16 – DECEMBER – 2001
MOTHER’S LOVE, I HELD MY CHILD TO MY HEARTH’S WARMTH
REMORSELY, SHE PLACED HIM IN MY HAND
“AUTISTIC” DID I SAY HE WAS
OH, THAT’S THE WORD THEY USED, FEARING A CATASTROPHE
A SLIPSHOD NATURE OF THE SAND
“SHAURYA”, I NAMED HIM
AS HIS FATHER WOULD HAVE LIKED
“BID ME NO TEARFUL GOODBYE” WERE HIS LAST WORDS
THE LEAGUE OF AN EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN
A TRUE PATRIOT, HIS VALOUR EXEMPLIFIED
MENTAL STATE OF SHAURYA SHOULD I SAY
OR A MENTAL BLOCK OF SOCIETY
MY LITTLE ONE WAS NEVER ACCEPTED
WHO DO I NOW CALL AN ABNORMAL?
WHAT A SARCASMIC BEAUTY!
GREW UP SHAURYA TO BE A FERFECT SQUIRE
LIKE HIS FATHER HAD ONCE DREAMT HIM TO BE
A PENCHANT FOR MUSIC THAT HE HAD
LOVE WAS ALL THAT HE CARED FOR
AND A BETTER WORLD HE WISHED TO SEE
COME HIS THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY
TALL AND HANDSOME HUNK TURNED HE
PEOPLE STILL CALLED HIM AUTISTIC
I DIDN’T CARE THOUGH, MY WORLD MY SHAURYA
WHO WOULD BE PROUDER, NONE BUT ME
KISSED HIM I AND WISHED HIM A LONG LIFE
ASKED HIM FOR HIS BIRTHDAY GIFT
AN APPROACH SO NAÏVE, A HEART SO GOOD
ALL HE WANTED WERE SOME FRIENDS TO PLAY WITH
AS HIS THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY GIFT
DRESSED IN A GREY SUIT, BLACK HAT ON TOP
OFF WENT MY PRINCE TO A NEARBY SCHOOL
SO HAPPY WAS I FOR HIM, SO HAPPY WAS HE
TO BE A PART OF LOVE IN A PLACE
WHERE APPLIED NO WHIMSICAL RULE
CAKE IN ONE HAND, BALLOONS IN THE OTHER
RUSHED SHAURYA TO MEET HIS FRIENDS
PURITY OF SOUL WAS ALL I COULD SEE
THE INNOCENCE OF THE CHILDREN, THE WARMTH SO GENUINE
HOPE AGAINST HOPE, I WISHED THIS NEVER ENDS
SUDDENLY GUNSHOTS DID I HEAR
TEACHERS AND CHILDREN ALL SCREAMING
ALL TENSED, I RAN FOR SHAURYA
KNOWING NOT WHAT TO DO
TWO TERRORISTS HAD STORMED IN
FRANTICALLY I SEARCHED
HE WAS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN
THE TERRORISTS HAD HOLED UP IN A CLASSROOM
SHAURYA AND A FEW KIDS ALONG WITH THEM
MY HEART SANK, A DEEP FEAR WITHIN
THE DAY SUDDENLY TURNED GLOOMY
POLICE AND SECURITY ALL PRESENT
NONE WAS ALL THAT THEY COULD DO
THE CHILDREN’S LIFE AT STAKE
WATCH AND LAMENT
SUDDENLY THE CLASSROOM DOOR OPENED
CHILDREN WERE SEEN RUNNING OUT
SECURITY FORCES TOOK POSITION
SOME RUNNING TOWARDS THEM
“RUN FAST, RUN FAST “, ONE COULD HEAR SHAURYA SHOUT
A FIERCE GUNBATTLE TOOK PLACE
THE ESCAPED CHILDREN NARRATED THE STORY
SHAURYA UNLOCKED THE DOOR
WHILE ASKING THE CHILDREN TO RUN
“NO FIGHT, ONLY LOVE “WAS ALL HE SAID
WHILE TAKING ON THE TERRORISTS WRATH AND FURY
A SUDDEN SENSE OF CALM PREVAILED
ALL SMOKE AND DUST
MY HEART RAN FAST, SKIPPED A BEAT
AS I KEPT RUNNING TOWARDS THE CLASSROOM
THE MIND FEARING THE WORST
“NO “, I SHOUTED, STILL COULDN’T FIND MY VOICE
LAY SHAURYA IN A POOL OF BLOOD
HIS GREY SUIT ALL RED, HIS EYES WIDE OPEN
“NO FIGHT, ONLY LOVE “, STILL HE MURMERRED
16 – DECEMBER – 2014
JUST AS HIS FATHER WOULD HAVE LIKED
“BID ME NO TEARFUL GOODBYE “WERE HIS LAST WORDS
THE LEAGUE OF AN EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, HIS VALOUR EXEMPLIFIED
A HELPLESS BOAT WITH A HOLE, IN AN OCEAN SO FAR
DOES THE WORLD NEED TO BE SO SHABBY
I LOOK UPON MY CHILD BID GOODBYE
YET THER’S NOTHING I COULD DO BUT FEEL PROUD
“SHAURYA “– MY THIRTEEN YEAR OLD BABY