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Speaking tree 23/6/25

POEM THE SPIRIT OF INDIA: SONG OF A BILLION SOULS
HARSH GOENKA
SPEAKING TREE TOI 23/6/25

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I am the rhythm of the dhol and whisper of the veena,
I am the smile in Holi’s colour,
And the silence in your Diwali prayer,
And bow with folded hands at Ajmer Sharif.
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I beat the drums in a tribal dance in Bastar,
And recite verses from the Vedas under Banyan trees,
And fly kites across the sky on Makar Sankranti.
I serve langar in golden bowls at Amritsar,
And offer ‘roze ka iftar’ to my brother next door.
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I am the cheer of children in Shillong’s monsoon,
I sow rice in the fields of Tamil Nadu,
I herd yaks in Arunachal…
And fish in the deltas of Bengal.
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I dance Garba all night in Ahmedabad’s courtyards,
And whisper lullabies on a house boat in Dal Lake.
I chant on the ghats of Varanasi,
And meditate in the caves of Ellora.
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I wear the lungi, the lehenga, the sherwani, the sari,
I am the tilak, the chandan, the rudraksha and the rosary.
I write in Marathi, think in Bengali, sing in Kannada,
And dream in all the tongues of my land.
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I am the army fighter’s cry in the borders,
The farmer’s hope in Vidharbha.
I build software in Bengaluru,
And craft poetry in Kolkata cafes.
I race camels in Rajasthan’s sands.
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I am not one.
I am many.
I am contradiction and harmony.
I am the one who prays, and the one who protests.
I am youth, I am age.
I am ancient, and I am tomorrow.
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I walk through every temple gate and every church aisle,
Every dargah door and gurudwara corridor.
I am welcomed everywhere with ‘aadaab’, ‘pranam’, ‘vanakkam’ and ‘namaste’.
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I am the spirit of India.

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Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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