Bapu, Don'T Come Back Poem by Ch J Satyananda Kumar

(Today, is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of Indian nation. Born on 2 October,1869, he has brought Independence to India in blood less movement from the British rule on 15tAugust,1947 and had fallen to the bullets of an assassin on 30 January,1948)

^Bapu you have sown the seeds of freedom and liberty
But, we are reaping the harvest of anarchy and duplicity
You have planted a wine yard yearning for a bounty sweet democratic grapes
But, it has brought forth an yield of stinking sour chaotic wild grapes
In your bloodless revolution
Spearheaded to wipe out the British domination
You urged people to burn foreign wares
Today they are burning our own buses, public property and desecrating your busts in chaotic cheers
You preached them to utilize the weapon of civil disobedience
Today they are leading vicious campaigns to bring down governments in uncivilized dissidence and defiance
You organized hartals* to exhibit the mighty power of people
Today for every flimsy reason they are bringing the nation to a grinding halt with their meaning less bandhs* shouting from their rebellious steeple
You defied the mighty British with your Dandi march** to give common man, salt
Today they disregard the authority to drown the common man in illicit liquor and malt
Shunning power and authority you stayed away from the revelry on Independence Day
Cunning power brokers pretending to spurn position, are in fact calling the shots today
Dreaming of a new concept of education you did not send your sons to schools that day
Craving to make millions, corporate educationists coerce the parents to disregard state run schools today
Imposing your ideals and discipline, you subjugated your wife and children that day
Mad after money, they are bashing wives and burning their brides today
Not able to keep the hunger at bay, some more are selling their children today
To promote self respect and self-sufficiency you urged them to wear khadi*** that day
To flaunt their vulgar wealth and the shameless political power, a symbol has become the khadi today
Your birth day is a symbol of peace and sacrifice
But today slaughterers, murderers and marauders are being let free from prisons given clemency citing your name
Bapu!
Seeing all this selfish disorderly anarchy
Pitiable and pathetic pandemonium
Mindless and menacing mayhem
Bloody boisterous Bedlam
You may wish to come back to reform the nation
But Bapu, for God’s sake please don’t do that, the country is in suspended animation
These peace chanting power brokers
These ego-centric politicians
These malicious neo-rich millionaires
These brash profiteering bandicoots
Won’t let you do any thing
They won’t let you live
Countless number of Godses**** are waiting for you.
Bapu, don’t come back, don’t come back, don’t come back!



^Bapu = literally means father is the title of Mohanchand Karmamchand Gandhi, the father of Indian nation.

* Hartals and Bandhs are forced cessation of all official and commercial activity in a city or country to express a protest

** On March 12,1930 Mahatma Gandhi set out on a march to a place called Dandi to make salt in defiance of British government’s orders.

*** Khadi is hand-spun cloth which Gandhiji urged Indians to make with their hands and to wear, so as to avoid dependence on British and foreign made clothing.

**** Godse (Nathuram Vinayak Godse) assassinated Gandhiji differing with his principles.