Poetry: Toolika Rani

Toolika Rani

The Wild 

One of the biggest achievements 

of human beings 

was to domesticate the wild animals:

Cow, goat, horse, elephants, hens, camels 

Cheetahs 

And then they domesticated themselves,  

Their own clan

In chains, invisible

To earn, to reproduce, 

To rear the young, 

For what? 

To live a life of slavery 

Slavery by their own clan. 

Bodies rooted, minds wandering 

What a catastrophe! 

Falling into the bottomless abyss 

Of the labyrinth called society! 

And turning insane 

Day by day 

Growing dull and devoid 

Of passion, energy, activity 

Dreaming of the waterfalls

With sinking eyes 

Pacing restlessly, to and fro 

Escape, from this open jail!  

Is there anywhere, where 

there is none of my own? 

and only the wild, 

the jungle, the creepers 

the mountains, the rivers.   

***  

Bio: Squadron Leader (Dr) Toolika Rani is an ex-Indian Air Force Officer, Mountaineer (Everest Climber), International Motivational Speaker (TEDx), Author, Poet, Assistant Professor of History, and was the G-20 Brand Ambassador of Higher Education Department, U.P. Government (2023). Her book Beyond That Wall: Redemption on Everest was published from Delhi in 2021, and has received ‘Sahitya Shree’ and ‘Young Writer Award’. Based on her Ph.D. research work her book ‘Sherpas of Solukhumbu: History and Evolution’ (2023) delves into the fascinating lives of the Sherpas living at the base of Mt. Everest. A bilingual poet, she has published two Hindi Poetry books titled, Dayron ke Bahar and Hasratein and one English poetry book, ‘The Song of the Sky’. She has compiled an international anthology of poems on Himalaya, titled, ‘The Mountain was Abuzz’ which was displayed at the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, 2024. She is the co-author of the book, ‘Healing and Growth: Inspiring Stories for Massive Transformation’ published from USA. Contact her on tulich83@gmail.com, or Insta ID toolika_14. 

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Setu, July 2024