English Literature – Poetry – ☆ Anguish of the River… ☆ – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

(We are extremely thankful to Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi ji for sharing his literary and art works with e-abhivyakti. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Capt. Pravin has served the country at national as well international level in various fronts. We present an excellent poetry depicting pain and sorrow of every river in the country. Every one is aware of the reasons and worried about the level of pollution. But, who will take the first step for the mankind. This poetry is actually anguish of the river sensed by Capt. Raghuvanshi ji.

In his own words

Visiting my place in Varanasi, situated at the confluence of Ganga and Gomati…

Wrote few lines on state of rivers in our country… Capt. Raghuvanshi:

Today, we present the poetry of Capt. Pravin Raghuvanshi ji “Anguish of the River…” .)

☆ Anguish of the River… ☆

River is not like *Neelkanth*, the Lord Shiva!

She was once a playful translucent river

And me, a carefree

ambitious damsel

Used to do *Aachman*,

sipping her sacred water while offering her my resolute obeisance…

I always stood by her

as a solid rock

Kept attending to all

–her evergrowing frustrations,

–her excruciating vexations,

–her boisterous predicaments

I was happy to be

the rock to her…

But, one day you came,

While clutching me

crossed all the limits

I didn’t like your

that filthy touch,

In a moment, I got disintegrated

into millions of sand particles…

Just fell devastated into

forlorn lap of the river

That’s when I realised that

river is not mere flowing water…

She, being a dextrous historian,

Kept scripting historical manuscripts,

Creating cultures, nurturing customs as a responsible ancestor…

She was also a

modern trendsetter

Always altering courses

on her freewill…

She was the seeker, a questor!

She was a loving-mother incarnate

That’s how I could live the sufferings of the river…

Now, you’ve removed even

the womb, intestine, heart,

flesh and marrow from her body…

So many times, I could

–Hear her sobbing from

the palatial garrets

–Witness the river

repeatedly shedding her

tears in the inner

layers of the roads

She too wanted to get dispersed as particles

in the thin air

Exactly like me!

But where could she go?

Where could she get accommodated? Where!!

As she did not have the river,

just like herself only…

I fell on her bosom, tiredly

Kept watching her helplessly,

While you choked her face

with a dirty cloth

Had to watch her painful sufferings,

Her writhing in agony,

even for a breath!

Her misery of breathlessness

was far worse than my dispersing into particles…

River, that joyfully

spilled around

its banks for ages

Now, in this epoch, has only last few breaths of life

Stinking, panting,

Counting her remaining breaths…!

How many times

did I beg of you

If you desire, take my remaining particles too; but,

Fill her with few breaths

in her lungs

By mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,

Just return her past glory

Which you forcibly

snatched her of,

Plant *Singi* tools

to pull all the poison

out of her body…

Listen,

River cannot survive

By drinking the poison

Because, river is not the *Neelkanth*, the Lord Shiva…!

Note:

*Neelkanth* (Blue throat), is the other name of Lord Shiva who drank the poison, without having effect on Him; as He held it in His throat which turned blue because of its severity; thus, called as *Neelkanth*

*Singi* is a tool which is used for sucking poison from the body…