A Crowded Mosaic

SHYAMMA E.L.

Diversity is something that India is known for,
Watch her people and you will see it too.
Just pay attention to the streets,
For they will give you a show that will never bore.
From kids who have to be carried to students rushing to be on time,
From office goers to old people with walking sticks,
From poor laborers to vendors mending their living and selling their wares,
You will find them all out there.
You can walk or use a bicycle,
Sometimes a car or a motorcycle,
A bus or a taxi or even an auto,
No one judges us as long as we reach our destination.
Out on the streets nothing matters
Not your gender, religion or your language.
We are all busy trying to write our own stories,
Commenting on someone else's story is the last thing on our mind.
The smell of sweets and chaat blend with smoke and fumes,
Juices in every hue fight for your attention
While chawal and spicy biriyani beckons you from every corner,
Show me a street which doesn't have one of these!
Kids with cricket bats swarm the streets in the evening,
Trust me when I say they could give our cricket team a run for their money.
Aunties flock to the temples and uncles chat with each other over a cup of 'chai' or
'kapi' ,
Our streets are never empty.
But are our streets only for entertainment?
Of course not! They'll also show you the heart of our Motherland.
India's beauty isn't just in her land,
It's also in the people who call her home.
You will never be alone or hapless here.
For we believe in 'Vasudeva Kudumbakam'.
A foreigner will never be stranded here without someone to help
For 'Athithi Devo Bhava' is our motto.
Oh! How I love to look outside my window
I'd hear my favourite song and watch the world move.
Now it is a different story ,
For the first time I saw a pandemic clear the streets.
Streets buzzing with life became empty and silent,
Though I miss the sounds and the scenes I don't regret it,
If staying inside our homes can save the life of another person,
I'd gladly do it for days together.
But when the pandemic disappears from our lands,
The streets will begin filling up again.
And I'll be eagerly waiting to experience the magic,
As we all set out to fill up the pages of our life once again.