Memories of people, boatmen, food, songs, a river, encapsulates the agony of a migrant father, in this poem, by Dr. Roopali. An exclusive for Different Truths.

When you grow up hearing the boat swain
singing as he plies his boat down the river
singing his plaintive Polli-geeti 
a lone voice, a flowing river, and a lone moon 
and you hear of it from your father
then your dreams are filled with longing 
and your sleep is filled with dreams 
of a river called Buri-Ganga.
 
When you leave behind a piece of earth
the glowing warmth of a familial hearth
the cradle swings slowly, slowly singing 
a lullaby at your birth
Then your father’s dreams are filled with longing 
and his sleep is full of dreams.
of a river called Buri-Ganga.
 
Did I dream or did I hear 
of boats carrying to doorsteps
the sugar dripping sweet rasgullas? 
Of the Eeleesh whose scent 
sends your senses reeling
and the tree climbing 
koi fish in earthen pots?
In Venice dreams of Dhaka
floated in lapping waters of 
the Mediterranean Sea
touching the steps of 
noble men’s homes.
 
In father’s unfulfilled dreams 
lies the delicate shuktoh
mother refused to cook 
while I run my fingers through 
snowy rice and take a second helping.
What memories made him weep
as the Baul singer sang his song
what dreams of longing 
and a sleep full of dreams 
kept him awake as he 
dreamt of Dhaka 
on the river Buri-Ganga?

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Dr. Roopali Sircar Gaur

Dr. Roopali Sircar Gaur is a poet, travel writer, and social justice activist. A former professor of English Literature at Delhi University, and a creative writing professor at IGNOU, she is a widely published academic and creative writer. Her book Twice Colonised: Women in African Literature, is a seminal text on women’s socio-political empowerment. In 2020-21, she co-edited two poetry anthologies – In All the Spaces: Diverse Voices in Global Women’s Poetry, and Earth Fire Water Wind.