From The Quill of Suranya

Humanity is dead,  It is their funeral today.  Venue, you ask?  On the street of Intolerance. Turn left on Phobia,  And you will see the building of Privilege. Reach the floor of Misogyny,  Don't confuse it with Patriarchy,  They may look the same, but they aren't. You will find the hall of Racism, In the darkest corner of that floor;  Enter through the gate of Casteism,  Carry your identity cards along too.  Otherwise, you will be termed "Refugees". But what will you do at the funeral?  Nobody is in attendance at such a mania  Because it's not trending on social media.  ~ Suranya

 Barso purani yeh baat hai,  Choti si ek ladki thi; Dil mein uske aas yoon jagi  Apni kahani dhundne nikli thi. Kaha kaha na dhunda usne,  Kaha kaha yoon bhatki thi;  Galiyon mein, logo mein, Paharo mein samunder mein,  Yaha tak ke baarish aur dhoop mein bhi,  Apni kahani dhoondhti firti thi bechari. Par afsoos, usse uski kahani nahi mili.  Zindagi ke kitaab ke kuch panne adhure thee,  Anjaan sa ek darr tha aur kirdar bade ajeeb thee. Logo ne kaha jhalli hai,  Utpatang si sapne bunti rehti hai,  Kya bekar mein aas lagaye baithi hai. Aise milti hai kya kahaniya? Jaise bazaar mein bikta koi khilona? Par yeh dekho, ek din aisa hua,  Ke yoon achanak kahani dhundte huye Woh mujhse aake takrayi. Woh lekhak nahi, kavi nahi,  Par baaton mein mujhko bohot bhaayi. Aur usse achanak aisa laga ke shayed Usko uski kahani mil gayi. Iss kahani mein dekho woh thi  Jaise hamesha hona chahti thi Azad.  Khush. Thodi si pagal.  ...

 "I was raped." "Prove it", they said. "But you caught the monster!" "You can also be an imposter." "Why will I do that?" "Your clothes, your attitude Your religion, your caste  All point at you as guilty  Question you, we must!" "But what's my crime?" You are a woman, enough said." "I am a Dalit too." "Casteism isn't the issue." "Why do you say your caste so proudly then?" "It is not a case of hate, let's reason." "Then why was I chosen to teach a lesson?" Endless debates, TRP on rise,  But in the end, no surprise  I had to pay with my life,  While you kept your vanity and vice. ~ Suranya

 I often wonder as you speak,  Spread your venom through words and deeds, What does it take to be kind? Why is it so hard to find? Perhaps you need a little empathy,  A bit of tolerance,  A pinch of humility  And a lot of love,  Is it so hard to lack? What does it take to be nice? A few good words,  A little encouragement  Finding positivity  And a lot of confidence. I wonder why the world has lost its kindness. Perhaps because in putting others down  In making them cry  In proving others wrong  And abusing their ideas; One seeks the superiority  They otherwise lack vision. ~ Suranya

 Does my voice not reach you? Does my breath not echo? I keep repeating myself,  In desperate need to be heard. Why am I so difficult to interpret? Is my language different from yours? Why am I so hard to understand? Or do you ever try to? Each passing day, each dark night,  Little by little, my heart beats slower  I slip into oblivion in shreds of the past Hoping to be immortal,  In ink and ideas; I write down everything you can't hear  In verses, phrases and letters. Hoping that some day,  Long after I leave,  Someone will understand them,  Hear me plead. Connect to the voices silenced,  Value my thoughts. It is perhaps then,  I will truly LIVE through my words. ~ Suranya

 What is true peace? In between the words and verses,  In the smell of books, old and new,  And the knowledge that lay,  Waiting to be discovered;  There is a tiny space between the chapters,  In blank white pages, for you and me,  To discover ourselves in. That, my friend, is peace,  Of the mind, heart and soul,  That is eager to conquer knowledge  With Wisdom. ~ Suranya

 "Mine." One declares, putting a mark,  While they looked away, another took a part,  And just like that, land became scarce,  It was divided, yours and theirs; "Mine." Unknown voices lost,  Those thousands knew the deadly cost.  They lost their homes, you had your stand,  "Refugees", they were, in a known land. ~ Suranya