KUTCH VISIONS
-
Anju Makhija (India)
A single string plucked,
the Surando’s melody
surrounds the white desert.
Sand grains rise
to the pitch of sanee.
Footsteps, gentler than
camel strides, are heard.
Figures, seen in the
dark,
place heads on the block,
waiting to be chopped off.
Flute music stirs hearts,
silhouettes bare chests,
the assassin shoots arrows.
The mokhi pours wine,
the desert becomes a
tavern
in the celestial sphere.
Travelers choose spirits:
love, compassion, delight,
anticipating the taste of
nothingness.
Surando: an ancient
folk musical instrument of Kutch.
White Desert: a salt marsh
in Thar Desert, Gujarat. Also, known as the Great Rann of Kutch.
Sanee: a high pitch sound.
Mokhi: a wine giver.
In sufism, it refers to the divine.
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