It’s not just my nation!
It is as much as of the migrant, as of the peace loving and the flagrant.
It takes all kinds to make this garden fragrant.
Into the warp and the weft of the social fabric different threads append.
Diverse hues and shades, sizes and shapes, into the mosaic blend.
Our nation welcomed Aryans, Arabs, Afghans and others
Our Nation welcomed the Aryans, the Arabs, the Afghans, the Turks, the Iranians, the Jews, and all gentile clans.
Everyone who made this his home, became one of us, and has added to our fame.
Pluralism was our foundation, and colours of tolerance, distinct yet together, fluttered on our flag.
We were standard-bearers of mutual respect and showcased it to the world with elan.
Representation image: PTI Dadri: Migrant workers wait in a queue while being lodged at a camp by the Uttar Pradesh government, during ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, at Dadri in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, Wednesday, May 20, 2020. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav) New Delhi: A woman carrying her luggage weeps over the loss of her husband in Sasaram (Bihar) as she tries to cross Delhi-UP border along with her children and other migrants to reach her native place, during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, in New Delhi, Sunday, May 17, 2020. (PTI Photo) Prayagraj: A girl sleeps on a bag while waiting with her family for registration before boarding a bus to reach their native place after arriving from Surat (Gujarat) by a special train at Praygraj railway station, during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, in Prayagraj, Sunday, May 17, 2020. (PTI Photo)(PTI17-05-2020_000030B) Prayagraj: A woman carrying her child walk along a road to reach her native place, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, in Prayagraj, Sunday, May 17, 2020. (PTI Photo)(PTI17-05-2020_000020B) Karad: Migrants wait in queues to board buses for the railway station to return to their native places, during ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, in Karad, Sunday, May 17, 2020. (PTI Photo) (PTI17-05-2020_000069B) Thane : Migrants from various northern states walk along the Mumbai-Nashik highway to reach their native places, during the ongoing COVID-19 nationwide lockdown, in Thane, Monday, May 11, 2020. (PTI Photo/Mitesh Bhuvad)(PTI11-05-2020_000125B) Ghaziabad: Migrant people walk along a road during their journey towards their native place in Uttar Pradesh, amid ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, in Ghaziabad, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)
The edifice stood the test of time, despite the underlying fault lines.
It shook at times, but never did crumble.
Every tremor was met with forbearance, and the cracks cemented with care humble.
Alas, for how long can I hide the fissures that are getting increasingly manifest;
Of educated people looking askance, and in self-enforced rest;
Of stoic silence at the rumbling, with a callous lack of zest.
Proof of entitlement
Assuming their privileged position and high-birth as proof of their entitlement,
They gloss over the plight of the dispossessed unrepentant.
As long as their homes have balconies, have lamps to burn, and their utensils are not of earthenware,
They will clap, light up, clang and cheer, even if its for a fascist.
The poor, the migrant, the immigrant and the minority other:
They exist only to be used, and thrown. To be blamed for calamities and any bother.
Heedless we’ve become of the crumbling institutions and the hallowed founding principles, despite sensing the wobble and the totter.
Its time for the poor and the dispossessed to join forces, and prop up all that is dear in Our Nation.
For, if we falter, there will only be perdition!
Khalid Noor Mohammed (Linkedin)