surreal agra

The 7 English poems in this collection were first published on Instagram sometime in 2020. Except Uprooted from Altars, which was revised today morning, all poems are in their original form – created in a spontaneous moment, reacting to the images and the memory of their experience which they triggered.

While it is not possible to ignore the great Taj when in Agra, most of the poems are impressions and reflections on the relics haunting the Paliwal Park. Located pretty much at the center of the city, the large swathes of undulating vegetated land and lake of this urban garden now lie fragmented by roads and indifference.

The collection is an attempt at meditating upon how memory and monuments can turn into relics as the contexts of time and society metamorphose. While they’re fodder for opportunists to manipulate meanings, the timelessness of relics can also provide for an overwhelming emotional experience.

20.10.21

vision

the miserable journeys
there and thereafter
seem to matter little

caressing the beautiful Taj
in a sideways embrace
as though a dear friend

and dawn bidding farewell
to the soothing full moon
with soft warm sun rays

bare and barren beauty

a bridge to nowhere
treaded upon by no one
spanning across emptiness

promised land

the nymph offers
inviting pictures
to quench the
insatiable thirst
but just ravage
her loins for now