Threads of Continuity

By Rajiv Khandelwal

During Mahabharata war when Draupadi              

Tied a fragment of fabric on Lord Krishna’s wrist  

To stop his hand bleeding from a combat wound 

Prompting Krishna to promise his protection 

As a give back 

The ancient essence in times modern

Has evolved  

Into sisters tying a decorative thread  

Around kin by birth or her kin cousin 

Or brothers born out of emotional ties

Showing her love and prayers for their well-being 

In response 

They vow to take care of her in her need 

Sealing a social unsaid covenant

Despite societal shifts 

The tying of the ‘binding thread’ 

Continues unabated 

In present-day stage

In some households 

Scenes have changed 

Stretched thin by silences 

Yesterday when a cousin

Beneath our shared roof 

Echoing the quiet storms of discontent 

Did not communicate 

Then doubts disturbed 

Like the lingering pain of Krishna’s ancient wounds

We wonder

Why must it be always a female duty

In Indian patriarchal society 

To search for kinship ties 

In thick haystacks 

Of familial disagreements and misunderstandings

And build connections that do not reciprocate   

Can we 

One day 

Return to the spirit of our ancestors

Where attachments were nurtured 

Without the weight of expectations? 

By Rajiv Khandelwal