Marriage

Khushi ki Khudkushi / Love Died

Dowry be Damned

Though outlawed, dowry is a sad and disgustingly regressive fact of life in our parts of the world. I’ve tried to tackle it in a light manner, using broken Indian English and examples of what matters in larger Indian society, but I hope the message comes through strongly. Leave poetry aside, it’s an issue that needs to be outright and permanently rejected through a drastic change in collective mindset. Is education the only answer?

Advertisement

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (SORRY, BILLY!)

Can’t believe it’s been nearly forty years since Billy Joel composed this song! It’s been one of my all-time favourites ever since I first heard it. And now, with due apologies to the maestro, I’ve tried to give the lyrics a quirky twist by imagining them coming from a couple who’s been married four decades 😉

UPHEAVAL

Libidinous passion,

Singeing, primal, momentary

Uplifting, intense, fulfilling

The memory still vivid

The blood still coursing

The breath still heavy

The heart still throbbing

The face still flush

Awash with intoxication

The afterglow of the encounter

The adrenaline of the escapade

The antidote to the ordinary

And across the schism, the aftermath

Oscillating, lingering, unforgiving

Between the conscience and the carnal

The detritus of an adulterated vow