Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha, INDIA

MANGATA

A riddle in

two syllables--

WOMAN:

Infinite, magical,

fierce, diverse

and so much more!

I walk on the

melted silver of

the magical moon

that creates a shiny road

on the argent-blue water--

Aha, my steps on Mangata!

The sun scorches sometimes,

I bloom into ache,

The bruises and the scars

rebel amid screaming silence,

I take up arms against

stubborn sorrows.

Between the shores of

glory and misery,

Starlit dreams and

bitter truths, I remain

alive, indestructible.

Like Phoenix I know

how to resurrect:

I spread my wings

amid flames

and soar up to

fiery new heights!

A TRIBUTE TO STRI SHAKTI*

Feminism --

An awareness of patriarchal control

The concept as a whole

Originated in the West

Thanks to Mary Wollstonecraft.

But we must remember

Today and forever:

Our glorious heritage of strong women

Before the waves of feminism began.

Let us hark back to how feminism in its rebellion,

And subtler shades in comprehension,

Is found in Indian mythology;

Let us sing a eulogy--

Shakti incorporated in each of the goddesses:

Adi Shakti Durga with her aggressive images,

Striding on the lion of misogyny patriarchy,

Unmatched in the whole hierarchy!

Sita not surviving her disgrace

Went inside the womb of mother earth without a trace.

Kali, the true badass,

Breaking infinity's walls,

Rocking the earth and the sky

Beyond how and why,

With long mane of hair

And a scary glare,

The bloodied sword and the necklace

Making her victims headless;

Parvati creating a child of her own:

A will and confidence to many unknown!

Why to forget Gargi, the philosopher,

Her name evergreen like conifer--

Stumping men in a court filled with philosophers,

A strong opponent of Yagnavalkya, we've known for years.

It's high time we dredged up the silt of doubt and fear

To make the inner channels clear.

Recognize, rise and fly

High into the sky;

Remove the tag of weak and vulnerable,

Start a journey that's invincible!

     

*Stri Shakti = Woman Power

Adi Shakti, Durga, Kali, Sita and Parvati are all Indian Goddesses representing Strength, Courage and Perseverance

THE INAUGURAL SESSION

In the sublit dawn,

She gets up

and strides out

for the bungalows

to do the chores.

Like thep:

Mauve and bright yellow

rooted in the dry

rocky stretch of soul--

A span full of forked and

twiggy stuff of bushes,

brown with dried leaves,

She survives!

Silent secrets deep within,

stick out their tongues

much against her wishes

and retreat into

the closet of mouth.

A descent of the primitive race,

A statue of black marble

with a pair of full round breasts,

she was created and destructed

in the dim interiors:

Corridors with undefined rooms,

kitchens with pungent smells

of garlic and fish fry,

and air-conditioned halls

where status frothed in tall glasses.

Hours, days, and years

fled like flamingos

migrating to alien lands

during her arduous journey

through life-- A pain-dense track:

No merciful break

from the heat waves that

baked her twenty precious springs!

On many hot days

and stormy nights,

she became a polythene bag

stuck to a tree branch--

Got inflated like a balloon,

and deflated swinging in the wind.

Now the woman wants

to stop her oscillation

between frost and fire:

She looks up above her world

and finds the tangerines sky--

She hears the footsteps of morning

Who crushes the dim

chandeliers of starlit sky

to become the chairperson

of an inaugural session!

Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha, a well- known voice in Indian poetry in English, is a former professor of English at S. B. City college, Nagpur (MH), India. She is also an author and literary critic.  Her poems, short stories, articles and research papers have been extensively published in dailies, magazines, e-zines, archives, journals etc. at the national and international levels. She has authored and published 07 books in different genres and 50 research papers. Her poems have appeared in Sahitya Akademi' s journal "Indian Literature". Conferred with a number of awards for her contribution to literature, she has received accolades from the former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for her poem "Mother Nature".  She has completed and published UGC-sponsored MRP on comparative literature. Associated with many literary organisations and poetry groups, she is currently a Research Supervisor, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur.

201903E, Editorial, English, Women Power & Creativity,

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Women, Power & Creativity :: Setu, March 2019