Then why did  your cruel avalanche
        Hit  as if they were your foes,
          Buried  them alive in ice,
         Hiding their very existence?

      But be not proud you agent of Death!
      Of cutting short their  physical beings,
      For stories of their matchless courage, 
    Will   keep echoing in the air  around you
     And in the mind and heart of the nation !!
                                        

                                       
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IT'S SPRING HERE ONCE AGAIN!

            Hail to you o charming guest!
          The most awaited and  cherished,
          Landing majestically onto the earth
          With the ceremony of a  real king!

       The one whose  advent does signal,
        Sure retreat of  winter's biting chill --
        A season  harsh and  unkind  indeed,
        With killer snow and cruel wind.

          Its truly atrocious ways,
          Were  borne  with  patience only because--
          Of  the deep-set  hope,
          That you were following close on its heels,

          And would arrive,  as ever,on time
          To bring an end to the winter's reign,
          Making the departing cold give way, 
          To pleasant sunshine  life- giving warmth.

              Like a child, I watch in awe, 
            The good earth rising up in cheer,,
             As if from slumber  long and deep,
             Now wearing a look vibrant and fair.
       .

            All  around me I  see and hear
            Birds of varied plumes and  sounds
            Singing in glee in  joyous flights
              Or hopping about in sprightly cheer.

         The koel's musical notes come  drifting,
          From mango orchards in full bloom,
          Bearing promises of fruits to come
           On the wings of warm spring air.

           Even the dry and pallid landscape, 
          Is now abuzz with life's business,
          Dressed in green,  she strands refreshed,
         With a host of living beings around.

          The diligent  bees  are  busy as ever,
          Dancing around the friendly flowers,
          Collecting nectar  they need to make,
          Honey for themselves and for others.

          Joy  abounds  on the earth and skies,
          Nature is smiling, and with it goes on,
           Celebration of life and re-creation,
             Leaving behind all past losses.

           These shows of  gaiety and exuberance,
            Are sure signs of your blessed presence,
           Mirrored in the world of living beings,
            And even in so-called insensate things..

           Hence, hearty welcome o royal guest!
           Though  as a visitor on a sojourn  here,
            Pray, stay with us  for  a little longer,
           Extending the bliss that you kindly offer.