YOU WHO LEAVE US ALONE

The mail box lies empty
Accusing me of complicity
In its sad barrenness

For was it not I who told you to
Leave me alone! To not write,
To not look back but go onward!

You took me at my word, heartless
Beast that you are, not stopping
To think of us who would be left alone

What gives you the right to seek
Greener pastures when the cows at
Home go unmilked and miserable?

I AM IN THE DOWN TRAIN

In a while the down train is
Going to pass by
The SM and his assistant
Immaculate as ever
In their starched, white uniforms
Stand at ease, flags at the ready
One red, to tell us to stop!
The other green, to wave us
Frantically past!

My hands get sweaty as we approach
The level crossing just before the
Canal which flows under the bridge
That leads to the road that snakes
Over the dunes in the far beyond
The brown, sparse horizon blazing in the
Desert sun, over which
I know
You are sulking

My palms get sweaty
And I feel the lump in my throat
I need to gulp whole mouthfuls
To keep from suffocating
Why it that each time the down
Train snakes past this outpost of the
Indian Railways that I get my hopes up
That this is the end, my redemption
Is at hand!

You were not here the last time
Nor the one before that
Nor the times without number prior
Why, oh why would I then get my hopes up
That this time, you would somehow get
The train to stop and tell me
You were right
I was wrong and that everything would
Be all right between us again!

A candle! A candle for my dubbawalla!

My dubbawalla is no more
My bai is lying on Platform 12
Instead of the martinis at the Taj
Dhobitalao is lying dry, shaken!

I turn my face to the Arabian Sea
Why is Chowpatty so quiet?
Who in heaven`s name told the Bhaiya to decamp,
I need my dahipuri!

Shiv`s sainiks, come out of your holes
In Bhandup, Kurla, Worli and Karjat
I need your help to mop up the blood
The Sensex is lying senseless, bleeding!

My usual pimp in Colaba is missing
Heaven help me if I have to endure
Yet another night in drunken agony
Without my regular bar girl for company!

Not even a candle can I hold
I tried but the grenade blasts from the
Trident`s lobby keep blowing it out
Blast it!

SHALL WE CELEBRATE AT THE TAJ? MY TREAT!

Nowpora and Gretabal Bahugund
Purbarama Chandraghat
Gorangatilla and Ganda Basti
Darling, I love it when you get all alliterative!
It makes you all moist!

Shall we move on,
I heard they are planning
Something small but nevertheless nice
At Jarul Racha

Pulwama and Panjipora and Panipat
There you go again!
All alliterative!

Rohtak and Sopore and Barama
Karakagudem and Ningthoukom

Congratulations darling!
It`s our Anniversary!
And welcome to the New Millennium!

We have just died
For the 3000th time to a terrorist action
Just since 1997!
How about that!

But it`s not over yet!
There`s Sansapani and Rakhaldubi
Arai Mila is going to be a hoot!

I am looking forward to making love
To you and being shot at Kathalbari
Then Senapati and Kalyanpur

Hazratbul, the shrine, a holy place
Is always fit to die at, don`t you think?

After that, Nalbari and Kulgam
Ropar and Gossaigaon and Kokrajhar
Sirpure and Benguluru and Saderkoot

Agra – I always wanted us to die in Agra Darling,
Shah Jahan built the Taj for Mumtaz,
It was the least I could do for you, arrange a
Grenade attack at the place!

Anantnag and Muran
Mandideep and Dhubri and Batmaloo
Sibsagar and Thoubal and Tujjar-Zaloura
Rathani Tola and Sopore and Kowai

Congratulations my love!
Together we Have died more number of times than in any
Other country due to terror, except Iraq!
But never mind!
They had help from the world`s Greatest power.

Shall we go to the Taj and have dinner to celebrate?
My treat!

LOVE IN THE TIME OF TERROR

We were terrorised in Churchandpur
We were terrified in Banihal and Barpetta
In Thottipalayam was I terrorised
In Darang and in Pulwarna
And in Bathe-Lakshmanpur
Again in Bongaigaon
Imphal Srinagar and in Coimbatore
Next in Ikou Bazar and Iqbalabad
We lay petrified and scarred
At Phaizol Kuki and Aizawl
Then Ghaziabad and Kalakuchi
Was I shot at and I thought I had gone to heaven!

The week after I was bombed at Rajouri
Followed by terror at Ankudar and Khadesin
Remember Soupi, who can forget Soupi!
And you surely remember Shopian and Palapora
Not to mention Nageland and Silanibari and Teliamura

The other day I remembered how you
Were kissing me just when they started
Firing at Kenduguri
I thought my head would explode with love!

Handwara was even better, you came so loudly
I hardly heard the grenades exploding!
Rajouri Kadal and Hatimura and Rangiya
Madras, Coimbatore, Jaipur
Those were just walks in the park!
Nagpur and Dhumachara and Dhandari

New Delhi and Wokha and Noorpura and Hostapur
Bijbehara and Thanlon and Bhagapurana
Bhatinda – now that was something, the sardarni was a chiz!
We must look her up sometime in the morgue.

Sopora could have been better if you had not lost your
Diaphragm in the confusion, do be more careful darling!

Majuli islands – now, that`s what I call a place for fireworks!
Do you still have that ULFA guy`s mobile number?

Machareddy and Banihal again! Boring!
Gool Gulab Garh and Chamanu and Raya Morh
I could get used to this.
Better pack plenty of bandages.
Guwahati next!
Nambol and Pathankot
Thoubal and Wangehuk

Laxmanpur and Bishenpur
Now it sounds like a bad G.P. Sippy script!

Dodadib Hills – hmm, that`s much more romantic.
Natunbazar and Saphermaina
Warpwh – no it`s not the sounds you sometimes make
When there`s too much air between your nether lips
We were really there when they started shooting!

Sumbal and Ramban Kab and Sangrampur