Rajesh Joshi (India)
Etc.
A few people who owned some position were named,
the rest were Etc.
Etc. were always more in numbers
Etc. would bargain while purchasing vegetables
and after having taken their meals
would go to listen to the speech of certain important
people.
Etc. would increase the number of presence in every
seminar.
Etc. would participate in the rallies, would hold the
banners and monger slogans.
Etc. would stand in long queues for voting.
They were always given the impression that they are
the ones
who make the Government in this democracy.
Etc. would always participate in the agitation
sometimes resulting in their death in police firings.
When they were killed in such police firings
then their names were also told to us
those which were used during their school admission
of those by which some of them would get paid.
Some would still remain Etc. in such accidents also.
The Etc. were afraid of hazards
but when at times they were not frightened
then all others would fear them.
Etc. were the ones who would do all those works
which would make the country and the world move.
However, it would appear to them
as if they are doing so to run their own families.
Etc. were involved everywhere
bot their names were mentioned nowhere.
Etc. would often appear only
in the poetry of certain cynical poets.
Translated from Hindi by Nirupa Joshi
A few people who owned some position were named,
the rest were Etc.
Etc. were always more in numbers
Etc. would bargain while purchasing vegetables
and after having taken their meals
would go to listen to the speech of certain important
people.
Etc. would increase the number of presence in every
seminar.
Etc. would participate in the rallies, would hold the
banners and monger slogans.
Etc. would stand in long queues for voting.
They were always given the impression that they are
the ones
who make the Government in this democracy.
Etc. would always participate in the agitation
sometimes resulting in their death in police firings.
When they were killed in such police firings
then their names were also told to us
those which were used during their school admission
of those by which some of them would get paid.
Some would still remain Etc. in such accidents also.
The Etc. were afraid of hazards
but when at times they were not frightened
then all others would fear them.
Etc. were the ones who would do all those works
which would make the country and the world move.
However, it would appear to them
as if they are doing so to run their own families.
Etc. were involved everywhere
bot their names were mentioned nowhere.
Etc. would often appear only
in the poetry of certain cynical poets.
Translated from Hindi by Nirupa Joshi