When it was redrawn 

In August 1947

My mom couldn’t allocate

A separate room for me.

Nari Lachhwani, an eminent poet and singer from Bairagarh, Bhopal, India, shares his poem

Nari Lachhwani, born in a refugee camp and based in Bairagarg (Hirdaram Nagar), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh state of in India, is a seasoned poet, singer and actor. His parents had to migrate to India leaving ancestral abode in Sindh due to partition of subcontinent in 1947. He served at All India Radio as announcer and is a well-known figure in literary and performing art circles of India. He has performed in dozens of stage plays and some movies, and also released some music albums. Mr. Nari Lachhwani continues his literary, social and cultural activities even today.       

My Mom, My Home, and Me

My mom seems deaf and dumb

Can’t feel even my agonies

Nor can she hear my cries

How can I perceive!

My home shrank a lot

When it was redrawn  

In August 1947.

My mom couldn’t allocate

A separate room for me

As my siblings

Hurriedly occupied the rooms

And put their nameplates on the doors.

Apparently there is no restriction on my roaming around

In any room or courtyard of the home

But whenever 

I look at the rooms of brothers

And the nameplates hanging thereon

I feel depressed, harassed

Lose my spirit of belonging.

Whenever I tried to renovate

Any corner of the redesigned home

The kinsmen frown at me with disapproval  

I feel their unwelcoming stares.

Sometimes I’m dubbed as refugee,

Thief, dishonest, profiteer, Cheat

And such other ‘Titles’.

This is what happening in my own home!

I, even heard them as saying

My mother didn’t give birth to me.

I was adopted, and brought to this home

From somewhere else!

Alas!

I can’t see any expression on mom’s face

To ascertain the truth.

Why she keeps mum?

Does it mean my brothers’ contention is true?

Perhaps yes, as my name too looks different from them

It’s diverse,

Of those, inhabitants of some other land!

Is it true that my mom isn’t my biological mother?

With such a mind-boggling question

How long I will keep

Staring with sense of deprivation

At the nameplates

Hanging on the rooms of my home!!

[Translated from Sindhi language into English by Nasir Aijaz]

____________  

     منھنجي ماءُ ، منھنجو گھر ۽ مان

ناري لڇواڻي

منھنجي ماءُ گونگي آھي

منھنجا دک – درد

آھون ۽ داھون

ڏِسي ٻُڌي بہ ٿي

يا نہ؟

پتو نٿو پويم.

 آگسٽ 1947 ۾

جڏھن اسانجي گھر جو

نئون نقشو بڻيو تـ

گھرُ

ذرا ننڍو ٿي ويو

اُن ۾ امڙِ

فقط مون لاءِ

ڪو الڳ ڪمرو ڪونہ رکيو

۽

سڀني ڀائرن

جھٽ پٽ ڪري

پنھنجي پنھنجي ڪمري تي

پنھنجي نيم – پليٽ (name-plate)

ٽنگي ڇڏي

گھر جي ڪنھن ڪمري ۾

يا

اڱڻ ۾

اچڻ – وڃڻ ۽ رھڻ لاءِ

حالانڪ،

مونکي ڪا ظاھري روڪ ٽوڪ ڪانھي

پر،

ڪمرن تي لڳل ڀائرن جي نيم – پليٽن تي

نظر پوندي ئي

ھيسجي ٿو وڃان

ڪيٻائڻ ٿو لڳان

جڏھن بہ

گھر جي ڪنھن ڪُنڊ کي

سينگارڻ – سنوارڻ جي

ڪوشش ڪندو آھيان

تـ

گھر وارن جا ڀِروُن

کڄي ويندا آھن

سندن نظر ۾ بہ

ڪجھ ڦيرُ ڏسڻ ۾ ايندو اٿم

ڪڏھن ڪڏھن

مونکي

‘شرڻارٿي ‘

‘ چور ‘ , ‘ بي – ايمان ‘

‘ منافعاخور ‘ ، ‘ ڏنڊِي مار ‘

۽

 ٻين بہ ڪيترن ئي

لقبن سان

نوازيو ويندو آھي

پنھنجي ئي گھر ۾ ھيءُ حال ؟

مون ، کين

ائين بہ چوندي ٻڌو آھي تـ

مون کي ، ماءُ

پنھنجي پيٽان نہ ڄڻيو آهي

ھن نئين گھر ۾

ڪنھن ٻئي ھنڌان

گود ۾ کڻي آئي ھئي

افسوس

مان

ماءُ جي پيشانيءَ تي

سچُ يا ڪوُڙُ پڌرو ڪرڻ واري

ڪا لڪير بہ نٿو ڏسان

ھوءَ

خاموش ڇو آهي ؟؟؟

ڪِٿي…….

منھنجا ڀائر ۽ گھر جا ٻيا ڀاتي

سچُ تـ نٿا چونِ ؟!

ھا ،

منھمجو نالو پڻ

گھر جي ٻين ڀاتين کان

ڪجھ الڳ ئي آھي…..

اھو تـ برابر

ڪنھن ٻي جاءِ تي

رھڻ وارن ماڻھن جو نالو آھي

تـ ، ڇا……؟

سچ پچ __

منھنجي ماءُ

منھنجي سڳي ماءُ نہ…….. ؟!

ذھن ۾ اھو سوال سانڍي

مان

گھر جي سڀني ڪمرن تي ٽنگيل

نيم – پليٽن کي

سکڻيُنِ نگاھن سان

 آخر ڪيستائين

تڪيندو رھندس ؟

تڪيندو رھندس ؟؟؟

________________

Read: Partition Poetry in Sindhi

The post My Mom, My Home, and Me – A Poem from India first appeared on Sindh Courier.