Musings of a Father (Pitaa) - Hindi poetry with English translation

Musings of a Father (Pitaa)

by RAMESH JOSHI

Hindi poems (handwritten) with English Translations

Translated from original Hindi by Shashikant Joshi Published by Thinking Hearts, India.

All rights reserved.

This is a sample PDF for the Kindle book.

Foreword Contrary to general belief that men cannot feel or express, in the role of a

father, men can feel and at times express, poignantly too!

In the current collection of poems, written by my father towards the end

of his teaching career, he captures his visions of fatherhood through

metaphors in nature – the values of providing, protecting, sacrificing,

yearning, wishing to have done more, and a feeling of continuity amidst

the helpless feeling of imminent departure.

He is a prolific writer, writing for forty years, primarily satire in prose and

poetry. A senior Hindi teacher in Kendriya Vidyalaya (a government

school) transferred to seven different locations. He had seen more than

his share of hardships in life. After college, two of us went to the US, and

one stayed back. When the children go out and settle on their own, the

empty nest can make you ponder a lot, especially for a generation when

nuclear families were not common. Wondering why children have to go so

far but still supporting their every wish and aspiration, in the days before

internet and cheap international phone calls, most of time was spent

talking to oneself, wondering how the children are doing in a foreign land.

The regrets, of not being able to do more, come often.

The poems, written during the 1990s, reflect not just a father, but also the

entire process of creation, the agents of creation, the pangs of sustaining

the creation. While the mother indeed goes through a lot in bringing life in

this world, an often-overlooked aspect is the father’s perspective. Often

considered unable to feel much deeply or express, men too, as fathers,

have deep-seated emotions of sacrificing for the sake of the next

generation. The emotion of sacrificing may seem alien to many

mainstream, modern, western societies, but in India, it has been the

commonplace social expectation of a father in his role of a provider, a

well-wisher of the family.

The poet uses many metaphors from nature, such as a bridge, a tree by

the swamp, a parrot; recollects through the simple wishes and dreams of

a man struggling with his own aspirations and wishing to provide the sky

and the stars for the children as well.

I have translated the poems in a very informal tone, as is the original, but

since some cultural and language aspects cannot be exacted translated, I

have not tried to do literal translation. I have also add few more words at

places to make the context clearer.

What do material success and belongings matter, if you are not taking

care of your next and previous generations!

On this Father’s Day and even afterwards, reflect back on what your

father has done for you; what you are doing for him and your children,

what the whole cycle of Life is. Remember, the Circle of Life in movie

Lion King?

Thank you, father. I hope I can be as great a father to my children as you

were to yours.

Shashikant Joshi

Author, Attitude Shift – Sanskrit Maxims for Contemporary Life and

Leadership

10 June 2011

Contents Foreword THE WEAVER BIRD THE BRIDGE THE AQUARIUM THE TREE THE PARROT THE HOUSE THE SWING THE SWAMP TREE THE STORM THE GAMCHHA THE UMBRELLA THE TROWEL THE SLAP THE COURTYARD THE RIVER THE ROOF

THE WEAVER BIRD So what, if I am not in your drawing (living) room. There are lots of things in your drawing room. That turtle shell - before being caught how much it must have fought to protect its eggs and babies, hiding them under this shell till the last breath. Cracked at places, broken at others these antlers of the deer - how they must have ran, how they must have fought, to save the little ones. And this driftwood! How it must have struggled with the floods, storms, sun, rocks drifting forever. What today is mute, unblinking painted decorated near that broken statue in that corner.

And that bone of the sawfish adorning the wall like a royal sword! How much it must have fought in its journey from the net to this wall. And these few rocks unearthed stuck to which are still seen pollens of some flower.

This nest of the male weaverbird even though much smaller than your drawing room but see how comfortable and tightly knit in which upside down he slept, or was awake. People laughed that he had the illusion of holding the sky, in case the sky fell.* But why? So that the sky won’t fall on its eggs, chicks.

* It is common Indian folklore that a male weaverbird sleeps with his feet up, to hold the sky if it falls.

THE BRIDGE With the four-pronged army of hope, faith, joy and dreams, without fear or worry cross over across this bridge to the other side of the river; where, sitting pretty among the stars a milky-white, golden-haired fairy awaits you. Don’t worry about the bridge trembling; it is not trembling. It is shaking with joy, deep within bearing on its chest your victorious marching footsteps. And then, for this day alone, it was stretched across, in Chakraasana (wheel) posture, holding its breath from this shore of the river to that. Don’t look at this bridge turning back. Every river has such a bridge which stretches, trembles and then sags. On that shore of this river, on the other end of this bridge, one more bridge will come up and will stretch to that shore of the next river. Once again some fairy will call, once again a four-pronged army will march across it.

Cross over across this bridge without fear or worry to the other side of the river; where, sitting pretty among the stars milky-white, golden-haired fairy awaits you.

THE AQUARIUM There is an aquarium in your drawing (living) room wherein are fish, looking through the glass with helpless gaze, close to the glass wall peering outside. Don’t know when they sleep or if they sleep at all, these fish. Though, when they breathe, bubbles arise. They eat whatever you give them, whenever you give them. Have you ever thought - maybe even the fish want to come out of their box, and sit on your sofa to play with your little angles, to take them away on their boats of fancy to the colorful bright worlds hidden deep under the waters?

Where there are oysters, snails, shells colorful clown fish, coral reefs

and the very friendly dolphins. Open this box, the aquarium, let the fish come out. They will teach your children to swim, put golden earrings in their ears, and will become their eyes. They will set the pearly whites on the pink gums of your angels. They will take them to the mermaids and become their playmates, the golden fishie! Open the box. The fish have a lot to give even for you, for even you haven’t learnt yet to swim, fully, freely!

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