Dr Raj’s poem states that born of shared roots, Bharat and Pakistan were torn apart, becoming rivals despite their kindred past, walking separate paths, exclusively for Different Truths.
Bharat and Pakistan, born of one land,
Torn apart by a hasty hand.
Brothers once in soil and lore,
Split by blood in ’47’s roar.
One chose faith as its guiding star,
The other lets many voices spar.
In one, the general’s word holds sway,
On the other hand, the ballot charts the way.
One moves ahead with steady grace,
The other struggles to find its place.
One hears the hum of peaceful days,
The other walks through war’s dark haze.
From shared roots and kindred flame,
They turned to rivals, none to blame.
A mirror cracked from east to west,
Each claims they have the true quest.
The founders dreamed with hearts sincere,
Yet now, it’s hatred we most hear.
Like Kurukshetra’s fated fight,
They charge again in blinding spite.
Born of one womb, now worlds apart,
Two tales unfold from the same start.
Is it karma that drew this line?
Or hands that shaped their design.
And Gandhi’s warning haunts the air,
“An eye for an eye” leads to despair.
Blind and broken, we’ll both fall,
Unless we rise above it all.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
Dr Raj Velamoor, a renowned psychiatrist and writer, has a four-decade career in Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, and Bermuda. He has received international honours for his novel The Reunion and his poetry in Angst. Now 79, he combines psychiatry, art, and reflection in a life influenced by migration, culture, and creative inquiry. He lives in Toronto, Canada.
By
By
By
By