What Symbols Hide

We have the Central Vista—
The People’s Assembly
That reminder of our democracy
Now, an aching memory.

We have Ram, safe now in his abode
For long our paragon of virtue
There remains just the spectacle
While we carry on sans scruple.

We proclaim Nari Shakti—
Her unbounded strength and allure
Fearful, we seek to contain,
Garland the rapist, and ignore the stain.

We have an alphabet soup of agencies
Doing their masters’ bidding—Chasing the corrupt
Towards the richest amnesty peddler
Settling for bonds to make crime disappear.

We have the towering Statue of Unity
The pride of Bharat, a symbol of amity
Unity’s new formula: No '2ab', just 'a', not even 'b'
What ensues: The attack on diversity.

We have the Messiah’s Guarantee
The chant of slogans, the directory of acronyms
The irony of claims, the compendium of promises
The parade of the devout and the parody of governance.