Arise

By Amrita Saikia

This is a poem inspired by the recent brutal murder of a nomad female child in Kashmir. The incident has shaken my belief on humanity and religion, which I have expressed in the form of a poem.

The tiny body was lowered into the earth,
The air had an eerie silence, devoid of mirth,
The little children were unable to comprehend,
The terrible that happened to their beautiful friend.

The helpless mother was inconsolable,
She clung to her daughter’s book of fable,
The father however refused to believe,
That it was time to bid adieu and grieve.

The monsters planned and had their way,
To rob the little girl of her innocence and play,
Sedated, violated, raped for eight long days,
On the cold floor of a temple, lifeless she lay.

The dirty hounds satisfied their insatiable lust,
For them, killing an innocent life was must,
They chalked out an unthinkable, gory way,
To chase the nomadic community away.

A tender, pure, harmless soul paid the price,
Of evil minds’ dirty whims and avarice,
Perhaps religion has blinded them,
The terror of saffron is to blame.

My belief on humanity has been shaken,
The country’s conscience needs to awaken,
Condemn, be angered, agitate and rise,
Raise your voice, organise and be wise.

Strengthen your belief in being united,
Shun the beliefs that have misguided,
If now you don’t rise up from your slumber,
Worse days of doom you will soon encounter.

About the author

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Amrita Saikia is currently an M.Phil. research scholar at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Active writer to the Critical Edges.