Conquered, But Not Vanquished

Oh! Mumbai,the diadem of Indian heritage

The hub of Indian trade and commerce,

That bore the brunt of several incursions

And survived the onslaughts like a phoenix

What makes the extremists target you,

Weren’t you the haven of multitudes,

Rendered homeless hapless after partition.

You received and sheltered them ungradingly

Though over stretched beyond the bound of space.

But you are bitter again and again

Sharper than by a serpent’s tooth

And bound upon a wheel of fire,

Causing untold panic and sorrows,

Oh! Evil reigns supreme in this peninsula

Despite the teachings of tolerance and love,

The Buddha and the Mahatma propagated.

But their words cannot go unheeded

And the regenerated Mumbai will bounce back,

As a destination of hope and sustenance

Brighter and smarter than ever

The symbol of rejuvenated India.

Written a few days after the November 11 carnage of 164 innocent humans Mumbai –it haunted me

like a nightmare over years now.