BAPUJI
Polapragada Rajyalakshmi
Bapuji thou shouldst be born again in our midst.
It is hard to face the mean and stony hearts around us
Selfishness and envy are corrupting our beings
Driving away mercy and goodness from our lives.
Nature, unused to face the heartlesness of man,
Is creating havoc with her dance of death.
Pitiful hearts are melting into floods of tears.
Your unforgettable and soothing words of compassion
Are needed most to comfort our tortured souls.
Petti-minded men are fighting for gains, big and small
and claim they follow the precepts of Gandhian way.
The history of the Nation is taking a queer course
Unable to stand the stress of these hard hearts,
If Jasmins should bloom again in our lives
If pure joy of goodwill should be shared amongst men
To take to truthfulness and introspection
And live a life of sacrifice and true devotion
Change the minds of these hard hearts
Bapuji thou shouldst be born again in our midst.
Is there no way to convert these stone heart I ask you.
What………? What did you say to me in answer…..?
‘To possess a hard heart is punishment enough’
Is that what you say to my agonized cry, Bapu!
Free
rendering from Telugu by D. Ranga Rao