Ride
on the Crest of the Tide
By Neena Dighe: Translated by Sushama Karnik
When I read on your
face the pages of our life
I read in them an
endless story of drunken glory.
We had, as if, set
out riding on a tidal wave.
You and I, we were
both lost ourselves.
It was only when we
were rudely brought back to our senses,
We realized where we
were heading for.
It was a frantic race
all these years,
Without a memory of
how many destinations we bypassed in this blind race.
What massive changes
took place while we were busy running,
Busy reaching
somewhere, and the goal was nowhere.
Our outlook changed;
our values changed;
The language of our
life changed, while we kept running.
And we never took
note of the change.
Who are you, who am
I?
Our identity changed;
we are no longer the same.
There is still time
to wake up and evaluate.
We were torn apart somewhere
along the way.
Our tracks changed,
our goalposts shifted.
We changed; our
nation changed; its destiny no longer promised the land we had set out to
search, where we wanted to build a world
of justice and sanity and equality for all.
And yet in this
diversity, somewhere we were the same; we were one;
Unity in diversity:
that is our identity.
Let us stop the forces
that cleave us apart;
Let us say no to
anarchy.
Let us stop looking
to others for help;
Let us stop
complaining and whining in vain;
Let us stop this
backward rush into abyss.
Hatred has become a
way of life;
Not a way of life,
but a way to death;
Let’s say no to it.
Barbarity was not the
badge we wanted to wear;
But we are wearing it
proudly and openly as if that is our face and we are proud of our openness.
Once again, it’s time
to stop and see where we are going.
It’s time to see the
path we have travelled blindly;
It’s time to change
the course.
Let us conquer the forces
of regression and march ahead with no regret.
Let our children dive
for pearls and throw them away lavishly
like wealth not to be
owned by one, but shared by all.
This earth is a
dwelling–place of godly swans
Whose wings are for
the heaven and the feet are for the treading of this earth.
Let us be one with tide
and move with the world.
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