AHALYA

By Anurag Basak

You have been created

With the finest out of everywhere

You have been created

To be the best out of all

Yet you were not perfect or extraordinaire

As the maker wished you’d be

You were just a human being after all.

You were been given as a prize, as a trophy

To serve a man, matured, aged and holy

You served him with dedication and care

And he forgot that you might have some desire

As you were created to be perfect and extraordinaire

But you were just a human being after all.

Love came to you in the form of disguise

You saw the lust and passion in those naked eyes

Whether you recognized the man behind the coloured face

Is a question that we asked you night and days

The storytellers wrote in their own valid ways

And we all wanted to prove that you were created to be the best

But you were just a human being after all.

You welcomed the uncalled guest

You kissed and made love and you embraced your fate

You could have stopped yourself from being you once again

You could choose the righteous faith and abstain

But you designed the path you have as your destiny

Though you knew you might be condemned for eternitY

But you sacrificed your sanctity, and you were appalled

As you were just a human being after all.

You were banished and cursed for a thousand years

You were snatched off your beauty extraordinaire

You were turned to a stone unmoved and untouched

Your tears and sorrow turned into mosses on the surface

You remained unseen and unheard for ages ahead

And men wanted you be a memory effaced.

You had a long life, lonely and tragic

A woman who was condemned for doing what she did

You might have been provoked or might have been tricked

The truth was always hidden, none questioned the verdict

When they heard it, they said, God forbid.

But in time you stood strong and bright

You are one of the five women who paved the path with light

We might never understand what you wished that night

Nor we can ever know whether what you did was right

But we will remember you as one who chose to fight

Against the bigotry, patriarchy and vows of chastity

And still be the perfect creation, extraordinaire

A finest example of a woman, bravely grounded in reality.

By Anurag Basak