Dr. Abhijit Khandkar
He walks in,
his iPhone shining in your face
eclipsing centuries of darkness.
With all that swag, how dare he, this rich Dalit.
Certainly has two more stashed at his bungalow, and surely a Mercedes.
Father an IAS or Doctor, earning more than all the poor Brahmins.
Don’t you tell me he still needs reservations
Centuries of oppression can be covered in two generations.
All of that doesn’t happen anymore,
it’s a civilised society.
MiLords are on point
let’s put the cream over them
Make them Constitutional Brahmins
what social disparity?
A Dalit who speaks fluent English, you tell me, is it fair?
Where are his horns, where lies his lair?
Drench him now in the creamy layer!
Mahar, Matang, Madiga, Valmiki,
I don’t really care what that is.
All my sympathy with the most deprived
but yes, EWS is necessary
It’s imperative to make Sudama happy.
As long as they remain Dalits,
don’t assert as Ambedkarites Buddhists,
we will be fine.
They will be fine.
See, I have a friend too.
A rich Dalit, and we often together dine
I don’t discriminate now, do I?
even tho he scored 10 marks less than me
and still got the seat.
My uncle abroad will get me a job.
I will have to marry into my own caste.
But I am not selfish, you see,
I want to understand and learn.
So, on Dalit atrocities, I will do my research and PhD
About his kin?
I don’t really know
But logic dictates they too would be living in bungalows.
And it’s just not us, you see.
The Judge passing the judgment was a SC.
(nudge – nudge, wink – wink)
Also, that’s not nepotism. It’s pure merit
Only certain families are worthy of becoming ‘Your Lordships’
Need to curb this here and now
for the sake of the nation.
Else in the private sector, these Dalits will ask for reservations
You don’t have jobs, can’t start businesses?
Work harder, don’t be lazy.
Learn from Aggarwal sweets, Purohit mart, or Trivedis.
Don’t assert, agitate, or organise.
don’t be difficult, stay in line.
Of course, we sympathise with your trauma.
Give us more of that
more trauma, more suffering,
more caste porn err poetry.
to soothe our guilt.
Tell us how you were oppressed,
how you dragged dead carcasses.
We shall sigh at every wound.
We shall platform you everywhere –
the token blue – eyed Dalit celebrity.
What more proof do you need of our inclusivity?
Give us all your ‘Dalit poems’
rest of the actual poetry, leave that to us.
It’s not you, it’s your accent, grammar.
Don’t say you want to write about nature, moon
or the freaking Renaissance.
We care for you and want the best.
We, too, believe in the Constitution
we, too, believe in Babasaheb.
but don’t scare us away
don’t trigger our collective anxieties
Don’t be the bogeyman Dalit
who stole all our seats.
So put your iPhone away and sit down,
the shine on it is blinding.
Smile, rejoice, drop the frown
We shall make you feel heard, seen.
Dipped in the creamy layer frothing at seams
we shall make you Constitutional Brahmin.
~~~
Dr. Abhijit Shahaji Khandkar is a pathologist and writer with a keen interest in translation. He observes the microcosm world under the lens of his microscope and macrocosm of society with his writing. He is a Dalit poet by assertion and believes all art is political.
