while I was growing up
I paused and looked around —
the water I was drinking was mucky
the air I was breathing, stale
there used to be shade on the road
that too is long gone
chopped and carried away, in pieces

when I reached home
my TV was on fire
somewhere, a train was burning
somewhere, a bus was in flames
when I saw the houses
tumbling and falling
I stepped away from mine

if this has been happening for the last fifty years
isn’t this where you would have spent your childhood
isn’t this where I will grow up
tell me —
is it that necessary to grow up?


Translated from the Hindi by Sunjoy Shekhar