Through 100 pages of 'Poetry as Evidence', Outlook presents a selection of poems and verses that have moved us, and we feel these serve as evidence of our bleak times and lives. Below are the thirteenth and fourteenth poems from the series.
I was dropped on your lap my mother
Just as my father, grandfather, great-grandfather
And yet you detest me, my mother,
For who I am.
Yes, I was dropped on your lap as
a cursed Miyah, my mother.
You can’t trust me
Because I have somehow grown this beard.
Somehow slipped into a lungi
I am tired, tired of introducing myself
To you.
I bear all your insults and still shout,
Mother! I am yours!
Sometimes I wonder
What did I gain by falling in your lap?
I have no identity, no language
I have lost myself, lost everything
That could define me
And yet I hold you close
I try to melt into you
I need nothing, my mother.
Just a spot at your feet.
Open your eyes once mother
Open your lips
Tell these sons of the earth
That we are all bothers.
And yet I tell you again
I am just another child
I am not a ‘Miyah cunt’
Not a ‘Bangladeshi’
Miyah I am,
A Miyah.
I can’t string words through poetry
Can’t sing my pain in verse
This prayer, this is all I have.
—Translated from Assamese by Shalim M Hussain
????? ???????
?
???? ???? ??
????? ????? ???? ????
????? ????? ???? ???? ????-?????
??,
???? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??
??? ????? ??? ??
??,
????? ???? ?????? ???
???? ???? ?????
????? ???? ???? ??????
??? ??? '??????? ????'
??,
???? ????? ??????? ??? ??
???? ???? ???? ????? ????
???? ??????? ??????
?? ??? ????? ????
????? ????? ???? ?????
??????? ??? ???
????
????? ????, ???????-?????? ???? ????? ??
?? ??? ??????? ???? ???
?
??,
???? ???? ???? ??? ????
????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??
??? ??? ???? ?????
??? ???? ????????
??? ?????? ??????? ?????
?????? ???? ????? ????
?????? ???? ????-??????-????????
??? ???? ??????? ???????
?????? ??????? ?????? ????
???? ????? ????? ??
????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ????
???? ??? ????, ?????? ?????
????? ???? ????? ????
???? ??? ???? ????
?????? ????? ???? ?? ??
???? ??? ????? ???? ?????????
???? ???? ??? ???
???? ????? ???? ????? ???
????? ???? ??
??? ?????? ???? ????
?? ??? ????? ????
?? ??? ??????????
????? ????, ???????? ????? ????
??? ??? ???? ???
???? ???
???? ???
Rehana Sultana, Assam
(Rehana Sultana is one of the very few women Miyah poets in Assam. She faced harassment and several FIRs in 2019 for her poem ‘My Mother’, which was published during the NRC debates. She is an independent researcher, community worker and activist working in the remote CharChapari areas of Assam.)
We will remember everything. We will remember it all.
We will keep our hearts broken, in the memory of
the dearest friends of mine whom you killed with lathis and bullets;
We will remember everything. We will remember it all.
You will ink down lies, we know it well
Perhaps with our own blood,
but the truth will be written and published someday
You shut down phone and internet services in broad daylight
And then confine an entire city like prisoners in the cold night;
You suddenly intrude into my home, and devastate my small life;
You murder my ‘darling child’ in the middle of the road;
And then you smile in the crowd, remorseless
We will remember it. We will remember it all.
You talk sweet during the day;
and then with a stutter you assure us in public that everything is under control
But at night you oppress and attack those who ask for their rights;
You attack us and call us the attacker
It will all be remembered.
Your ploys to divide the country will be remembered
Our attempts to reunite the country shall also be remembered.
Whenever they speak of ‘Cowardice,’ your deeds shall be used as examples.
And whenever they speak of the ways to live,
Our names shall be mentioned.
It will be mentioned that there were some people with strong integrity,
people whose principles were unbreakable even under the blow of hammers.
Some people didn’t give up and never got sold, as you are.
Some people stood up in impossible situations.
Some people were alive even after hearing the news of their death.
The eyes may forget to blink,
The earth may forget to revolve on its axis
But this snatching our liberty;
The echoes of oppression shall always be kept in mind.
You may write the night, but we will write the moon
If you put us in jail, we would scale the walls and write on.
If you would lodge an FIR against us, we will write about the injustice we face
If you murder us, we will come back as ghosts and write on
We will write about the proofs that reveal the murders you have committed
You may enjoy your jokes in your courts of law,
But we will ink the walls and roads with calls for justice
We will speak loud enough so even the deaf can hear
We will write clear enough so even the blind can read
You may symbolize the black lotus, but we will write about the red rose
If you would oppress us on earth, we will paint the sky with ‘Inquilab’.
We will remember it all.
So that your name could be cursed forever
So that your bodies remain forever marked with black ink
Your names and deeds shall never be forgotten.
We will remember it,? we will remember it all.
—Translated from Hindi by Rakhi Bose
?? ??? ??? ????? ?
?? ??? ??? ?????
?? ??? ??? ??? ?????
???????? ??????? ?? ??????? ???
???? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??
???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ?????
?? ??? ??? ?????
??? ????????? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ??
?? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???, ?? ???? ???? ?????
?? ??? ??? ?????
??????, ???????, ??????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ????
???? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ????
????????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???
???? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????
???? ????-?-???? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??
??? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???????? ??????????
?? ??? ??? ?????
?? ??? ??? ??? ?????
??? ??? ????-???? ????? ???? ????? ??
?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???????
??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ?????, ??????? ?????
?? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ?????
?? ??? ??? ?????
?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??????? ??
?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ????????? ??
?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ???-?-??????? ?? ???????? ??? ??? ??? ?????
?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ???-?-?????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?????
?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????????? ??
?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ???????? ??
?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?????-?-?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??
?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ????? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??
??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??????
??? ???? ???? ???? ???? ?? ?????
????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??
????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??
??? ??? ?????
??? ??? ????, ?? ???? ???????
??? ??? ??? ????, ?? ????? ???? ???????
??? FIR ????, ?? ????? ???????
??? ???? ???? ?? ??, ?? ???? ??? ???????, ???????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????
??? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ????
?? ??????, ??????? ?? ????? ???????
???? ?? ??? ???, ???? ??? ?? ???????
???? ?? ??? ???, ???? ??? ???????
??? ???? ??? ????
?? ??? ????? ???????
??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??
????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????
?? ??? ??? ?????
?? ??? ??? ??? ?????
???? ???????? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ???
???? ???????? ????????? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ???
???????? ??? ???????? ????????? ?? ???? ??? ?????
?? ??? ??? ?????
?? ??? ??? ??? ?????
Amir Aziz, Bihar
(Amir Aziz is a Patna-born resistance poet and former student of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. His poems about communal politics and majoritarianism became a rallying cry of protesters across India, including students, who came out in large numbers against the government during the anti-CAA/NRC agitation of 2019-2020. Aziz’s poem was recited by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, catapulting the young writer to international fame.)