Reflections on India
by Akhila Jagdish
Aloo chole, cinnamon, tandoori chicken, saffron, chilies
The food of India rich with flavour, spices and taste
The music as old as the tears from the past maharanis savagely taken
Temples burnt down out of religious hatred
The stars over the Taj Mahal glowing
Incense burning, mantras being chanted,
Little girls running around in their multi-coloured lungas
Small children - malnourished and weak - beg for food and money
Remnants of British India trying to be forgotten by those who lived through it
Amritsar, Sepoy Rebellion, colony, colonized, coloureds, Gandhi
Trying to regain our freedom
Rajapathi Bhavan, Red Fort, Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Ranakpur Jain Temple
Jammu and Kashmiri soil soaked with the blood of both Hindus and Muslims
Uranium 236, spies, bombs, death, abhorrence, intolerance
The moon reigning with silver sadness over the fruit and vegetable vendors
The sea crashing against the rocks near the Oberoi Hotel
Bright saris, tinted windows, gilded sitars, homespun cloth
When I dream of India, I dream in colour.
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