The sun’s decline is both
a spectacle and a discrete proposal
for us to decide over, to veto the power
for us to decide over, to veto the power
of the strongest-
since ignorance of the masses
cannot be an excuse always-
"The sun set on the British Empire",
they announced on the loudspeakers
"And wrested in the hands
of a few good Chitpavani
Brahmins",
they sniggered under their breaths.
The tea shop below our house
stopped selling milk because of the Sun,
its movement making Bappa ji
hysterical
at times, while Morya threw away
the spoilt milk,
(instead of making chhena)
The paying guests complained of
direct sun rays giving them headaches
but only on alternative days of the week.
They performed Surya Namaskar 8 times
on those days, offered water to the Sun
from the lota each morning on the
terrace,
worshipped the Sun-facing Tulsi
and performed parikramas around it
Yet till this very day,
the moment the ache dins
and takes control of their minds
a little red light glows on their foreheads
They start swearing the Sun
left, right and center
for its unmitigated tyranny on their bodies
for getting inside their neural network
and making their fingers
tap on unrecognized keys
on WhatsApp, on Facebook,
on Twitter and on EVMs
until they find themselves in the middle
of an unrecognised disaster.
"Was it a sudden, unannounced earthquake
Or a slowly brewing gas leak?",
They ask on New Delhi television
"It was as imminent as the sun rise",
They snigger under their breaths.
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