Madhu Sriwastav (Voices Within)

Madhu Sriwastav is an Assistant Professor in English at B.H.K. Mahavidyalaya. She is involved in academic as well creative pursuits. She writes poems, short stories, academic papers, reviews, short plays and translates into English. She is a performing poet, performing regularly at various National and International platforms such as Guntur Poetry Festival, Newtown Boimela National Poetry Festival, IPPL, Poetry Conclave, ISISAR forums, Apeejay Literary Festival. She is a member of the executive committee of IPPL i.e. Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library. She has published her poems in Setu, Glomag, OPA, The Quest, Culture and Quest, The Amravati Prism Spectre etc.

People’s Nation

People form Nation
Or Nation forges people?
National leaders
Human torches
Leading the mindless
Through dark times
What if the torches
Falter and flicker
And set alight
The place to secure
Destroy the hearth
As a Lakshagriha…
Caution is the key
To unmask the faces of friends in foes
To connect with the thinking
Who can take up the cudgel
Unite and hold hands
Express mindful solidarity
A well thought out plan
To counter the fire set ablaze
The tyranny loosened to spur
The youth , the future of a nation
The sky is foggy
Sunshine eludes
Yet the blowing wind
Drifts the clouds apart
The golden Sun in parts
Shines through the mist
Surely there will be light
All will be right
Where is a Nation without its heart
People swear by
Take oaths in its path.

Scorned bride

Dressed as a bride

Heart full of love

A flutter in its beat

Resplendent in her finery

Her eyes looked up

Hesitantly, looking for the one

Who had stolen her dreams!

Among a bevy of princes

All in royal splendour

Amba located her mate

 Her eyes lit up; cheeks glowed

Secretly she smiled, her eyes drooped down

Awaiting her turn to garland him

And become his wife foe life!

Suddenly came in …a gush of wind

A chariot fiercely galloped in

There was hue and cry all around

Like a flash of lighting

The brides were gone!

All stood agape…princess and king

Shocked by the prompt act!

As the chariot galloped by

Kissing the wind in its embrace

The three brides trembled in fear

Trying to meet the eye

Of none other than Bhisma the great!

The guardian prince stood at the helm

Having abducted the brides to be

Vichitravira the weakling prince

Was hence brought forth beautiful wives

Ambika and Ambalika accepted their fate

But restless Amba pined for her mate

Thus, set free she came to Shalva

The one she loved and longed , day n night!

But alas! He turned her down

Amba was now an abducted woman

She was retuned but out of pity

How could one of Kshatriya clan

Take for wife a discarded thing

Taken by another then given in charity

Thereby Amba’s heart was crushed!

Homeless, hapless she returned to the weakling

Only to know her fate was sealed

Once given she couldn’t be taken

In anger in frustration she turned to the one

Who brought her to this…

One who had twisted her fate!

Bhisma was bound to his vow

Had broken hearts when taking the vow

Of Kashi’s sister the then betrothed

But none could stand in his path

The dutiful path carved for his clan.

  

Shattered and shamed stood Amba enraged

She wouldn’t spare him, have him killed!

For she was now the most terrible thing

Nobody’s chattel, nobody’s wife

No place to go, no one to love

Her life destroyed; her youth wrecked!

From door to door, from fort to fort

Searched and sought the scorned bride

For someone worthy of Kshatriya clan

Befitting to take upon the one

One and only Bhisma and quell her shame

Restore her honour by his blood

Avenge for her, her humiliation

Her search was rare for all went pale

When it was Bhisma to be avenged

Her determination which was irresolute

Took her to the warrior’s guru

None other than Parashuram Himself

Shocked to hear of Amba’s plight

He unsheathed his axe and challenged the one

Both equal in might and in valour

 A terrible fight did ensue

All set to destroy the whole wide world

As Bhisma was blessed to choose his death

The duel was stopped to save the world.

But Amba bent to fast till death

Till the gods answered her prayers

Standing on one foot on the hills

Till Lord Shiva appeared to her

“You will be the cause of his death

But have to wait till next birth”

Impatient, angry and resolute

She jumped into the fire to die

To be born again in Panchal Rajya

As Shikhandi the child of Drupad

A woman, yet not, to bring the end

Whenever he wished but by her hand!

It took two lives, so many years

So much anguish, so much pain

To quell what was whimsically imposed

A bride to be, to have a family

Brought about the end of Kshatriya clan

Of a dutiful guardian, worthy son

But abductor also was he

Foe needlessly, shamelessly scorning a bride

Irreparably destroying a women’s life!

Daunted Rain

Droplets: Have been flying around for long

Cloud: Look it's a city, tall buildings abound

Droplets: No, no don't send us down

We will be lost, we will be trapped

There are so few trees, that too in concrete box

How will we come back to our aerial form?

Cloud: There is a river and some ponds

Droplets: That's more of a drain, ponds no better than pits

All the waste and chemical have throttled its life

Ponds are breeding grounds for fatal disease

What's scary is the concrete boundaries

It's stops us from going

To our mother earth

We have to linger about

Till the strong sun

Changes our form

We sail up and form a cloud

We are happy here …don't send us down

Cloud: It's sacrilege for you to say so

Who has come up, must go down!

Droplets: We are bound by law but are afraid

Drop us when you will, we'll wash all by force

But hold us till you can n we grow in strength

Then the concrete will crack, the soil below give way

We will be happy to come to our lay.

Cloud: You want to wreck destruction

On those who have destroyed all

Indulging in themselves as none other lives at all!

Our dear earth is suffering under their whim

Droplets: You don't worry they will have their due

Many have come and many will go

We have been here and will be so.

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Voices Within-2020 :: Setu, February 2020