Indian English Poetry, How Can They Write Without Being English? Miss Ghunghatawalli, Miss Purdahwalli In English Poem by Bijay Kant Dubey

Indian English poetry,
I do not know
If there is anything like this,
Indian English
or the poets writing in English
In India
Without knowing it,
The nuances and idiosyncrasies
Of the language?

The Bhojpurians,
The rough and tough Biharis,
Hardy Haryanvis,
Sardarjis,
Bengalis, Odias,
Gujaratis, Marathis,
Kannadas, Telugus, Malyalis,
Tamils, all poets and poetesses.

Burquawalli, coy and shy,
Speaking in halting English
From the shade of the burqa,
Miss Sharmili,
The Urduite, Arabic and Persian girls,
Khatuns and Begums
In English,
Miss Ghunghatawalli, Miss Purdahwalli.

The tribals, the aboriginal people too
Speaking in English
and writing in
With the thud and pronunciation
Of their native tongue,
The Santhals, the Nagas, the Mizos,
The Bodos, the Hos, the Mundas
In their traditional attire.


The Sweet-speaking, but punching Maithils,
The Magadhis,
The Angika-speakers,
The Bhojpurians,
All blunt and bluffing,
Bogus and thug-like
Countryside men.