Advertisement
X

I Want To Be Killed By An Indian Bullet

Through 100 pages of 'Poetry as Evidence', Outlook presents a selection of poems and verses that have moved us, and we feel these serve as evidence of our bleak times and lives. The below poem is the eighth in the series.

I heard the news long ago that they were looking for me; in the morning in the afternoon
at night. My children told me; my wife told me.
            One morning they entered my drawing room, the five of them. Fire, water, air,
earth, sky - are the names of these five. They can create men; also destroy men at whim.
They do whatever they fancy. The very avatar of might.
            I ask them: 바카라When will you kill me?바카라
            The leader replied: 바카라Now. We바카라ll kill you right now. Today is very auspicious. Say
your prayers. Have you bathed? Have you had your meal?바카라
            바카라Why will you kill me? What is my crime? What evil deed have I done?바카라 I asked
them again.
            바카라Are you a poet who pens gobbledygook and drivel? Or do you consider yourself
a seer with oracular powers? Or are you a madman?바카라 asked the leader.
            바카라I know that I바카라m neither of the first two beings. I cannot tell you about the last
one. How can I myself tell whether I바카라m unhinged or not?바카라
            The leader said: 바카라You can be whatever you would like to be. We are not
concerned about this or that. We will kill you now. Our mission is to kill men.바카라
            I ask: 바카라In what manner will you kill me? Will you cut me with a knife? Will you
shoot me? Will you club me to death?바카라
            바카라We will shoot you.바카라
            바카라With which gun will you shoot me then? Made in India, or made in another
country?바카라
            바카라Foreign made. All of them made in Germany, made in Russia, or made in China.
We don바카라t use guns made in India. Let alone good guns, India cannot even make plastic
flowers. When asked to make plastic flowers India can only produce toothbrushes.바카라
            I said: 바카라That바카라s a good thing. Of what use are plastic flowers without any
fragrance?바카라
            The leader said: 바카라No one keeps toothbrushes in vases to do up a room. In life a
little embellishment has its part.바카라
            바카라Whatever it may be, if you must shoot me please shoot me with a gun made in
India. I don바카라t want to die from a foreign bullet. You see, I love India very much.바카라
            바카라That can never be. Your wish cannot be granted. Don바카라t ever mention Bharat to
us.바카라
            Saying this, they left without killing me; as if they didn바카라t do anything at all. Being
fastidious about death I escaped with my life.

바카라Translated from Manipuri by Robin S Ngangom

Thangjam Ibopishak Singh, Manipur

(Thangjam Ibopishak Singh is a leading Manipuri poet. He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1997 for his poetry book Bhoot Amasung Maikhum (The Ghost and the Mask).)

Show comments
KR