Back after five years
I see
a growth of isms –
casteism, regionalism,
fanaticism, jingoism
but patriotism
is not amongst them.

I see …
student tension writ
in big, bold graffiti
on our University buildings
masking the facade
of what a temple of learning
should be.

I see …
the once-impoverished house
of a nouveau-riche politician
come alive
with rose gardens, gaudy carpets
and crystal chandeliers
furnished from the
tax payers pocket.

I see …
more healthy beggars
pestering honest-working citizens,
with more worm-bellied
children trailing behind them,
multiplying the
family’s earnings.

I see …
an unscrupulous bureaucrat
withholding his signatureon a file
till his palm is discretely
crossed with silver.
Making sure that
the `kitty’ amassed
will look after him
when his glorious raj
ends in retirement.

I see …
our country
beset with problems
belaboured with almost
a billion people
leading a sub-standard,
existence
with no programme,
no large design,
just drifting aimlessly

Is it any wonder then
that the queues
of people
at foreign embassies
waiting for visas
like pack rats
grows longer
and longer every day.
A foreign country …
their passport to bliss!