By: Hardeep Sabharwal

If it is male

Taunts will be focused on his caste,

If he is heretical, questions will be made in the name of religion,

If it is a female

Her character will be dissected, and

Jokes will be made on

From her face to her way of dressing,

From her nose to her way of talking,

If it is an anti-religious tone,

Fatwas will be marked to trample him,

If it is a voice protesting against the political plight,

It will not be late to declare him a terrorist,

If it is a scream about human rights,

Immediately will get the noun of the voice of the devil,

“Anti voice”

They laugh,

Where is it difficult to crush, for the power…

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Hardeep Sabharwal is from India, He completed his M.A from Punjabi University Patiala in English. His work has been published in various online and print Magazines, The Larcenist, In flight Literary magazine, Topology Magazine, Zaira journal, The Writers Drawer, Amomancies magazine, Quail Bells, Literary Yard, NY Literary Magazine, Jankriti International magazine, Hastakshar web magazine, Literature Online, PIN Quarterly Journal, Delhi Magazine, Alive, Setu and in few newspapers, In 2014 he won the Yoalfaaz best poetry competition for his poem “HIV Positive”. In Dec. 2015 he won second place in Writers Drawer international poetry contest for his poem “The Refugee’s Roots,”

His poems In Hindi has been selected by Poetry Society of India for the anthology Amaltash Me Satdal ( best poems of 2015), In June 2016 he won third place for his story “The Swing” in The Writers Drawer short story contest 2016. Poems in Hindi has been selected for the new Anthology of poetry society of India Dhai Aakhar Prem ( Hindi) and Yatharth( Hindi) . He occasionally writes on his personal blog, His work has been also included two times in the Anthology of stories and poem Circus of Indie Artist, US. In Sept 2015 he won third place in Pratilipi Flash fiction contest 2017 ( Hindi).
Awarded with Pratilipi Kavita samman 2019