SACROSANCT
Wildly mingling with friends, playful,
Intoxicates childhood schooldays,
Abide by our tricolor, we march,
Salute hoisting national flag alert,
Holiday Independence Day, joyous,
March-past over sweets distributed,
Melts crowds school get empty at morning,
Cycling town in a cycle amazed,
Tricolor fluttering at every house,
Generation enjoying freedom,
After a millennium of subjugation,
Forefathers missed this jubilation,
Invaders, kings, colonialists no more,
Vanished from famished land for good,
Self-rule by ordinary people achieved,
Honor freedom fighters who sacrificed life,
Nation gets free children, not in a chain,
Slavery, they dig the grave cremated,
Bonded laborer got their land in disbelief,
The landlord lost the property of commoners,
Vanished collecting royalty total,
Kingdoms king queen subject irreverent,
Citizens of big country equal,
Without discrimination, caste, creed,
Equal rights for all faith, language region,
Watching paradigm changes,
Impossible yesteryears, visible, reality,
Promised to serve our country,
Growing soon into the youth of a nation,
Vowing to dismantle caste system practice,
Witness harmony and amity among faith,
Youth united got educated working,
Left out remote villages, illiteracy hunting,
Poverty, sickness, school dropping,
Land missed freedom development,
Decades after decades, poor villagers looked,
Hoped consoling freedom achieved,
Expecting poverty illiteracy buried,
Females behind veil evil practice dropped,
Sighs at twilight years, seventy years,
Saw freedom, democracy, our independence,
Still, girls drop school en-mass,
Early marriage is prevalent, illiteracy exists,
Female of our land still in a chain,
Custom culture vice, tightly roped,
Decent living, self-respect, independent,
Dream far off vision tribal women,
Lower caste some faiths bear the shame,
Females of the land still waiting,
Brighter days, the freedom offered, study,
Educated, decide their life, happy,
Laborers leaving villages with no work, landless,
Flies for cotton jute mills industries,
Construction cities, highways, farmlands,
Engages at a pittance, just survive,
Life in the struggle for getting freedom,
Dream of settled life, food, shelter, cloth,
Boasting megapolis educated rich,
Leaders of country singing democracy,
Voters truly God, decide ruler first,
Forget upper both houses fight bitter,
Not to serve people, serving party,
Serving self, family, predominant notion,
Serve people, I touch Bible, Gita, Quran,
Serve, I hold the constitution sacred,
Dedicate my life to the service of the nation,
Golden time observes ordinary citizens,
O,’ house-of-law give us your life,
Selfless, no personal benefit, duty,
Forget family, community faith,
Now dedicate my life to the people,
I vow it is sacrosanct.
Both houses are adjourned, empty chairs silent.
@ Bijayananda Mishra
