November, 2023
‘Lovers of the Land’
A soul quenched
Stripped of the freedom to roam the land they own
to drink the water from the flowing rivers
to taste the warmth of the sun,
to breathe the sweet air of freedom
The soul, living for the nation
Breathing for the nation,
Aching for the nation,
It refuses to give up
despite the pain, the violence, the cruelty
despite the hate, the defiance, the neglect and barbarity
For the oppressed soul
Sets aflame the fire
Pushed down within the hearts of damaged people
For they’ve suffered for too long and too much
For they’ve suffered until their inhibitions were drowning in
their scarlet blood
Their love for their nation is an endless circle
Of contagious patriotism,
Where all lovers engage
In developing the nation
Through their own bleeding hands,
In evolving the nation
For the sake of their motherland.
“The First Phase”, they called it
When they finally had the courage
To fight for the land they love
To die for the land they love.
And they fought, for days on end
Under the Kols Uprising
They fought the power until their freedom,
Their wounds were finally incising.
Then was the ‘Second Phase’
The sleepless nights and
The Koya Rebellion
Where each lover had sold their soul
For the progress of the nation,
For the prosperity of the nation
Where they came united with pure intentions
To put their pains aside
And set their minds on recreation
All for the justice of the nation,
All for the freedom of the nation.
And from the desires of the people
Slowly the ‘Third Phase’
For freedom and equality
The Oraon movement and the Chenchu uprising,
All for freedom of their corporeity
Where lovers struggled to fight
For the land they loved
Where poets struggled to fight for
The poetry they loved
Where artists struggled to fight for
Their muse, the art they loved
Where a kindred soul struggled to fight for
The only lover, the only motherland it had loved.
And yet the pains did not end
For the evil was too strong
Yet braver were the tribes
Who had suffered for so long
Who sacrificed their lives
For the sake of their nation
Who had sacrificed their lives
For protecting this nation.
Until the land was finally free
The lovers suffered a painful death
Standing together fearlessly
They gave their aching, echoing last breaths.
Come hell or high water
Their nation was to be free
Come hell or high water
The land they fell in love with,
A land of love, of passion,
A land of serenity
Would not remain oppressed
Under such evils,
It would rise one day
Against all such demons
A land of kindness, history and tradition
A land of mythology and creation
A land of peace, of solitude
A land of passion, of love
A land of meliorism.
One for all
And all for one
Every warrior struggled just the same
With every passing day,
they felt their optimism slowly escape.
Yet they never capitulated
And never did they stop
Never did they cease trying,
And never did they give up.
Blessing the land with their love
The tribes did finally succeed
After years of them suffering,
Their beloved land was finally free
The day that the last drop of blood fell from the lovers,
The day that the last breath escaped their lungs,
The day the love, the passion overcame all evil
And freed the nation after years of their pains unsung.
The day their sacrifices were rewarded
With freedom and free will
The tribes celebrated their independence
With open arms and rhyming hymns
And after dying for their land
The lovers rest in peace
After years of oppression and ache
The lovers roam finally free
Perhaps their love for the nation
Was the reason for their death
And yet they remain happier than ever
To see their beloved land
Blessed with success.
With freedom and compassion,
Diversity and love
With honesty and dignity
The nation now stands tall.
And for the freedom of this country
The unsung heroes remain unacknowledged
And for the sacred hymns of this country
The brave tribals remain forgotten.
Today as I stand here
On the land of the lovers
I feel their love
Coursing through my veins,
I feel their patriotism
Cascading through my blood,
Their passion, their courage
The unending ache they suffered
All for the land that they had loved.
