Translated by Lakshmi Holmström Malathi Maithri Perish her intellect: cruel is her servitude* Her grandmother once carried her husband to his mistress’s house, in a basket. As for her father, he had a family in every village; he’d set off on visits driving his fine bullock cart. Her husband, not to be outdone, would rape […]
Two Poems in Modern Styles 1 Neck deep in beach sand A morning prank gone evening sour Who are these strangers walking towards me from the horizon? Crustaceans, perhaps Vanguard for the rising tide. 2 Those who know to read the language of the almanacs know to expect eclipses, know to expect eclipses to pass. To those who know to […]
1966 Shopping : A Letter Instead of those slippers, scattered like dry leaves in your courtyard after a windy day I had expected to see Bhutiyas with colourful sweaters. Though it was late January, it was still the season when you wanted to stay longer in bed, under the warmth of a quilt. The […]
In the top quintile, the leisure class, Females were expensive and useless And consequently valuable. So a certain kind of tits and arse And waist served as chattel to the hubris Of their men. It wasn’t sufficient to merely possess Wealth but required that its evidence should fluoresce From the brightest bits of the […]
Translated from Hindi by Sneha Desai Nail Clippers Nail clippers are vexed by people. They are hungry creatures, but you wouldn’t classify them as any particular species of bug or lizard. They grind their teeth from a malady of the stomach, and even when resolutely annoyed, cast hungry looks at the languor of your hands. […]
Translated from Hindi by Bharatbhooshan Tiwari Blacksmith at the City Square The place where Vidisha’s Lohabazar begins right there at the square the roads lead to all four directions one towards Banskuli one towards the station towards busstop one and one towards the cremation ground That is where on the market day on Mondays […]
चयन: प्रभात मेरा घर बरसते मौसम में है: चाहत एक भालू था. वो गर्मी के मौसम में पानी में तैरने के लिए जा रहा था. उसे बड़ी सी मछली दिखी. भालू उसे पकड़कर खा गया. फिर वो घर जाकर सो गया. सुबह हो गर्इ. उसे जोर की प्यास लगी. उसे जामुन के पेड़ पर तोता […]
पंजाबी से अनुवाद: प्रितपाल सिंह लाल सिंह दिल की चिट्ठी समराला नहीं रहता अब मैं पता बदल गया है नया अभी मिला नहीं बस्ती यह भी पूछती है पहले क्या काम करते थे मर भी गया तो मौत में मरकर भी नहीं मरा जल भी गया तो आग में जलकर भी नहीं जला […]
Translated from Hindi by Monica Mody 23 October in the Diary That day Aurangzeb was born Lenin proposed armed struggle that day That day the government of Azad Hind declared war against Britannia That day we were thinking about our split personalities about daily bread and the mix-up of dreams Arguments were rife over development […]
Art: Samia Singh अन्दर या बाहर विरह की इस अंधेरी रात में अब तो जुगनुओं ने भी रास्ता दिखाने से इनकार कर दिया है मंजिल बहुत दूर है और आवारा सड़कें मुझे कब की रौंद चुकी हैं कड़कती हड्डियों का दर्द, ज़र्द त्वचा की सारी चमक और जमाने भर की हैरत अपने आँखों में समेट घर की दहलीज़ पर पशोपेश में बैठा हूँ कि तुम्हारा इंतज़ार किस ओर मुँह कर के करूँ अन्दर या […]