Netaji

A whole nation yearned
And still hopelessly yearns
For your return
An unrealistic dream
If human lifespan is any frame

We had many wishful rumours
You were alive somewhere
You will again return
On an auspicious morn
That marks victory of good over evil
To lead us in our hopeless struggle

Our walls adorned your visage
Bespectacled, untouched by age
The burning eyes under an upheld forehead
Setting afire our nationalistic  pride

That  you had vanished
Without leaving any trace
Stories of your heroic escapades
No doubt kept your legend green

That you didn’t return to be sullied
Like other leaders who dirtied
Their repute by playing court
To the damsels of power and politics
Sustained your pristine purity

India is an inveterate nation
That believes in rebirth
Lifespans do not concern us
So your return has always been certain

Or you are already there
Tell me please
Which hut on this vast land of ours
Now cradles you, Netaji?
My ears are pining for your cry -
The war-cry - before my old frame caves in
For our shattered dreams to gather around
And whirl a twister all across the land

Please don’t make this dream go vain
Wishful thinking again
Can’t a whole nation’s desire
Move huge mountains aside?

Return please to our side
In whatever form you decide
To an unlucky nation that is accustomed
To weave and cling to impossible dreams