SOS countries
I came home to see my grandfather reading the newspaper. Upon seeing me he said, "Hear what this article has to say. The whole of Pakistan has been destroyed by floods. The destruction has been so bad that is is being called the worst humanitarian crisis in recent times."
He continued reading from the aricle 'SOS country', "2 million houses have been destroyed, 7000 schools, 1.38 million hectares...." and so on.
It is September end! An unforgiving winter awaits the homeless in Pakistan...
A sense of grief engulfed me. Not pity. But the kind of sadness and empathy you feel for one of your own. These people are the same brown color as me. They speak the same tongue as me, their food, music, art is not too different as mine. They even dress the same way as I. Once we were a unified land- one India. We fought shoulder to shoulder against the common colonial master. Even today, albeit sadly, we are unified in our conflict.
Both countries have been through immense upheavals since independence. Pakistan has been worse off with its volatile and blood-stained politics and series of military rules. To imagine that the country, which is so poor, is facing such a catastrophe left me in despair.
Ironic, isn't it, that even in this calamity we are unified? The whole of north India is engulfed in unimaginable rain and floods. Nature has been wreaking its fury mercilessly. Even Delhi has not been spared.
Twin countries- mirrored in each other- marred by political ineptitude and impotence- massacred by ravaging, devouring beasts- mocked by the pitying and prying spectators.
But it is not nature that left me sorrowful. Even she is retaliating against what is wrong.
It is been 24 years for me in Delhi and this is the only time I have actually seen the Yamuna. We just ate it up! And claimed the land, which was rightfully hers, to build our townships and industries and slums. Now she wants it back.
Yamuna, and the rain, is sweeping away Delhi's (and India's) filth. Both real and metaphorical. Perhaps she is spreading her fangs to make sure that our real enemies do not succeed in pulling off the grand tamasha of our real destitution and degradation that is the Common Wealth Games.
We seek revenge from across the border. Pray, who shall avenge us from our real enemies? Inshahallah! The Yamuna will.
I want to ask our political leadership, opposition, and their moneyed ringmasters in their own lexicon- Who is the gravest internal (or external) security threat to us, to me? Is it not you!? You tell us to hate those across the border. You tell us to fear our own countrymen. But you never tell us to fear you! Are not you the real danger? The termite eating into our very foundation?
My ears ring with the faint recollection of a song on how we have been plundered by our real enemies-
"...Yamuna sukhi, Narmada sukhi, sukhi Suvarnrekha. Ganga bani gandi naali, Krishna kaali rekha..."
The river wreaks havoc to save itself, to save us. Long live the river!
He continued reading from the aricle 'SOS country', "2 million houses have been destroyed, 7000 schools, 1.38 million hectares...." and so on.
It is September end! An unforgiving winter awaits the homeless in Pakistan...
A sense of grief engulfed me. Not pity. But the kind of sadness and empathy you feel for one of your own. These people are the same brown color as me. They speak the same tongue as me, their food, music, art is not too different as mine. They even dress the same way as I. Once we were a unified land- one India. We fought shoulder to shoulder against the common colonial master. Even today, albeit sadly, we are unified in our conflict.
Both countries have been through immense upheavals since independence. Pakistan has been worse off with its volatile and blood-stained politics and series of military rules. To imagine that the country, which is so poor, is facing such a catastrophe left me in despair.
Ironic, isn't it, that even in this calamity we are unified? The whole of north India is engulfed in unimaginable rain and floods. Nature has been wreaking its fury mercilessly. Even Delhi has not been spared.
Twin countries- mirrored in each other- marred by political ineptitude and impotence- massacred by ravaging, devouring beasts- mocked by the pitying and prying spectators.
But it is not nature that left me sorrowful. Even she is retaliating against what is wrong.
It is been 24 years for me in Delhi and this is the only time I have actually seen the Yamuna. We just ate it up! And claimed the land, which was rightfully hers, to build our townships and industries and slums. Now she wants it back.
Yamuna, and the rain, is sweeping away Delhi's (and India's) filth. Both real and metaphorical. Perhaps she is spreading her fangs to make sure that our real enemies do not succeed in pulling off the grand tamasha of our real destitution and degradation that is the Common Wealth Games.
We seek revenge from across the border. Pray, who shall avenge us from our real enemies? Inshahallah! The Yamuna will.
I want to ask our political leadership, opposition, and their moneyed ringmasters in their own lexicon- Who is the gravest internal (or external) security threat to us, to me? Is it not you!? You tell us to hate those across the border. You tell us to fear our own countrymen. But you never tell us to fear you! Are not you the real danger? The termite eating into our very foundation?
My ears ring with the faint recollection of a song on how we have been plundered by our real enemies-
"...Yamuna sukhi, Narmada sukhi, sukhi Suvarnrekha. Ganga bani gandi naali, Krishna kaali rekha..."
The river wreaks havoc to save itself, to save us. Long live the river!
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