सफ़र-ए-हयात (The Journey through Life..)
(The trek through Jakhama was tough but the night stay was absolutely worth it @ Dzukou Valley, Nagaland - circa February 2021)
A while ago, one of the NGOs working in LGBT+ space organized a poetry writing contest. The theme of the competition was around sexuality, acceptance & pride. When one of my friends prodded me to send a submission, I was thinking what should I even write? My sexuality is just another facet of my existence. It doesn't define me per-se. However, on deeper contemplation, I realize the privileged position I am/have been in. I wasn't born in the era where being a homosexual was criminalized to an extent that it warranted a capital punishment or incarceration. It still is an offence punishable by death in some cultures and theocratic nations, especially some Middle-eastern & African Islamic countries. Nor I faced the 1980-90s era AIDS epidemic that saw a whole generation of gay men dropping dead & ostracized from society. In India, though decriminalization of homosexuality (Section 377) happened only in 2018 by the Supreme Court, The landmark Delhi High Court Judgement in the Naz Foundation (2009) case had set the ball rolling for discussion on LGBT+ rights in liberal circles of major cities across the country. And frankly speaking, my caste, class & cis-gendered privilege shielded me from any institutional backlash.
Therefore, when asked to write about how my sexuality, acceptance & pride impacted me personally, I was at loss of thoughts. How can I authentically write on a subject/experience that I haven't gone through? Isliye, I decided to pen my thoughts on the only thing I know. Poetry. For someone who found refuge in Ghazals & Nazms early on in his life to escape the surrounding heteronormative construct, I found true acceptance & eventually, self-love in the timeless and gender-agnostic world of poetry. I submitted the following piece encapsulating how my realities (& accompanying poems!) evolved with age.
Title - सफ़र-ए-हयात (The Journey through Life..)
At 22
कभी किसी को मुकम्मल जहाँ नहीं मिलता,
कहीं ज़मीं तो कहीं आसमाँ नहीं मिलता
Life is a game & not always fair,
accept the fate. Especially if you are gay,
you aren't entitled to display your love.
You'd be an aberration, a freak, if you say.
Love, marriage, children & a quaint house, with pets.
Those are the things some of us can only dream, unexpressed.
At 34
वक़्त बदला, घर बदला, सोच बदली तो फ़िर मंजर ही बदल गया
Parents accepted, laws kneeled & society acquiesced.
Slowly, but surely, the wheels of equality are gathering speed.
Aspirations that were once dreams, are no longer caged,
Living one's true self, is a blessing indeed!
कौन कहता है आसमाँ में सुराख नहीं हो सकता,
एक पत्थर तो तबीयत से उछालो यारों :)
[Quotes from Nida Fazli Saab (first 2 lines) & Dushyant Kumarji (last 2 lines)]
At 22
कभी किसी को मुकम्मल जहाँ नहीं मिलता,
कहीं ज़मीं तो कहीं आसमाँ नहीं मिलता
Life is a game & not always fair,
accept the fate. Especially if you are gay,
you aren't entitled to display your love.
You'd be an aberration, a freak, if you say.
Love, marriage, children & a quaint house, with pets.
Those are the things some of us can only dream, unexpressed.
At 34
वक़्त बदला, घर बदला, सोच बदली तो फ़िर मंजर ही बदल गया
Parents accepted, laws kneeled & society acquiesced.
Slowly, but surely, the wheels of equality are gathering speed.
Aspirations that were once dreams, are no longer caged,
Living one's true self, is a blessing indeed!
कौन कहता है आसमाँ में सुराख नहीं हो सकता,
एक पत्थर तो तबीयत से उछालो यारों :)
[Quotes from Nida Fazli Saab (first 2 lines) & Dushyant Kumarji (last 2 lines)]
Love!
P.S. I won nothing. Not even a consolation prize 😂. But it's okay. I saw the winners' posts and they were well-deserved :)
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