Men in uniform outnumber the people,
Move around in riot- gear, carry guns,
No badge to announce their identity and
There were several in civilian dress but
They carry batons, swagger in their walk.
Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma
Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, India, Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma is a seasoned voice in contemporary poetry whose reflective verses beautifully weave personal introspection with universal human experiences. Born 1952, a former government college Principal, Dr. Sharma is a bilingual poet, translator and author. His publications include 17 books of English poetry, two anthologies of Hindi poems, ‘Another Gandhi’, a monograph on Pandit Durga Dass, a freedom fighter and ‘A Three- Step Journey’, an English verse translation of Zahid’s Urdu poems. His poetry book ‘On the Edge’ has got International Culture Award from International Academy of Rome. His books also include ‘Icy Chill on Fire’, ‘Across The Pause’, and ‘Blind Man’s Bluff’, his first book of short fiction, came out in 2026. International Academy of Ethics has conferred on him fellowship of the Academy.
O Country, My Country!
A hundred and thirty million names were
Struck off the country-wide rolls of voters
That’s just peanuts in a nation of a billion
And a half, the very nuts indeed that keep
Alive rule by the people and of the people
Men and women, young and old gather
And rally together to be at the protest site,
A place served for robust, loud protests,
Who turns nervous at the big crowds?
Placards were waved, slogans raised.
Access to the site is jammed with cops,
Blockade the routes, cancel the trains,
Shut down dozens of metro stations,
Raid cheap hotels and vacate the taverns,
Men in uniform outnumber the people.
Panic storms raising clouds of paranoia
Access to the site is jammed with cops,
Blockade the routes, cancel the trains,
Shut down dozens of metro stations,
Raid cheap hotels and vacate the taverns.
Men in uniform outnumber the people,
Move around in riot- gear, carry guns,
No badge to announce their identity and
There were several in civilian dress but
They carry batons, swagger in their walk.
The State all geared up, citizens adamant
The cause is forgot, order is foremost and
The young are dragged and taken away;
Those who resist taste bludgeoning heat
Who’s for thy children, O my motherland?
___________
