-‘Delhi Police chargesheet names owner of hospital that treated riot victims’ -Indian Express They charged a friend of a friend, last week— who will be next? Someone is spinning false yarns, my friends, everyone knows. Meanwhile, middle class families fight …
We only beat the war drums as long as we imagine the just-grown children of the people we imagine to be our siblings or friends killing the just-grown children of people we imagine to be our enemies— just for a…
When I called this morning, my father told me that just before going to bed, he’d replaced the cell in an old alarm clock because he noticed it had stopped at 4pm sharp. He didn’t have the strength to set…
Let’s float away on that rain cloud, we could ride it over state lines, we could ride it up north to the hills, we could take off our masks and breathe deep. Let’s find us a cool, empty valley, in…
but the sparrows outside my window were debating the evening news— it had something to do with Amit Shah, and the kites that circle the drain. It had something to do with a murder of crows, solidarity, justice and strength.
-for Devangana, Natasha and all political prisoners Each of us needs a safe place to dwell, love and care when we’re low or ill; we all need enough to eat and drink— stories and songs, paper and ink; respect at…
We’re more than the sum of our rations and pay, how much we add to the GDP— you be the breeze on my summer day; I’ll be the malai in your lassi.
Let the ceiling fan spin you tonight, my friends, you don’t need to be anywhere. Go lie on a cool, hard floor, my friends, feel gravity hold you down. Together, we’ve come through dark days, my friends, there are darker…
Somewhere today, a baby conceived on the eve of the abrogation will be born; just think of all the hatred, hunger, violence and courage we’ve seen in the past 38 long weeks— what stories will we tell this child when…
Friends, more than one plague is loose in the land—yes, there’s the new virus, but please understandthere are older plagues, too— and all plagues are connected—ignorance, caste, exploitation and hatred.When we all grasp together the great power we hold,we’ll make tyrants tremble, we’ll heal this world.
Last night we argued on the phone— like most of our quarrels, it was about something small, and I think we both knew it was really just a way to avoid saying what is too difficult to say right now:…
Remember, when we posted selfies and self-care memes? It was difficult to be alone. When we had to go out, we tipped autowalas and didn’t bargain over the price of potatoes or fruit. We were tempted to share stories about…
Our schools are closed, our markets are slow— none of us knows what is coming, but a few things, at least, are clear: we can’t beat a virus with lathis; tear gas and bullets won’t work. Our doctors and nurses…
-after Miguel James If I write a poem against the CAA and the NRC,that poem will be a love poem.And if I write a poem about Chandra Shekhar Azad leading a march in Daryaganj in support of the constitution and…
Go fix your gaze on the setting sun, or even a welder’s torch: the damage you suffer may result in blurred vision or blind spots. Your eyes will heal, but for a while, when you study a budding tree you…
Maybe you remember a class 5 teacher, who beat students, sometimes evenleaving bruises, and how he would tell all the parents at Parent Teacher Meetingshow much it hurt him to have to discipline unruly children, and how the parents—even, perhaps,…
-for Modi, Trump and the rest of us Modi says to Trump:We have a lot in common—we both build big walls. Trump says to Modi:True, my friend, but don’t forget,my wall is bigger! What neither one knows:United, we’ll break walls,…
Why not? It’s always better when our neighbors prosper. Also, Bangladesh zindabad, and Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka… In fact, why not just say,saara jahaan zindabad? What are we afraid of? Let’s say it together: Long live all the peopleand creatures…
-after Jeet Thayil First, remember, your job has little to do with homes, and much to do with security. You’ll have to choose: security for whom? If you choose security for the powerful and rich,expect to remain powerful and rich;throw…
I dreamt that, nearing his end,my father wrote the story of his lifein the language of his grandmother. I don’t understand the words,he told me, but I think you will find it useful someday— it has something to do with…