A Pantoum Poem: Gorkhaland Blues (Satis Shroff)

A pantoum poem: is a poem of any length, composed of four-line stanzas. In each stanza, the second and fourth lines of each stanza, serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza.

GORKHALAND BLUES (Satis Shroff)

Early in the misty monsoon morning,
A Gorkhali meets a Bengali,
Below the statue of Bhanubhakta Acharya,
At Darjeeling’s Chowrasta.

A Gorkhali meets a Bengali,
The Bengali doesn’t like the Adi Kavi
At Darjeeling’s Chowrasta.
The prime poet of the Gorkhalis.

The Bengali doesn’t like the Adi Kavi
Why do you have your poet here,
The prime poet of the Gorkhalis.
Why not also Tagore?

Why do you have your poet here?
The Gorkhali says,’ Tagore belongs to Shantiniketan.’
Why not also Tagore?
East Bengal belonged to ancient Bengal.

The Gorkhali says,’ Tagore belongs to Shantiniketan.’
East Bengal belonged to ancient Bengal.
But it turned into East Bengal overnight in 1947.
You Bengalis had nothing in common

But it turned into East Bengal overnight in 1947.
With the Muslims of East Pakistan
You Bengalis had nothing in common
Freedom from Pakistan led to Bangladesh.

With the Muslims of East Pakistan.
We in the hills of Darjeeling,
Freedom from Pakistan led to Bangladesh.
Want freedom from Bengal.

We in the hills of Darjeeling,
We want our own Gorkhaland.
Want freedom from Bengal.
‘But Gorkhaland lies in Bengal,’ says the Bengali.

We want our own Gorkhaland.
What do you have in common with us Gorkhalis?
‘But Gorkhaland lies in Bengal,’ says the Bengali.
The Bengali replies: ‘We have the same religion.’

What do you have in common with us Gorkhalis?
Ah, but nothing else. You eat fish, we eat dal-bhat-shikar.
The Bengali replies: ‘We have the same religion
We fought for our Nepali language.

Ah, but nothing else. You eat fish, we eat dal-bhat-shikar
It has been recognised as one of the languages of India.
We fought for our Nepali language.
The Bengali retorts with gleaming eyes:

It has been recognised as one of the languages of India.
‘Tagore got the Nobel Prize.’
The Bengali retorts with gleaming eyes:
We are fighting for our Gorkhali identity.

‘Tagore got the Nobel Prize.’
Neither do you speak our tongue nor do you read Nepali literature.
We are fighting for our Gorkhali identity.
You read your own books and watch your own Bengali films.

Neither do you speak our tongue nor do you read Nepali literature.
We read Bhanubhakta, Bangdel and Devkota.
You read your own books and watch your own Bengali films.
You have usurped our land,

We read Bhanubhakta, Bangdel and Devkota
You have usurped our land,
And have become rich and arrogant in the process.
The monoculture Thea sinensis was planted

And have become rich and arrogant in the process
By the Nepalese migrants under the British Raj.
The monoculture Thea sinensis was planted
The plantations are not owned by Gorkhalis but Bengalis.

By the Nepalese migrants under the British Raj.
The migrants from Bengal have done in Darjeeling,
The plantations are not owned by Gorkhalis but Bengalis.
What the Han Chinese have done in Lhasa.

The migrants from Bengal have done in Darjeeling,
You have taken our jobs away: the teaching profession,
What the Han Chinese have done in Lhasa.
Administrative jobs all run by brown Bengali babus.

You have taken our jobs away: the teaching profession
‘We are better qualified, perhaps,‘ says the Bengali.
Administrative jobs all run by brown Bengali babus.
Qualification takes time and money.

‘We are better qualified, perhaps,‘ says the Bengali.
The only legacy and pride left to us is our brawn,
Qualification takes time and money.
As soldiers under foreign flags and India’s Gorkha regiments.

The only legacy and pride left to us is our brawn,
Where is the liberty, equality and fraternity
As soldiers under foreign flags and India’s Gorkha regiments.
Guaranteed by the biggest democracy in the world?

Where is the liberty, equality and fraternity?
Had Darjeeling been reverted to Sikkim we’d be well off,
Guaranteed by the biggest democracy in the world,
As the Sikkimese are today under Central rule.

Had Darjeeling been reverted to Sikkim we’d be well off,
What have you Bengalis brought to us besides poverty and misery?
As the Sikkimese are today under Central rule.
The railways, roads and telegraph were introduced by the Brits,

What have you Bengalis brought to us besides poverty and misery?
The three leaves and a bud were planted by the English.
The railways, roads and telegraph were introduced by the Brits,
The entire administrative jobs were kept by the Bengalis.

The three leaves and a bud were planted by the English.
The Gorkhalis transferred to jobs in the plains.
The entire administrative jobs were kept by the Bengalis
How can you say Darjeeling belongs to Bengal?

The Gorkhalis transferred to jobs in the plains
The bespectacled Bengali Minister Namata Mukerjee,
How can you say Darjeeling belongs to Bengal?
Warns the Gorkhalis with a raised index-finger,

The bespectacled Bengali Minister Namata Mukerjee
Delays development in Darjeeling deliberately,
Warns the Gorkhalis with a raised index-finger,
Demands more troops from Delhi,

Delays development in Darjeeling deliberately,
Instead of solving Gorkhaland’s people’s demands.
Demands more troops from Delhi,
Please read the history of Sikkim and Darjeeling.

Instead of solving Gorkhaland’s people’s demands.
Please read the story of Sikkim and Darjeeling.
We never belonged to Bengal in history.
We never belonged to Bengal in history.
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