Your shirt lying with me now
Which we both used to wear…
While we were unemployed
We ever used to be of use to each other
And a lantern of old days
In the light of which few words used
To come to meet
And affectionate feelings consoled
the sorrowful life
Also, some letters and a copy of poems
In your own hand-writting
Which you were to dedicate to me
……………………. one and more such things.
Once, I got a letter from abroad
You wrote "however, we managed
To reach Europe. Now, we are going to Madrid
What we see is Hindustan every where."
However, we were parted……………. for ever.
Now, in these days neither you nor your letters
I've only few poems and a lantern
In the light of which we're reading life.
On August 16th 2010, Marathi poet Narayan Surve passed away at the age of 83. He was the first of the Maharastrian 'Dalit' poets who cleared the path for other luminaries like Namdeo Dhasal. He was awarded the Padmashri in 1998 for excellence in literature. He is known as the protelatarian poet, who rejuvenated the Marathi language with his verses on the urban poor and working class people of Mumbai. Shanta Gokhale and Arun Khopkar have made a biopic on Narayan Surve available on youtube. The Shared Mirror wishes this 'poet of the streets' eternal peace.
He was was an orphan and had no idea of his caste origins, but due to his underprivileged childhood and his growing up in a chawl, he was labelled a Dalit.
Source: Dalit Poetry Today.
Tags: Narayan Surve