As I sauntered on banks of Yamuna at night.
I saw a man old, bent, with stick in dhoti white.
Tardily, step by step as he came nearer to me.
With joy I smiled as our own beloved Bapu was he.

With tears in my eyes I asked, ' Bapu you are still alive! ,
those three bullets holed your chest, how did you survive?
What happened to you? Where were you all these days?
What you ate? How you lived? Now where do you stay?

Condition of your beloved land is deteriorating day by day.
Countrymen have left your path, they have gone astray.
Your image, your killers are trying to malign and degrade.
Berating your ways, encouraging means which you forbade.

******'s advocates on chariots are traversing Nation's length.
Day by day Fascism is gaining ground , gaining strength.
Disguised as followers of Sri Ram, deeds of Ravan they do.
Riots and killings are frequent, women and minors are targeted too.

Terrorism nourishing on terrorism, cruelty at its worst.
Targeting anyone, anywhere, time and again bombs burst.
Once a land of peace, land of sufism, land of saints,
now ******. Innocent souls being killed without restraint.

Regionalism is being encouraged and taking roots.
Unity of the Nation selfish politicians reduce and dilute.
Corruption is increasing everywhere and in all spheres
Even highest office of respect could not keep itself clear '

Passing his hand over my head he smiled and said '
I am just a spirit, long ago my weak body was dead.
Daily with expectation I rise and daily with despair I die
Daily my hope is shattered and daily with grief I sigh

They may have killed me but now I live in numerous hearts
They may write me down in history yet my message will dart.
See this flag, colour saffron is dear to me, colour green I love.
between them is colour white, colour of peace, colour of dove.

Nation divided in three hurts me more than bullets three
From casteism and regionlism country should be free.
Communalism should not be allowed to raise its ugly head.
With sword of constitution Fascism we need to behead '

Three sound disturbed the calm, beloved Bapu fell on the ground
I went to help but Bapu vanished with words 'Hey Ram' echoing around
Determined that this time his innocent blood will not go waste.
I collected his non-violent blood in my pen like ink with haste.

We are unstoppable when we are in control

Others may or may not know
What we have done
But only we know
What that meant

You have slept through nights
But it took few sleepless ones to do so
For comfort follows struggle


We have all won the fights,
we never fought

He did what he had to
He chose the way he lived
He chose the way he didn't have to live

Then a man
Now a lamp

Bapu.

It's Gandhi Jayanti
Let's be better

it pains me to see
that for many
you’re just a photo on a wall
and on our currency
a permanent fixture in our lives
a tradition that no one knows the origin of
and even if known-misunderstood
your philosophy distorted, your methods abused
the poorest, most controversial parts of it magnified
and what is really important buried
under generations of lip service
and self-serving biases
i myself don’t agree
with everything you said
but still, i admit
that most of it made sense
thank you for questioning violence
and greed, corruption and falsity
thank you for the difference you made
Happy Birthday!
i wish you were around
to clarify what has become twisted
to silence your detractors
and light the way again

-Vijayalakshmi Harish
  02.09.2012

Copyright © Vijayalakshmi Harish

We have never really talked,
But I think I can,
Knowing I am the son of the same soil that anointed you,
And I come from the same city you started it all,
Before I say something I would like to touch your feet,
Pay my respects
I don't know where to start from,
Probably, in school they taught your lessons,
I didn't know back then it was a blessing,
Instead I made fun of you,
disfiguring your picture in the textbook,
Now I think, How could I?
I hope you can forgive me
And you said "hate the sin, not the sinner",
But it was 2nd October and didn't miss your movie,
It feels so nostalgic to me,

My grandfather once saw you,
He used to tell me stories about you,
How a nation was saved,
And the struggles you braved,
They say your thoughts are obsolete,
But not for me,
What you have instilled in me is priceless,
Beyond caste, color and race,
I wish I could tell you face to face,
From shaking the empire to your fasting,
Time in prison to the Salt March,
I wish I could take a part,
Shaking the foundations,
To making us a proud nation,
Bringing to us that moment of Salvation,
From Indigo to salt to cotton,
You fought them,
To millions under starvation,
Making us think from a common man's point of view,
It was you,
From self reliance,
To defiance,
You did it,
And all that without use of force,
I wished you could have stayed longer,
Bless some of the lost souls,
Left some of us on crossroads,

And they say Jesus told us what to do,
You taught us how to do it,
Forgive me, younger me was stupid,
You paved the way for King Jr. and Mandela to aspire,
And many others feel inspired,
But the sad part is that,
Against you they still conspire.
Living free,
Not knowing you did it for us,
How a thin barely clothed man could do wonders,
You taught us to stand for injustice,
You don't need a Nobel Prize, the only true ambassador of peace,

And the loyalists still follow,
Your word is never leaving,
Words are not enough,
But I feel your sorrow,
You made me believe,
Anything is possible
If you stay focused and work for it,
There's so much more to learn,
Nothing but gain knowledge,
And I try to pay homage,
Statues around the world,
Left us true word
The legacy lives on,
No matter how much I say
It will not be enough
Nobody can fill your shoes
Even if they try to,
The world calls you Mahatma, I call you Bapu

Walking stick, || in his hand,
Firm stride, || his dream was grand.
Peace & freedom || was his quest,
His non-violent path, || is the best.
Learn from Bapu’s || lesson of peace,
End the world || of all pain & grief.
A test for us || lies today,
Will we walk || on his way?

Reading an article
About Swach Bharat Abhiyan
I'd wept I remember

Next Sunday
The news was the saddest
Protest against the piles of garbage

At midnight
One ***** called me out
From the window

I'd a frog in my throat
To see Bapu with a placard

Let my vision open its wings
They're only filling their coffers

With a sob he dissolved