DRAUPADI - III

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty's

DRAUPADI - III

Mother kissed me thrice

the queen held me to her bosom

Drupad was all smiles -

how lucky we are my queen

to have our daughter, our future

the balm for our wrinkles

come dearest you have filled

our hearts with pride and joy

live with us in free mind

brightening up all murk

with your heartening smile

be the lotus of our hearts.

 

Father showed me my quarters

the frown in his face was gone.

He left with Drishtaduymna

to the feasting arena

dancing girls stepped up their

rhythms to the beats of drums

fatalistic and primordial

my age fellows, tens of them -

seated me at the centre of the royal hall

dazzling with gems and the ruckus

of ceremonial band playing mad

made the night throb with energy.

 

My first morning in the palace

started early when Alpana the chief maid

woke me up playing the tambourine

greeted me - Good morning Princess

Your bath is ready, I will take you

to the pool strewn with Jasmine,

Champaks and  Sandal paste.

 

I bathed after taking a swim

Alpana readied me for the day.

While tying my long hair

into braids she said, Princess

you are so out of the world,

your beauty is so  subtle, awe inspiring,

your eyes sparkle like lakes on fire

your nose sharp and long

predicts unfolding of tomorrow

your lips cherry labials locking

the crystal pinfold of your teeth.

Two shiny orbs are your breasts

spheres of indomitable pride :

Hey friend ! Are you a poet?

She giggled, no Princess, a keen student

of the beauty of Poetry which you Are!

 

Your hair Princess is three hand measures

leave it open I will dry it with incense

after bath tomorrow - No, no

It's already heavy on my head

it will be a burden on my neck

you know my next programme here

learning horse taming and riding

then swordplay with my brother

don't untie, leave it like that.

 

I Don't Count My Days

Time is uncountable like life

you don't know the number of breaths,

nor the pulses,

hours, months, years

flow independent of me.

 

Everything in life is independent

my dreams are not birds

the birds are not aeroplanes

each object has its own destiny

my legs walk, run amble

stagger, tatter and also ache,

If I count how many miles

I have walked, I would

be wasting my life.

 

I dream of work

and work my dream

If I fail I do not scream

I rise up carrying new loads

to plan, build design of life's

variegated pulls:

If I am counted by all

I would have lived

beyond numbers.

Sabita Sahu

 

 

 

DRAUPADI - II

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty's 

DRAUPADI - II

While walking garlanded

with sloganeering crowd

clanging cymbals riotous drums

men women in fineries

towards the Kampilya palace

Draupadi couldn't decide

whether to be happy or gloomy

a crooked confusion made her

steps uncertain, eyes unfocused:

 

If I am fire

Why in human form?

Have I come here

to live with men and women

in strife and conflict,

I have all human emotions

as a maiden ought to have.

I have beauty, poise and passion

pride, shame and dignity

in ample measures to win hearts

charm the best and challenge the rest.

Why then I walk a captive

in this royal procession!

 

I mix with the witty and the gentle

the bands of the meek and the cruel

I have brothers, friends and relations

straight from the womb of fire,

I am in a palace craddleless,

All splendour and luminescence

as the fiery maiden of excellence.

 

Am I an instrument of change

or an agent, I do not know what

my Master, my Boss, my Maker

desired me or am I a freak

shaped by the chants of

learned men without purpose.

 

Now I am here in Kampilya

daughter of Drupad Princess  Panchali

I have many names Draupadi

Yagyaseni born of fire to inflame life

to brighten this beautiful world

or consign to ashes the devils

who in human shape  prey and flout

all goodness, order, harmony and love?

Beyond The Routine

When the sun goes south

I do not cower

when the spring breeze romances

with youthful senstivities

I don't caper

for I know them all .

 

These changes in nature,

the ordinary cake cutting

bemoaning on routine events

shopping malls, cinema halls

closing or opening

don't betray my fancy

for I know them all.

 

I want real change

which will make my

reality unreal alluring

inviting my spirit to participate

in a new creation unique,

the envy of God.

 

A new climate of love

should vaccinate the hate

and all familiar allergies

to make this universe

a new Elysium

radically different

emotionally friendly

and intellectually inspiring.

 

Where Love is God

all temples raise their

sacrificial fire purity

in the human heart.

 

I want this change

to contain everything

of eye and ear in Me.

Sabita  Sahu

 

 

My Flapping New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021

My new year is in the calendar

the model's eyes reflect light

a half smile flashes on her lips

some Lakme lipstick of a new hue

the wall fails to steady the pages.

 

The fog has disappeared yet

the full splendour of the sun

is still days away, I sit under

the noonday sun and warm up

for free service till midnight.

 

My old dreams are buried here

under the thick layer of the dust

on my book shelf and my work out kit

is half eaten by white ants

why they are not red like lipstick

on the models priceless smile

well I don't know.

 

Now I have new dreams

this new year like the Corona

I will vaccinate the new year

not to catch any human infection

for mutation here is beyond labs:

I am here to insulate myself

against light sound and music.

 

Sabita Sahu

DRAUPADI - I

 

           A Word From The Heart

 

A woman has mainly two faces: Lover and Wife. Later she becomes a Mother, Sister etc. In the history of mankind, in my view, there was no greater woman than Draupadi, mythical though, who combines these two roles with greater symbiosis. Cleopatra, a historical figure, could be admired as the greatest Lover but she was not much of a wife (to Caesar and Antony). Draupadi has lived with five husbands of diverse temper at the same time. There are 'Many - men' women but none like Draupadi, therefore, she had a great fascination for me.

 

I do not subscribe to ideas and statements like: "Creation of woman is the greatest blunder of Nature"- (Bernard Shaw) Nor do I believe that misogyny and feminism have any real human meaning beyond power struggle in gender politics, Draupadi is vast, various, vivacious, victim and victimizer all in one and more: I have tried to trace the idea and the woman in my effort to write an Epic as a 21st-century man. I am deeply read into the epics in Sanskrit and Odia but I have not based my Draupadi on any model.

 

If my readers patiently follow the state, stature and status of my 

Draupadi in the serialization I would be gratified.

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty

 

 DRAUPADI   -1

Entry Into The World

 

The tongues of fire in fury

licked the mantra charmed space

the priests in fright raised

the tempo of vedic verse

the flame took form and shape

A maiden full grown

like a package of beauty

opened her eyes in sunbright

languor winked to wonder.

 

Who am I?  Why am I?

In this strange world

beauteous and wild?

Am I born here or

I am a fire maiden

sent here  commissioned

for a purpose divine.

 

But who should I call mother ?

Who has fathered me?

I  came out of the yajna fire

to the chant of verses

half heard, half understood.

 

Who are these greeting me

blowing conches in joywild rhythms

who is this king Drupad

he is not my biological parent,

and he mainly wanted a son

never wanted a female child.

 

Am I a trespasser then

unwanted visitor to these

motley elements on earth?

 

The king wanted an Avenger,

to  kill his Ashram mate turned foe

for egoistic irrelevance.

 

Then who Am I?

What am I here for

fully grown beautiful

full of vigour and fanciful

ambitions more than

an ordinary woman can hold!

Announcement For 2021

 Happy  New Year 2021, dear Readers!

December 2020 was a turbulent month for me as I could not publish  Professor Prafulla  Kumar Mohanty's articles; the reasons are tensions over problems beyond my control. But I am happy to announce that  in the New  Year  2021 Professor Mohanty will serialize his 

MAGNUM OPUS

-DRAUPADI- A Self Narrative.

We hope our dear readers will give us the same LOVE as they did in the past.

Sabita Sahu