Of trees, people and civilisations

Uncivilised mahua

Since a few so-called elites
of my country declared
the mahua uncivilised,
my people have started
feeling uncivilised too.

Since then, mother is scared
to touch mahua flowers.
Father detests the name mahua itself.
My brother feels cultured
with a small tulsi plant in the courtyard
and not a mahua .
Since a few so-called elites
of my country declared
the mahua uncivilised,
my people have started
feeling uncivilised too.

My people, who used to live spiritually
are now embarrassed
to treat the river as sacred,
to worship the mountains,
to follow their ancestors
and to call the earth Maa ,  mother.
Hiding their real identities
to free themselves of their uncivilised selves,
some are turning to Christianity now,
someone is becoming a Hindu,
someone Jain, someone Muslim.
Since a few so-called elites
of my country declared’
the mahua uncivilised,
my people have started
feeling uncivilised too.

My people, who used to hate markets,
are bringing them into their homes.
They do not let a single thing escape their hands
if it smacks of civilisation.
The biggest invention of civilisation –
individualism.
Each one is learning the ‘I.’
They understand स्व,
स्व not as Samaj,
स्व as self.
Since a few so-called elites
of my country declared
the mahua uncivilised,
my people have started
feeling uncivilised too.

My people, who used to sing stories
and write epics in their own tongues,
are forgetting their language.
Instead, they teach English to their children
Their children don’t dream
of plants, trees, rivers, and hills of this land
but of America and London.
Since a few so-called elites of
my country declared
the mahua uncivilised,
my people have started
feeling uncivilised too.