Anshu Malviya

Author

Mohan

Illustration

Pratishtha Pandya

Editor and Translator

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Some time ago, in Parliament, a member from the ruling party hurled the epithet ‘katue’ at a member of the Opposition. This term of abuse, often used for a particular religious community, is associated with the tradition of circumcision. A clamour arose over the incident, spreading from the halls of Parliament to the streets outside and then died down within days. The episode was erased from parliamentary proceedings. But for a poet who survives on weaving narratives from&nbsp; his memories, it has lived on.From ‘katua’ to ‘kaatna’ meaning to cut off – many images from our old mythological stories came crowding thick and fast to my mind. Parashuram beheading his mother at the behest of his father; Ram severing the head of the meditating Shambuk; Lakshman cutting off Surpanakha's nose, Drona asking for the thumb of archer Eklavya – our stories are full of mutilated, dismembered, and blood-stained tales. The pile of severed heads, cut-off arms and amputated thumbs only keeps growing in our time. And from there emerges one blood-soaked hope: ‘we are all katuas, dismembered pieces of flesh – and are in the majority!’

New narratives of our fragmented history

ہماری منتشر تاریخ کا نیا بیانیہ

खंडित इतिहासाची नवी कथनं

మన చరిత్ర శకలాలపై కొత్త కథనాలు

ਖੰਡ-ਖੰਡ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ ਜਦ ਸਿਰਜੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਬਿਰਤਾਂਤ

நமது சிதைந்த வரலாறு பற்றிய புதிய கருத்தாடல்கள்

ଆମ ବିଖଣ୍ଡିତ ଇତିହାସର ନୂତନ ପରିଭାଷା

നമ്മുടെ ശിഥിലമായ ചരിത്രത്തിന്റെ പുതിയ വ്യാഖ്യാനങ്ങൾ

ವಿಭಜಿತ ಇತಿಹಾಸದ ಹೊಸ ನಿರೂಪಣೆಗಳು

ફાટ્યા-તૂટ્યા ઇતિહાસના નવા આખ્યાન 

कटल-फटल इतिहास के नयका आख्यान

ক্ষতের খৎনা ভরা আত্মার দেশে

कटे-फटे इतिहास के नए आख्यान 

আমাৰ ক্ষত-বিক্ষত ইতিহাসৰ ন-বিৱৰণ

Prayagraj

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New narratives of our fragmented history

Our nation’s disturbing yet hopeful present and our contested history, intertwined with each other in his verse and unfold through our mythology in the hands of a poet

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