Pathere (Brick Moulders)
They leave in the morning, and come back in the night
with shovels on their shoulders, and they walk slowly
they dig the mud, and mix the water in
when I look at my home, I remember them, the brick moulders
washing the moulds, putting the bricks in
turning the dried bricks over
leveling with the plank, peppering them with sand
when I look at my home, I remember the brick moulders
starting the new columns, laying the bricks in
working the mud, they become mud,
But what do they earn?
they come home tired and defeated
when I look at my home, I remember the brick moulders
Advertisement
—Translated from Punjabi by Jasdeep Singh.
(Jasdeep Singh is a translator, film writer, and technology worker based in Mohali, Punjab. He has written dialogues and scenarios for Panjabi cinema and theatre.)
Jagdeep Jawaharke, Punjab
(Jagdeep Singh Jawaharke is a published poet from Punjab who takes pride in his real identity: Ittan di bhatti tey kam karan wala.)
Bharat Mandal’s Mother
The old lady said:
‘One of my sons is gone,
Let them take the other one,
I will not give up my land
‘These hands that you see’
She said, raising her
trembling hand
With veins standing out
‘With these two hands
I have worked hard for the land
Now I will use them to protect it’
Advertisement
Oh Aunty, you don’t have
a brick kiln filled with weapons
Oh Aunty, you don’t have
armed police
Oh Aunty, you don’t have
thousands of cadres
who dress like cops
but unlike cops have slippers on their feet
Then, where do you
get this strength from?
We don’t know all that
The only thing we know
Is that Goddess Durga sometimes appears before us
as Mother Farmer
—Translated by Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Joy Goswami, West Bengal
(Joy Goswami is one of the most famous Bengali poets in the last four decades. Starting with the book Christmas to Sheet-er Sonnet Guchchho in 1977, he almost instantaneously made a mark in the Bengali literary scene with his very original language and expression. Though essentially known as a poet, he has also penned novels.)
