History, I mourn you today.
You told me
that my ancestors
planned cities and built a civilisation
that was to challenge
each successive generation
to come.
But they confined you within a museum,
treating you like a mere plaything,
a doll to be adorned
in their chosen colors.
You told me
that my ancestors
shared the same breath as Mahavira and Buddha,
challenging the societal norms
that encompassed
blatant casteism
and rigid Brahmanism.
But they imprisoned you in cages,
cut the live-and-let-live into pieces
keeping the former with themselves
and throwing off the latter in a ditch
ironically built by the subaltern themselves.
You told me
that my ancestors were invaded
not once, not twice,
but more than thrice
each wave settling down here,
barring a few,
like our very own tribe
contributing to your grandeur.
But they erased you
and declared you be rewritten
with a web of deceit,
and a truth
visible only to their blinded eyes.
You told me
that my ancestors united
in 1857,
to confront an overpowering force,
even when the king relinquished,
persuading him
to rise once again and reclaim their past.
But they labeled you
a war of independence,
a first-of-its-kind,
disregarding the rebellion
that unfolded in everyday lives.
You told me
that my ancestors
of diverse castes, religions, and genders,
refused to surrender
while striving for self-governance,
within a structure
mostly dominated by a man
standing on a stick
relying on non-violence as his weapon.
But they murdered you
for you stood for all,
until your last breath
unyielding in your refusal
to discriminate between Hindus and Muslims.
You told me
that my ancestors
evoked divinity
to legitimise their authority
over a populace
subjected to their whims,
ultimately replaced by a just electoral system,
a democracy
where every vote held significance.
But they couldn’t tolerate you
existing above their failures,
so they assaulted you
wielding your own weapons,
and built you a coffin
to bury you
over which they now stand
proudly celebrating their triumph.
History, I mourn you today.
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