X Bombay Poem by Madam Anonymous

Bombay, of Hindus, Muslims, Christians
Cosmopolitan capitalist machinery,
Ornament of The Queen’s necklace
Sometimes, my heart cries for thee.

The nihilists work to destroy
The energetic achievement,
But the street bravado lives
Free from religious confinement.

Neither Rajas nor Fakirs built it
It was teak, muslin and indigo,
Of the intrepid British Sahib
Gave it The Kohinoor's glow.

Ganesh, the god prospered
But ignorance was banished,
Confluence of East and West
Moksha of practicality flourished.

It is the Gateway of India
Valued for Bollywood,
Bhel puri a testament
To life’s simple glory as it should.

The snake charmer of Dharavi
Proud in his hut of poverty,
Dreams of whisking a bride like
Prithviraj on a stallion, with certainty.

In this city of Untouchables
With your fate, choose anything to do,
Hoards of ambitious and brave
Slog daily, to build a life totally new.

Bombay, success is thy name
Churning with life’s perpetual motion,
Your biggest claim to fame
Is to improve my situation.