The Tree
(Lermuhi's
Tamarind Tree, Lanjigarh Block, Kalahandi District)
The tree
is an institution here. It is so huge, gigantic and imposing, it has become a
revered member of the society. The spawning canopy that bears the fruits and
the seeds are the very symbols of fertility that the society aspires to
possess. The resolute trunk with its many boroughs that host the naughty
children playing hide-and-seek, has wrinkles that speak of witnessing a hundred
seasons. When people mill around the tree to discuss the day's events, the tree
becomes the mainstay of their rapidly changing lives. The tree is admired,
protected and worshipped. The tree is an institution here.
24/10/2013
**********
How many
green?
How many
shades of green
Out
there, have you seen?
The
fluorescent green of the grass with dew
And the
bottle green of those shoots bamboo?
The light
green of an unripe mango
Or the
paddy green that is nearly yellow?
A wispy
shade of the silver oaks,
The
velvet of the wet moss?
Maybe a
dark green of the shady peepal
Or a
shade orange tinged before autumn fell?
How many
shades of green
You, yes
you, have seen?
The green
of the mountains so dark
From afar
it is but a shade of black?
Or the
green of a pear bright
On the
top it is nearly white?
There is
also a green that is blue,
The
waters know it is true.
Indeed
there is a Mad Painter unseen,
Else,
tell me, how is there so many green?
22/10/2013
