Privileged Much?


she is saffron washed today,

and people chant prayers around her ears,

but, in India, prayer is a privilege,

the sound of temple bells is worship to your ears, 

Why not our hymns and azaans?

she is stained in hues of भगवा, 

in the midst of one thing that unites us all – prayer,

the only difference being that I am a criminal and you’re not,

the church ground I step foot in is not holy enough,

what if there’s a temple under?

the God i pray to is not godly enough for you,

and the life I lead is worth ending,

stoning, and giving up my faith,

What if I’m not human enough?

‘Mulla, Maulana Jai Shree Ram Bolega’

What is the fascination of making people scream out something they’d never believe in?

Would your Gods be happy then?

watching the hate poison your hearts, 

people are stripping us away from our humanity,

our solidarity and most importantly, secularity.

we even rob people of love,

in the name of God,

the day I realised I am not just one woman,

but rather many in one,

each one making me survive another day,

I fell out of love.

I fell out of hope.

my womanhood searches a comforter,

and I will write your name on my grave,

because you stole my freedom to pray.

She never wanted to be saffron washed,

but her face is shoved into the colour,

by people of power who believe so strongly,

that it is the colour of her blood,

she is losing breath,

She is India.


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Riya Rajayyan

Riya is a Chemistry student who takes great interest in history and art. She believes she is a blahcksheep because her writings do not adhere to any norms and she is not afraid to touch topics that people usually shy away from. Her writing is her voice and she always hopes to spark that one thought in the readers mind that stays with them for a long time.

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