ROAD TO SINAPALI***
- Tapan
Kumar Pradhan (India)
On the road to Sinapali
Two women talked
One spoke of the news
The other one of old
In Bhatapani there is no rice
They were cooking dry stones
In a pot of boiling water
Gruel will be ready soon
Rebati Bawa told the kids
When I came out
The pot was boiling still
From roadside I picked up
Two junglee guavas
No I did not eat
One was eaten by a crow
The other one had a pug mark
Last night I heard a hyena
Laughing out loud, then it cried
Like a man, in hunger pain
In the morning I saw
Vultures descending
Over Gojiadunguri hills
Last year you saw them
everywhere
From Darlipada to Kaintapadar
Gliding down in narrowing
circles
But now there are only two
They too are dying, like men
For want of carcass
You go to Dungiamunda bazaar
For one saree you get two bag
potatoes
And the rice there is all moon
white
I picked up a sweet potato
From roadside
And the shop keeper barked
Like this
In Khariabahal they are shooting
down crows
With country bows and arrows
They used to spear leopards
In their youth, and spotted deer
Lachhimi Jani’s grandmother told
me
Now they are digging up the
anthills
In Shitalkhalia
In search of rat snakes
In Dumerbahal last night
Bada Jhankar
died
On the way
to Khapurimal
His skull was found in a drain
Filled with cow bones
We have got to go now
We have to reach there before
evening
Are you listening?
Are you listening?
On the road to Sinapali
Two women met
One was long dead
The other one wept.
(*** Sinapali is a drought
affected region in Kalahandi, Odisha, India.)
****