I have tried to blend two of my all time favourite poems, “if” by Kipling and “Where the Mind is..” by Tagore, with some of my own thoughts and created a ‘remix ‘ poem. Hope you enjoy reading it.
If their mind is fearless, and gait full of life
Even in the blackest of nights,
If heads are held high with pride for achievements
Of sons and daughters alike,
If knowledge is free for all, the rich and the poor,
And its quality never compromised;
If society is not fragmented by domestic walls
Of Caste, religion, language or wealth,
Then, at seventy, Oh India, your children are truly free,
And forever will be.
If consequences don’t determine the choice of the spoken word
And only truth defines it;
If all work is aimed at perfection rather than completion,
Or mere uncoordinated tokenism;
If the clear stream of reason is not a seasonal brook
On the verge of perennial obliteration
At the hands of dead habits, cultivated in self-interest,
Incapable of securing the greater good;
Then, at seventy, Oh India, your children are truly free,
And forever will be
If faith is the guiding light for every soul, not dimmed in anyway
By the origins of said faith,
And if actions of all faithful are united by the sole goal
Of love, for their nation and its citizens alike;
If birth is a right never curbed before realisation
And health not a losing battle,
If tomorrow is as bright for the youth as today for their parents,
And hope, a torch fuelled by past successes,
Then, at seventy, Oh India, your children are truly free,
And forever will be.
If otherwise your joints are weak with discord,
And heart heavy with widespread strife,
If your children starve and women fear
While leaders squabble, not act;
If plunder provokes nature’s fury to descend, as floods and famine,
And drought and disease;
If nationalism is confined to definitions and laws
Redefined every passing day,
Then at seventy, Oh India, true freedom is a few steps away,
And your children must toil through the way.
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