EMANATION

 EMANATION

 

Black hole vast country resembling,

Darkness perpetual it seemed in the pit,

In-surmountable poverty, illness, illiteracy,

Slavery only means working for rulers,

Kings, Mughal emperor, British rule,

Flourished with resources land rich,

Exploited, sucked to bone marrow,

Lacking energy, courage to revolt,

Never could perceive freedom of life,

What does it mean to stand on feet,

Dreams of the birthright of human equality,

King subject at par, rulers serve people,

Unaware of human dignity, beg mercy,

Not decades, a millennium visible,

People in the morass seemingly inescapable,

Hunger perennial, die early, sick,

Malnutrition, stigmatized color, race, faith,

Curse of the land caste, untouchable class,

Despicable women, grown up under veil,

Deprived freedom of the worst kind, hell,

Living within four walls, disallowed travel,

Inter-caste marriage banned, ostracized,

Ban water fire from community, function,

Temples blocked from lower castes,

Inauspicious, looked down upon, aloof,

A community to serve upper caste,

No wage, benefit, cultivate, produce,

Landlords plunder everything merciless,

In this pitch-dark human society, a lamp,

Burning bright, the teacher, scholar,

Knowledgeable in culture, literature, ethics,

Scripts of the book of knowledge conversant,

Oratory skill, organized, disciplined,

Teaching pupils truth, courage, struggle,

Schools in a cottage, then college, spread,

Removing illiteracy, giving tongue voice,

Life understanding to write, letters,

Letter crossed the length n breadth of the nation,

Mother tongues marveled, books many,

Reading educated society get enlightened,

Mass movement, people learned,

Communicate with communities far-flung,

Quickly light spread entire nation, bright,

Obscure village teacher now professor,

Teaching science, technology, medical,

Teaching laws of the land right deserved,

Focus, social evil, practices rampant,

Suggested social healing, reforms, fight,

Great teachers, the land is blessed till date,

Coaching youth, tiny children, old alike,

An enormous contribution to independence,

The core strength of struggle, fight to rule,

Blazing fire equivalent poems ignited,

Mass read, agitated, heightened movement,

Sir, only name, simple dress, clean life,

Taught purity, character, freedom, equality,

Sit after seven decades of a free country,

Watch teacher of my nation-leading,

Brightest students dazzle the world,

Teachers stay insignificant, obscure,

Serve society invaluable benefit less,

Indirect builder of the nation, precious,

Teacher’s day, the birthday of the president,

Symbolizing simple teacher magnanimous,

Glorifying art, culture, ancient customs, past,

Lighting lessons, values like gold,

Signifies the enigma, lighthouse in emanation.

 

@ Bijayananda Mishra