With Love, From Pakistan

Cardboard corners 
wrinkled in white 
sewn at seams, 
blue ink blotting 
tainted with frail fingerprints 
I saw my name on it 
in restless ruckus 
searched for the sender's. 

The address read "Lahore, Pakistan" 
the lull lilting into a smile 
the stitches cut with a surgeon's precision 
gave way to a blue gloss 
galvanizing the box. 

It was a riot of colours 
ornate objects 
in yellow, green, red and white 
a pretty memento 
tucked in a corner, 
a kurta too 
with pink edges 
made its presence felt, 
the smirk turned wider 
till my jaw jibed like a joker's 
while my eyes hurt 
with a quivering question. 

I wondered only if the postman 
at the door didn't give a lamentable look 
while handing the parcel 
sheltered scorn spilling over 
from his soul, 
guarded by a bulwark 
just like the barrage across the border 
that might have been the most momentous monument 
raised for the purpose of peace 
I wondered why? 


First published in Poetry 24 here

The Blame Game

A few days after the International Women's day and we are in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons. A young mother of a three year old boy fell prey to pervert patriarchy. She was working in a pub and dared to travel on the Gurgaon streets after 8 pm. It gets dark in the dingy by-lanes and the authorities sleep by then negligent of their duties towards the citizens, for the taxes we pay them is freely minted green gold doled by women like us who toil in sweat and blood. So no one could guarantee her protection, her basic right to live as a human and not be raped. And then since she worked in a pub, her privilege to walk on the streets in fearlessness was amended and she was branded a slut for no one tried to understand the circumstances that led her to taking up such a job.

And as Ms. Ranjana Kumari said to Hindustan Times The Indian police are the “only force in the world” that directly blames the victim. Their first instinct is not to investigate the attack but to put the victim’s character on trial.

Even before they could assess the gravity of the matter questions like these became mandatory.