Purana Qila (Old Fort)

By Tshering Namgyal

The new engulfs the old.

Behind d seemingly modern streets,

hides an ancient secret.

The gigantic door,

with the wood intact.

How it must have looked in its glory,

when it can humble us still.

Within, is millenniums entrapped,

cities built upon cities.

And yet the AC ducts remind us

of the encroaching present.

As do the couples sprawled across the lawns,

and the words, so unfeelingly, scratched on the walls.

Beyond the southern gates,

one can witness the spreading modernity.

And yet there's a certain calm

that extracts reverence.

It is said Humayun resided here,

as did the mythical Pandavas.

A place so seeped in history,

that has witnessed empires rise and fall.

Today, it stands precarious,

not because of time,

it has withstood it.

But of our growing nonchalance,

and our confused priorities.

*The poem is about the Old Fort in Delhi, which was the capital city of Mughal King Humayun. Mythology also states that it was the fabled Indraprastha of Mahabharata, the capital city of the Pandavas. However, the Fort is in ruins currently.

By Tshering Namgyal