Thursday, May 26, 2016

रुखसत

Last week, an accident happened in the neighborhood I live in. It caused the death of a fifth-grade child. There were many things that happened after this. One of those many things was to understand what it meant to die here, in the US. It was not so much the way people grieve differently, or the difference in rituals. It was a startling discovery of the expenses of death, and funeral. It was a shock to know that the burial and funeral services cost a whole lot of money here, more than $5000. As people in my community collected donations to help cover the funeral expenses for the child, my heart grieved inconsolably for the mother who had lost her only son. I penned down these lines to unburden my heart. I have no clue what the mother in mourning is doing to assuage her agony.


वो पेड़ के नीचे पड़े
कुछ गुब्बारे कुछ खिलौने
वो सड़क पे खींची कुछ लकीरें
शोक मनाता मेरा पड़ोस
हादसों की अपनी ज़ुबान बन गयी
मेरा गम खामोश कोने में सिसकता
तुझे ठीक से रुखसत भी ना कर सका

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खुद्दारी से जीने की तमन्ना रखते थे
ना मालूम था कि
मरना ही उधार हो जाएगा

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Image Source




If you wish to read an article I read about burials in America, click A different way to die: The story of a natural burial

15 comments:

  1. Very tragic and your words are very poignant. Funeral services are so expensive in the west, good to know that people in the community contributed.

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    1. Our contributions unfortunately cannot bring the little one back, and that breaks my heart.

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  2. It is too much for something that should be free...even in India it is 5-10 thousand, which many people cannot afford...remember helping someone out in my UG days...so unfortunate and heartbreaking...you have managed to infuse the pain and helplessness in these words beautifully...as if I was there too...may god give strength to the grieving mother...

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    1. True Amit. It is difficult just to share the pain. It causes a heartbreak. It is good to be of help, in some way or the other. But the expenses, they just baffle me.

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  3. दुःखद दुर्घटना...
    मर्मस्पर्शी रचना!
    कोई कोमल हृदय शख़्सियत ही ऐसा महसूस कर सकती है... व्यक्त कर सकती है.

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  4. जिदंगी से महंगी मौत हो गई :(

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  5. बहुत सुंदर लिखा है आपने

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  6. Hey... sad how people get rich off death ..

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  7. सुन्दर प्रस्तुति !
    आज आपके ब्लॉग पर आकर काफी अच्छा लगा अप्पकी रचनाओ को पढ़कर , और एक अच्छे ब्लॉग फॉलो करने का अवसर मिला !

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  8. Unfortunate incident. The poem depicts the emotions of loosing the child.

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