By RK Lakhi Kant
A flurry of small buildings
Without much architectural works
Much like the distant villages
Where most of India lives
Ladies and gentlemen
Now you are inside
And I am sure you will enjoy
Living in the ramparts of unhappy poverty
Its changing though
And settlers are coming forth
But whatever I have seen
Now I have a taste
Living with the people here
Will I be
Seeking greener pastures? –
In the heartland of Indian penury
I wish I was younger
Or all this would have happened early
I would have liked to live with them
From closer quarters
It smells so good
Cow urine, and the oil on the heads
It feels so good
To have my feet on the muddy street
The colourful clothes I had thought
Were for some occasions only
I see the women wearing casually
The men too have a built
That matches their grace
This India I had seen
While travelling by train
Quite a long time back
Going to my hometown
But I never thought
I would have accidentally
Come across this goldmine
Of quiet living
And that too in New Delhi
This is the India I like
Which reminds me of the many times
The train stopped at some forlorn
Station which had nothing in sight
But the dusty fields all around
As a kid
How I enjoyed those eatables
Which are rarely seen otherwise
On my first few days here
I knew it was different
When I saw a two or three-year-old
Coming alone and giving the coin in
Its hand to the shopkeeper
For something he wanted
Really great
This life
Considered lesser than life
But in truth not disgraceful at all.