Dr Santosh’s poem depicts a child’s joy and laughter in a book, symbolising unity and the essence of life’s treasures in the Special Feature, exclusively for Different Truths.
Under the amaltas tree sat the ill-dressed child beguiled by a book. He excitedly flipped the pages, feeling enriched. Vibrant. Intoxicated. In one impulsive gesture, he closed the book and kissed it. A sudden cascade of yellow wealth from above covered him. He threw back his head and laughed – laughed and laughed. The amaltas flowers beamed their Basanti beams, as a rich, golden dream unfolded under the tree. With grime on his cheeks, a glow in his eyes, he sprang up, breaking into a jig, and soon became a euphonious rhyme. His notes seamlessly merged with the notes of an old song spilling out from an ancient transistor, standing on the boundary wall of a plot. Here his labourer parents labored, stealing affectionate glances with each other. The man passed a big gravel-filled pan to his wife, with a smile. She smiled back shyly. Their way of celebrating Valentine's Day. With deft movements, swaying to the steps of the old song, she swaggered on towards the plot, where the hammers of regeneration were creating their own music. A Celebration was in the air. The transistor crooned on: "Aayi jhoom key basant jhoomo sang sang mei Aaj rang lo dilon ko ik rang me Hai yey dharti sabhi ki gagan sab ka Tera mera na kaho hai yey chaman sab ka Koi chota na bada, koi khota na khara."* Overhead, a few flamboyant kites tried to catch the sun’s rays. The sun was in a daze, mulling over the lyrics of the song.
*Lyrics of Prem Dhawan, Film Upkaar
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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