बंदिवान

कृष्णविवरात सूर्य
नपुसंक तळपतोय

ओथंबला पान्हा तरी
बाळ उपाशी रडतंय

सागरात खलाशी
तहानला झुरतोय

वक्षांवरचे स्पर्शरोमांच
उभेच थिजून गेलेत

स्वपुच्छ पकडून
कुत्रा पळतोय

बंदिवान हे सारे
या नियतिचे,
मनोवृत्तीचे
बद्धकृती

God's Abode

What is white but
emittance of infinite colors,
what is black but
absorption of all.

We see black as
absence of possibilities,
but its all possibilities
turned inwards

We treat black and white
as two exclusive opposites,
but God lives where,
zero and infinity meet.

Dreaded Killers At Large In India

One more terrorist attack in India. 11 people died on the spot in an bomb explosion in Pune. As would be expected there were huge reactions, right from candle light peace marches to calls for going to war. People are outraged understandably. But I fail to understand what exactly they were outraged about. It could not possibly be because of the deaths. Because life is not so valued here! Just look at some data published in a newspaper, which was collated from police records. This is just an representative example.

From 1st to 15th February, 2010 in the state of Maharashtra there were 759 deaths due to unnatural deaths. Out of these 759, 11 deaths were due to the bomb explosion while 432 were in road accidents. In spite there is hardly any concern about it. People are driving without regard to rules, police do not have neither number nor will to control improper driving, administration is least concerned and political parties are concerned only to extend of arranging populist protests when administration tried to implement any rule.

Second largest killer is Suicides. There were 217 suicides in the state in the period between 1st to 15th February, 2010. There is lot of political awareness on this issue. Grants and concessions are being offered. But nobody knows how much of it reach the actual victims and affectees. No doubt there are systemic issues which push people over the brink. But there are also behavioural issues which nobody wants to talk about. Indebtedness, fear of failure, emotional turbulance do not happen overnight nor without personal and social behavioural and emotional issues. But these need a long time support, and not quick fix publicity.

भिंती

भिंती असाव्यात बुरुजासारख्या
उंच रुंद दणकट भक्कम,
झरोके असावेत मोठे पुष्कळ
प्रकाशाला जाण्यायेण्यासाठी

नादप्रकाश

आलाप दूरचा झंकारतो तारा
अतर्क्य पोकळीत उठतो घुमारा
जळमटे सारी खडबडून फ़ुलली
नादप्रकाशे उजळून उडाली

कैदी

तुरुंगाबाहेरचे
कैदी सारे
यापेक्षा कैद
बरी म्हणावे

मर्ढेकरांची कविता

किती पायी लागूं तुझ्या
किती आठवू गा तूंते;
किती शब्द बनवूं गा
अब्द अब्द मनी येते

बा. सी. मर्ढेकर