By: Dr K. V. Raghupathi

The Search

Scratching and scraping the ashes
to find his father’s on the banks of Ganga
as the silken evening light stretches over the gentle flow.
Tireless in mid-summer
“What are you looking for?”
“For the ashes of my father.”
“Sixteen bodies were burned for two days.
You cannot distinguish your father’s from those of others”
said the caretaker
while preparing another pyre.

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Wish

Removed from all human attachments
I stand and live alone in solitude.
Self-reliant and content
I seek the mysteries in deep yearning.
A heart that all treasures in the world can hardly assuage.
If God were to appear and ask me
to go for a boon, I would not hesitate
to ask for three virtues poverty, solitude, and self-reliance
which will enable me to focus more on the mysteries of Creation.

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Longing

Your deep longing for the reunion with the Unknowable
is like a sail on the ship of your life.
When the sail is set
the wind drifts you to the Unknowable.
Without sail words are nothing but wind.
When you reach the destination
who is the lover and who is the beloved?
You are simply Nothing!

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            The poet is a recipient of several awards for his creativity that include Michael Madhusudhan Dutt Award, Kolkata in 2001, H.D.Thoreau Fellowship, Dhvanyaloka, Mysore in 2000, the best-chosen poet for 2003, Poetry Society of India, New Delhi Poetry Chain, Mumbai, Life Time Achievement Award, Chennai Poetry Circle, Chennai in 2010, and Rock Pebbles National Award for creativity, 2014, Bhubaneswar and Phrasal King Arbind Choudhary National Award for Poetry, Mahatma Gandhi Education and Welfare Society, Parbhani, Maharastra, a citation of Brightest Honour for his distinguished contribution to Indian English Poetry by International Sufi Centre, Bangalore 2020; and two awards in Yoga, Best Yogic Publication of the Year Award, 2018, and Lifetime Achievement Award in Yoga, 2018, New Delhi.