Mother India
A land,
Ancient and old,
With thousands of legends in fold;
A cradle of cultures and civilizations,
And the mother of spiritual reflections.
A land,
Where Rama once walked,
And Krishna revealed his thoughts;
Where Vedas were unveiled,
To let the truth prevail.
A land,
That gave birth to human speech,
Where love and tolerance are preached;
The idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam was born,
And hatred, evil and violence were scorned.
A land,
That gave birth to zero
And many spiritual heroes;
Where Mahatma Gandhi walked,
And Buddha gave enlightened talks.
A land,
Crowned by the highest mountains,
Washed by holy rivers and fountains;
Surrounded by oceans and forests
And adorned by lakes and deserts.
A land,
Of the Hindus and Muslims,
Christians and Jews;
Where Sikhs adorn their turbans,
And Jains walk bare feet and unburdened.
A land,
Of ragas and classical dances,
Meditation and yogic advances;
Supported by Bollywood songs,
And a variety of mystic monks.
A land,
Of palaces, forts and mansions,
Hovels, slums and deprivations;
Of piety, charm and glamour,
Yet always with spiritual flavour.
A land,
That appears anarchic and chaotic
Still very charming and democratic;
Some find it amazing
Others mesmerizing.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
11th August, 2015
Goodbye
Life is a journey.
A journey that is enchanting, yet mysterious.
A journey that begins at birth, yet has no beginning.
A journey that ends at death, yet eternal.
We continue the course of this strange journey,
Day in and day out, in perpetuity.
Believing that we are the masters,
Without even knowing the destination or the mission.
For a diplomat,
The journey of life is even more mysterious.
Every posting is a new chapter,
A new beginning, a new challenge.
One fine day he lands up in a strange land,
A land where he never set his foot before.
Like Armstrong he thinks that his small foot,
Could be a giant step forward for the humanity.
In the beginning,
He gropes in the darkness,
Searching for support, a boat.
That could reach him the shores.
He moves into a new house, a new office.
He looks for a school and a grocery shop.
He opens a new bank account,
And takes a new driving license.
He breaks bread with strangers,
And tries to make friends with them.
He reads books on this new land and its people,
Aspiring to become master of their history and culture.
Then a day comes,
When he is asked to move again,
To take on the challenges of diplomacy,
In yet another strange land, he never dreamt of.
Like a nomad, he packs his home,
In a bundle of cartons,
And prepares himself to say goodbye
To his adopted land and its people.
Friends’ time has come for me today,
To say goodbye,
Both to this Island Nation and to a 35 year long nomadic life,
To start a new chapter in a brand new style.
I am eternally grateful to you all,
For your support, guidance and generosity,
For years that will follow,
I shall cherish your goodwill and hospitality.
Dear colleagues, whether you believe it or not,
Your kindness will have a place in my heart,
In darkness your guidance will be my torch.
For the rest of my life your support will be my force.
From the bottom of my heart,
I thank you – one and all,
As gesture of your goodwill,
I shall cherish this plaque.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
February 11th, 2016
Niagara Falls
The sun was shining,
The wind was blowing,
The clouds were hovering,
The river was flowing,
Yet time was standing,
Still and gazing.
Birds were flying,
At times resting,
At times chirping,
At times copulating,
Yet always rejoicing.
Reaching the edge of cliff,
River was suddenly dropping,
Drifting deep down;
Creating a Milky Way,
With mist rising to sky,
Merging into clouds.
The incessant flow,
Catapulting into Milky Way,
With mist rising,
And music playing,
With millions of strings,
Was simply amazing, captivating.
Tourists were streaming,
As if the humanity was flowing,
With eyes staring,
Cameras constantly flashing,
And faces smiling.
Going back to antiquity,
Yet frozen in time,
Nature was constantly smiling,
For the beauty was simply mesmerizing.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
September, 20th, 2015
Diwali
Here comes the Festival of Lights,
Igniting energy and joy;
Enlightening our hearts,
And brightening our lives.
On a pitch dark night,
When the moon is hiding;
The light of millions of diyaas,
Is indeed illuminating and enchanting.
Though pitch dark,
Night is still smiling;
As if the stars have descended,
And they are dancing.
With hearts enlightened,
And determination strengthened;
Evil, darkness and ignorance,
Bound to give way to divinity and goodness.
On this festive day,
Let us collectively pray;
For triumph of love, peace and unity,
Over wars, discord and disunity.
Let no one sleep hungry,
Let there be no misery;
Let the love flow,
And enlightenment glow.
Let spirituality lead our path,
Let darkness disappear in dark;
Let millions of shining lights,
Spread the message of divine thoughts.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
November 8th, 2015
A Tribute
Uttering lies and false promises,
Driven by seer greed,
Colonial powers transported,
Millions across the seas.
Like cattle they were battered,
During the long voyage,
They were completely shattered,
Some died, some survived.
Far away from their homes,
Driven by lies and deception,
In a state of helplessness,
They landed in the Caribbean.
Exhausted, shattered and lost,
They met with hostile reception,
Torn between destiny and hope,
They reconciled to total humiliation.
Though tormented,
They took it in their stride;
Considered it a rebirth;
Beginning a new life.
With fortitude and determination,
Following baptism by fire,
Slowly they emerged,
From the debris of disaster.
Over time,
They started shining bright;
Like millions of stars,
In a pitch dark night.
Forming part of a composite culture,
Today, their proud and confident progeny,
Constitute a core component,
Of the Caribbean society and economy.
It is time to pay tribute,
To those tormented souls,
Who suffered,
Yet lived with fortitude.
Far away from their homes,
They constructed a new home,
Changed the course of history,
Defeated trickery and immortalised victory.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
Trinidad
A dot in the vast ocean,
Like a star in motion.
A land first conquered by the Spanish,
Then colonized by the British.
Where Europeans walked as braves,
And Africans were brought as slaves.
Slowly came Chinese and Syrians,
Followed by Indentured Indians.
Gradually Trinidad became a melting pot,
All races contained in the small dot.
Overtime races have mixed and merged,
New colours have emerged.
Blood line no longer matters,
As cultures have become clusters.
Adorned by Churches and Synagogues,
Hindu temples and Muslim mosques.
Cricket, calypso, doubles, chutney and steel pan,
Symbolizes Trinidadian life and cultural brand.
Where liming and carnivals are in motion,
So does meditation, prayers and devotion.
Today Trinidad is full of vibrations,
Where life is in perpetual celebration.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
December 23rd, 2013
Desires
Desires,
Infinite,
Perpetually,
Flying like a kite.
Mind,
The seed,
Thought,
The feed.
Pulsating,
Twisting and turning,
Keeping,
Humans yearning.
They float,
Like a mirage,
When you reach,
They cloud your visage.
They keep us,
Eternally under cloud,
Like chains,
They keep us bound.
Often,
Under their spell,
We,
Behave like a slave.
Satisfied and fed,
Geometrically they climb,
Starved,
They fall and decline.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
February 14, 2014
Time
Time is life,
Life is time.
There is no life,
Without time.
There is no time,
Without life.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
July 30th, 2013
The Truth
Today,
I step on the grass,
Tomorrow,
It will grow on me.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
April 26, 2005
Budapest at Twilight
The sun was gradually dipping,
Shadows were lengthening,
The wind was gently blowing,
With beauty of the twilight glowing.
Though pale and faint,
Sunrays were still playing,
Embracing the river,
And floating on the water.
Suspended,
On the molecules,
Shining,
Like twinkling stars.
Moving forward yet standing still,
Transforming, though not yet complete,
Reminiscent of the twilight,
Slowly giving way to bright lights.
As the darkness enveloped,
Shadows disappeared,
One by one, lights appeared,
As if the stars woke up and brightened.
The castle was staring,
Mathias Church vacillating,
Parliament overpowering,
And the Lanchid Hid mesmerizing.
The lights reflecting on the river,
Gave an impression of a skilled weaver,
Designing a multi-colored tapestry,
Covering the river and the adjoining territory.
The sight was magnificent,
With Danube flowing tangent,
Budapest appeared simply magnificent,
Nothing less than a dream destination.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
21st November 2012
Waives
A gush of wind passes by,
Stirring the large and mighty body of water,
Triggering waives that follow in succession,
Until they reach the shore and embrace the earth.
Sometimes they are gentle and soothing,
Sometimes violent and disturbing,
But they are eternal and infinite,
With no beginning and no end.
They are a product of,
Harmonious and eternal interaction,
Between the three forces of nature,
The water, the air and the earth.
When the sunlight penetrates,
They twinkle like stars,
With moonlight under the clear blue sky,
They fill the space with vibrant colours.
When the waives enter our hearts,
They cause vibrations triggering emotions,
Waives are a fact of life,
And the very existence.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
August 11, 2004
Insensible
Senses grasp the sensible,
And ignore the insensible.
Heart embraces the insensible,
And converts it into sensible.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
December 16, 2013 Supreme
Some say its heart, which is supreme,
Some say it’s the mind,
Some others believe it’s the soul,
Which is a part of the whole.
The debate continues,
Since the dawn of humanity,
And is likely to continue,
Till the end of eternity.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
12th August, 2004
Sufferings
Mother was still crying profusely,
Grand-mother’s tears had dried up,
She had exhausted all her energy,
Her heart, her soul, even her hopes.
Children were left alone,
In the wilderness never seen before,
They were looking for dear ones,
In an expanse vast and void.
With the blink of an eye-lid,
Lives were devastated,
Dreams shattered,
Homes destroyed.
Children were left orphans,
Parents without their progeny,
Bloodlines did not matter,
Nor did love or sentiments.
Houses constructed with sweat and tears,
Symbolizing not bricks or cement,
But hopes, dreams and aspirations,
Disappeared as if they never existed.
Homes where young ones made love,
Children played with innocence,
Old ones survived with hopes and dreams,
Were reduced to dust and forever.
For those who survived,
Life was a cruel joke,
They had nothing to eat or drink,
And no one to love or care for.
There was no dawn,
No dusk,
Not even the dark night,
Neither beginning nor end.
Such was the devastation,
Brought about by Tsunami,
Never experienced before,
Perhaps never to be experienced again.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
March 14, 2005
Tsunami
Just for a mili-second,
The mother earth blinked,
Shattering the oceans,
And displacing the continents.
The mighty oceans,
Rose like mountains,
Moving like typhoons,
Causing waives, violent and more violent.
The shores did not exist,
The islands disappeared,
Sweeping across the heartland,
The Tsunami left a trail of devastation.
The fury of the nature,
Was unprecedented, unheard of,
Devastating all and sundry,
That came on the way.
High rise buildings,
The mighty bridges,
The fortifications and the trees,
Collapsed as a house of cards.
The earth was strewn,
With human corpses,
Of the rich and the poor,
Like leaves in the autumn.
With a blink of an eye-lid,
The humanity was humbled,
The human ego was shattered,
Like dust in a storm.
The nature, once again,
Made it loud and clear,
That it was supreme,
Beyond human conquest.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
March 13, 2005
Life
Life is pleasure,
Life is struggle.
Life is day,
Life is night.
Life is sweet,
Life is bitter.
Life is light,
Life is darkness.
Life is dream,
Life is real.
Life is body,
Life is soul.
Life is heart,
Life is mind.
Life is life
Life is death.
Life is nothing,
But the opposites.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
November 4, 2005
Duality
Duel is duality,
Harmony is unity.
Duality divides,
Harmony unites.
Gauri Shankar Gupta
December 15, 2013