TAJ MAHAL : THE MAUSOLEUM

Enticing edifice on the banks of Yamuna!
The stalwart epic monument
Of love, glee and Pulchritude;
Dabbled in Mughal grandeur
Divulging Hindustan glory
Augustly triumphs the alluring Taj.

Radiancy inflates in dawn
Captivating in stout rays
Dusk cascades mystical whiff
Night weaves a celestial cape;
Indubitably idolizing the sepulchre
Spectator rever the marvel !

Convening the bricks of dexterity
Artisans lavished time expediently.
Endless epoch scrutinized the progress.
Ingenious sweat begot the sequel;
Cairn and garden are feast for the eyes
And wind escorts the delight of erudition.

Chiefly the Persian architecture
With a tinge of Mughal maestro.
On a fervent square plinth, 
Iwan topped congruent shape stands.
Colossal multi-chambered cubes
Garnishes the irregular octagon.

Vaulted archways on the brinks
And the adorable marble dome
The minarets mount the tomb;
Exteriors harmoniously awe-inspiring
Floors in contrasting blocks
And the inlay stones of jasper and jade.

Natural illumination in chambers
Match the neighbourhood shade.
The sunlit limpid pool reflects
Nothing but perceptible Mahal beauty.
Roses and daffodils perfumes
The avenues of trees and fountains.

A candourly reflection woes me-
The visual spectacle flinch from love
When the veracious history recalled.
The third missus of the majesty
Expired delivering the fouteenth tot
And hence the terminus of the lady.!

Another unlit narrative says
The adept artists were mutilated.
But hush! Lack of evidence.
Such cursed affairs daunt the vault;
Some spot a goofy spendthrift king
Camouflaging his covetousness as love.

Oh dear, Wretched creatures are we!
Bloody hand behind famed marvels.
Slender neglect of rotten manifestations
Is an inevitable approach.
To relish Magnum Opus of any kind-
Brace the conscience and unlatch the wit.

A Slutty Whim

                                          

That gasp; a gamut of shock, disappointment and disillusionment that greets a female infant has that uncanny rhythm of monotony in a nation so diverse.

That rhythmic hymn ardently revered to by the patriarchal society; shaping culture and religion alike. Among female protagonists that weigh a woman’s worth, Sita has persisted to be an embodiment of a ‘perfect’ woman, an epitome of inspiration to the Indian society. Her proximity to the demarcated ‘lakshman rekha’ assessed her worth; the closer she stepped across the line to freedom, the closer she was to the wrath of the ‘better’ half.

The ‘lesser’ sex is reduced to an inhuman role of a commodity. Dowry determines her value; household chores her efficiency and progeny her productivity. Dumb driven cattle that women are treated as, it is nothing short of a shock to the society if she lacks the basic ‘training’ undergone: cooking, cleaning and multi tasking being the priorities. Freedom of expression, even defiance and challenging the ‘lord’ of the house victimizes her role as she succumbs to the tyranny imposed. True status of both the sexes have been cast into oblivion such that to many a woman, domestic violence is justified in terms of her failing to complete her ‘duty’.

Breaking the shackles of the fettered mindset, every woman has, to this day, nurtured a slutty outrageous defiant whim. Many have ignored it; much continue to wrestle with it and little has succumbed to this ‘treacherous’ wish to rebel for their rights. Nothing short of preposterous can describe women who crave for respect, self security and freedom. It would be too much to ask for of the stagnant society to grant them their true worth; to let them sport their trends, choose a career follow their heart and live their dreams.

Yet, women continue to nurture their dreams and slowly step past the ‘lakshman rekha’. Yet, they strive to set a better example of life. Yet, outstretched helping hands slowly liberate the status of the ‘equal’ half.

Surely, such a whim has to be slutty?

A Rape to Punish

She was punished.

Determined, passionate, trustworthy, ambitious; she was like any other virtuous soul.

She was punished.

She had learnt to love.

She was punished.

She loved a man from a different community.

She was punished.

The notorious Khap Panchayat ordered a legally sanctioned rape on the twenty year old Bengali tribal girl.

She was punished.

For we continue to throttle booms of retaliation against those who justify rape.

She was punished.

As long as we let rapists assert their dominance in the ‘civilized’ society,

So are we.