! ! ' Chastity'.. My Apologies Poem by Sivan P.G Menon

Chastity’…my apologies..
Poem by Sivan PG Menon
(Pl read the preface….penned below)
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A dungeon deep and mysterious..
Life seen in disdain, there.
Lost are the sensibilities
And passions to live.

Men young and old crave for flesh
Bodies lie lifeless, nude
Mothers, their young girls alike
For their share of pittance

‘Saundatti’ I murmured
Possessed a divine innocence…
beauty personified…un kissed by vices..
I….soon slipped to a trance.


Dark, oiled, and sprayed with vermilion,
Garlanded with Streaks of Hibiscus, jasmine and marigold,
mighty trunks of the Banyan stooped on, the Deity,
shiny green garlands swayed in the cool breeze…

Bathed in the crimson rays of the setting SUN,
Dipping in the vastness of the waves for a majestic exit
Holding my hand with wanton disbelief in her eyes,
Coyly warmth of the dusk on her cheeks,
A charm of innocence filled her face
A tint of red coated her immature lips
Lips widened and she held on to a hearty smile
glittering dreamy eyes,
thick eyebrows and a cute tiny nose ring.
Her eyelids, laden with sleep… winked
Starry eyes shone in the dim light
Divine dark ‘Kajal’ mysterious as the night

Her oiled hair had few streaks of flowers tucked into it.
I saw jasmine on her hair.
Did it add to the lust?

The faint smell of the night
the thick mist and the dark invasive calm
veiled the invisible soul
A nightingale’s subdued singing …
Chords of …discontent

The village folks unfolded a story
Of a damsel, a darling.. chaste…
Born to a family of ‘Devadasi’
Destined ‘only to solicit ’men
And Lure them to ecstasies

The village lamented…
.. the chaste young dame
Would lose her to the
Hovering vultures around

Lightening struck the hillock
The day she was offered to the Temple
As she was the embodiment
Of the serene beauty. Chastity… untouched


She prayed in agony and pains
A raging fire lit her eyes
A burst of clouds from the heavens
Thunderbolts split the sky.

Virtue tainted
Values... maimed….


Wailing women thronged the banyan tree
A stoic calm shrouded the Statue
Enchanting sculpture of The Protector
Throbbed with a radiance …seduced all

I winked open my shut eyes
The SUN atop her feminine marvel…
Blossomed Her youth. The vigor …and
the Chastity untouched


She is Chastity
She is Vigor….Enchantress …
She is Yellamma…Devi..
an eternal bliss in my inner soul…

Poem adapted from Indian context.

Stories, telltales of deities and their supernatural elements float throughout the length and breadth of the country.You come across lives embedded in beliefs based on Folklore traditions. Kerala has few Devi Temples (female Deities /Goddess are worshipped) Chottanikara in Ernakulam /Cochin, Kodungallore, erstwhile Cranganore, the place where Christianity had originated in India. Another important place of worship is the PONKAALA Devi Temple.close to city of Trivandrum. Here also congregation comprises of mainly women, seeking blessings and POWER to survive.....

Women’ …. They are incarnation of the POWER- SAKTI of STREE -Nari(Stree –Nari woman) (rather the anger and agonies of the maimed woman) The temples and the deities are a source of solace to the believers mainly women. They instill a sense of social security to the downtrodden….abused …less privileged…..

‘Saundatti’ a small hamlet near Belgum, in Karnataka state. A place, I had visited on a study tour previously. A sleepy hamlet, where majority of the people are devotees of ‘Yellamma’. Presiding deity of the temple. The population has a sizeable number of poor and middle class Shivite Brahmins, (one of the major sects in the Brahmin community -followers of Lord Shiva) who follows the ‘Devadasi’ system. Majority of the women were performing artists, who entertained and served the elite class and the priests, by singing and presenting the classical dances, in olden days. The lure for wealth and money attracted many into this profession. Later it became an established norm for every family to dedicate at least one female member to their deity ‘yellamma’ to appease the goddess for her blessings. A feudal law, which protected the right of the upper class to womanize without any social objections. This system exists even today and this remains the major source of income for this community. Few places like Vadia, in North Gujarat, Shohor Gauv in Mahrashtra & Bajooza in Uttar Pradesh, that maintain such practices, have become major supply links to the infamous red streets of Bombay, Surat and other cities. A major aberration to the beliefs and faith….

News on incest and assaults that Kerala reports have touched alarming proportions. Its time we debate the parameters for the coronation of the states as 100% literate Incidents of sexual assault and incest towards minor girls are on the increase especially in the highly politicized state of Kerala., The state has the dubious distinction of being the highest in alcohol consumption & a state that has a sizeable population of deserted population of young wives & husbands as a part of human trade…

Men are subjective in their attitudes in having ‘virgins’ as their partners. Chastity is considered a great ‘feminine value’……

As inheritors of the pious ‘ Nari –sank alp’ …

Will it hold good …..…? ?
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.. Dedicated to the innocent children forced into flesh trade throughout the world…..

also…..to the Human values &…CONSCIENCE …maimed and mauled by inhuman cruelty…in broad daylight….in the ‘space’… legitimate for all..to co exist..

sivan pg menon