GANESHA: GAUTAM NADKARNI Next Poem:....................................................................................................................................... Back to Poetry Index

You stand jaded, yet collected, upon your high pedestal

Regally enshrined upon a busy street at Prabhadevi

The honking of cars disturbs but little the prayers of devotees

As a mother weaves through the crowd leading her rebellious son

Sometimes I pity you lord – Shiva could only find

An elephant's head for you after cutting off your human one

Yours is the colour of the rising sun, the colour of forehead tatoos
Yours is the colour of sanyasis' robes, the colour of living blood

How you must be deafened by the kirtans and bhajans

Awake in the early hours when the conch blows...

But I forget that you are always alert

In India people sleep, the gods never rest!

Gautam Nadkarni was born in Mangalore, Karnataka, and brought up and educated in Mumbai. He graduated with a BSc in Chemistry from the Bombay University and also did a stint as a freelance journalist writing semi technical articles in magazines like Technocrat. He has been writing since his early years and now he leads a semi retired life devoting much of his time to creative writing.

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