The First Book of Indlish Poems
- Author: Sheela Jaywant
- Publisher: Writers Workshop
- ISBN: 9788195664832
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The Insides of Family Life, Middle-class Mumbai, 1960s
My grandma in bed, in paralytic unhappiness.
My mother unable to leave her unattended.
The kind and affectionate servant who would take me
To the nearby beach, to play in sand, tell me
About the gods, my people and her family.
The next-door Lonkars, who taught me
To follow rules by keeping footwear outside their door.
Or the Hoskots, who kept me curious;
Their kitchen didn’t smell of fish and coconut oil.
Or the Iyers, who had six children,
One severely disabled, who we respectfully called “Dada”.
Or the maali’s family,
Who lived in a single room under the stairway,
Who cared for the building,
Who were cared for by the tenants.
I played lagori, hututu and skipped on a naked road.
No cars were parked, none could afford them then.
I didn’t know who was Sequeira, who Levi, Shah or Sheikh.
Now I know.
That time our parents didn’t care much about
Who ate what or spoke which tongue.
If one grazed a knee, the closest adult
Gave a biscuit, patted the bottom and sent one off.
That Bombay has long gone.
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