AN ODE TO MY INDIANESS




AN ODE TO MY INDIANESS   

 Bright moonlit nights and the first monsoon showers
A winding road ride and a bunch of wild flowers
A welter of colours that blossom in spring
These are a few of my favourite things

A walk through the fair on daddy’s broad shoulders
The chugging of a train on a bridge made of boulders
Grandma’s fun stories of crackpots and kings
These are a few of my favourite things

Tangy gol-guppas and spicy samosas
A hot cuppa coffee and all kind of dosas
Street food that’s sumptuous and costs you nothing
These are a few of my favourite things

When the speakers blare, when the drums roar
And onion prices just swell up and soar
I see godmen and their antics galore
And life…is no longer...a bore

Matinee masalas that uplift our spirits
Old movie songs that had meaningful lyrics
A waterfall and a wet saree that clings
These are a few of my favourite things

Jappis and pappis and silly news headings
Gazetted holidays and fat indian weddings
Salman bhai’s wrist chain and Bhappi da’s bling
These are a few of my favourite things

A national obsession that’s simply called “cricket”
A god named Tendulkar who really can “whip–it”
A nail biting finish with a sixer that sings
These are a few of my favourite things

An array of cultures and people so loving
Making it work in spite of all drubbing
Being proud of non-violence and peaceful tidings
These are a few of my favourite things

When the rupee drops, when fate snores
When the watchman whistles in the morning at four  
I squirm and I sigh, I curse and I groan   
But yeh dil...somehow still…mange more !

                                               - Priti Singh 

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