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Bibhas Roy Chowdhury

  • Blood of My Daughter​
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(For Oishi)
 
Our selfish days pass 
             in
eating, 
           sleeping , 
                            brawling ,
        
         and bragging.
 
Thus, I’d forgotten 
                one of my daughters.
Her name is  Oishi,
             a brilliant student, 
                 timid ,and 
fond of parents’ love.
           A wee lass!  
 
What’ll the fathers dream
                          about her ? 
Is it about her winning a big job 
one day, 
or her touring around the world, 
or her making a nest with her lover,
or rather her bringing along 
another wee lad and saying, 
“Dad ,handle this imp!”?
 
We people sleep within 
                        these dreams ,
as if life were all 
bread and butter. 
 
Meanwhile,
I’d forgotten that Oishi 
herself was an imp.
The rising crimson sun is her friend.
She can’t stand the sight of 
                                     any injustice.
While protesting, that little imp
becomes the strongest ever 
person in the world. 
Her tight fists are the big trust 
to her college and university mates .
Within the siesta , alack ,I’d forgotten
my daughter, Oishi ! And 
 when I remember her ,
the vile  goons have 
already pounced upon her ,
upon her mates & 
lady-teachers as well.
 
A river of blood gushes out
from her head & forehead. 
Where’s the river flowing away?
I can’t see its end.
 
Should I do something?
                     Shall I flee?
Shall I slay the goons into bits?
How to fight them out?
Where’s the blood of 
           my daughter trickling to?
 
After a long time, I’m getting angry,
    and feel like bursting into tears.
And I can’t sleep anymore.
I murmur, “Oishi , my love! 
                  Oishi ,my baby!”
 
At about dawn , suddenly, 
 her voice broadcast,   
 “ I’m coming  , I’m coming.”
The voice seems to be coming close,
and when it comes more so , my soul 
                     took a toss and turn.
Leaving the bed ,
               just as I open the window ,
I  see her river of blood is 
            coming towards
our selfish living in 
eating ,sleeping ,brawling, 
and  bragging .
 
I should have died 
from shame & disgrace, 
but I gave it a second thought,
and stepped into the street. 
My own daughter’s blood wave
drove me afloat into a new country, 
                into a new India
where every Indian, in a  rally, 
 says , “Oishi is my daughter.
I’ve smeared my daughter’s blood
all over my body 
                    only to see the last of it.
 
Come , fight with me!  
 
How dare you touch my daughter, 
                                       you bastard!”
 
***
Translated by Bankim Let
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Bibhas Roy Chowdhury ( born 1 August 1968) is a Bengali poet, novelist, and essayist. He is the author of more than twenty books including five novels and numerous essays in various Bengali literary magazines. He received awards including Bangla Academy Award (Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi) in 2013, Krittibas Award (1997), and Nirmal Acharya Gold Medal for poetry. He is the chief adviser of the Bengali literary magazine, Kabita Ashram, and founder member and director of a theatrical troupe named Bongaon Natya Charcha Kendra. 

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  • Home
  • Festival Editions
    • 2018
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    • Chair Poetry Sangat International Poetry Festival 2024
  • Chair Poet in Residence Program
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  • About
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