‘Shackles to sun’: Poem by  Smita Tanwar, Apeejay School, Noida

Civilized was my beautiful nation,
Out of survival’s violence
It was making discoveries,
Vast was its knowledge,
Diverse its culture
Gorgeous its nature
And indescribable was its glory
Eyed by some white monarchy.

Our hospitality was betrayed
Our trust broken,
Under the cover of a trader and a friend
Our nation was taken.
Glorious chains of development and knowledge
Became shackles of slavery,
Indigenous exploited and
Our identity sabotaged!

Our treasure was stolen
And vast knowledge hoarded,
A barbarian monarchy
Took over our glory.
Faked over our knowledge till they
made their so called discovery,
Treated as a mystery nothing’s so fishy,
Snatching the understanding of our texts in society,
They introduced their so-called decency.

Our bodies they shackled
But our spirits they can’t conquer,
Our discoveries they stole
But our creativity they can’t!
Rising from deep wounds
Healing our way without scars,
Breaking the shackles of captivity
We are the blooming flowers of ingenuity!

Admiring our leaders
We embrace their visions,
The soul of our nation long suppressed
Fought for its utterance!
Rising again, we aren’t the twinkling star
But the mighty sun, whose glory is esteemed by each one!