Shall we kill to live?
In this land of Valmiki
Who cursed the quarry of birds in love?
In this time of Salim Ali
Who gave his life for love of birds?
Infrequent are men
Who live or die for fellowmen
`The Hindus count the Hindu corpses
The Muslims come with equal numbers’
Scarce is humanity that cares for
The real count of Man’s death
Half burnt bodies floated on the Ganges
Before Rajiv’s Clean Ganges’
In Ganga Nahar area now afloat
Half dead Muslim mortal coils
Neatly packed by PAC of Veer Bahadur
Streets smeared with streaks of frigid blood
Cadaverous heaps of rotten human flesh
Skulls and bones beaten cracks
Which post-mortem detects their religions?
Pain and fear on the still soaked faces of tears
They chariot ride to the cemetery of `Janam Bhoomi’
They go on jehads to the bone yard of Mosque
Does the mosque merit more than man’s life?
Religion builds mosques all right
But can it bring back the dead?
They are devouring the very devotees of Rama
Who sacrificed his throne for his brother
Killing people for Ram Janam Bhoomi
Heirs of Nanak, Kabir and Surdas
We live in a present of
Punjab, Ahmedabad and Meerut!
(Sharing Asghar Ali Engineer’s anguish on returning from Meerut,
Indian Express, 22.6.87)