Neelam revisits an age-old tradition practised in the idol-making of Durga. She voices the anguish of a prostitute, in this verse, exclusively for Different Truths.
O Purohit! I refuse to give you
A handful of clay!
Today you just can’t force me-
After all, it’s my day!
Ill- treated I am by likes of you,
I can’t even walk by your side;
Shunned, looked down upon,
Isolated, I feel; disparaged and despised!
Clones of you, at night, at my house arrive,
Play with my nipples, at my vagina eye;
But when the day spreads its cloak,
Your love disappears like a butterfly!
Heard I have that even Maa Durga
Had to dree Mahishasura’s bad gaze!
Her wrath and powers thwarted all such attempts…
But…what about us? Aren’t we innocent preys?
Hypocritic that the entire society is,
You come to my verandah today for a handful of clay!
Revered I am for only this moment,
And before me you beg and pray!
O Durga! I invoke you today!
My anger that continually burns is aflame-
I yearn, bless not these pretenders of faith,
And uplift my likes from this life of shame!
Poet’s Note: There is a tradition as per which the purohit (priest) goes and begs for a handful of clay from a prostitute before the statue of Durga is cast or installed. This poem is written from the prostitute’s point of view when one such Purohit comes to her to implore for a handful of clay.
©Neelam Saxena Chandra
Photo from the Internet
Neelam Saxena, author of 84 books, holds three Limca Book of Records titles. She has received prestigious honours, including the Sohanlal Dwivedi Puraskar from the Maharashtra State Hindi Sahitya Akademi, the Premchand Award from the Ministry of Railways, the Rabindranath Tagore International Poetry Award, the Freedom Award from Radio City, the Setu Excellence Award, and the Reuel Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, Forbes India listed her among the 78 most popular authors in India, celebrating her literary excellence.
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This practice has intrigued me forever…all year round the bed of lusting turns shunning into the go-to place for the pious days!! Emotions of the ladies of the house who accept the darkest expressions of “grihastas” or the “uninitiated” or the “perverts in shape and garb of pious” must play havoc to run amok…when they come for that handful of clay!!!
Well written @neelam
Hi Rupa,
Thanks for your comments. There is so much of paradox in our lives (wrt traditions), that I write a lot on it…When I first heard about it, I was aghast…