Poetry in the city.
This poem is by The Delhi Walla.
Which movie did she see on Sunday evening?
In Jantar Mantar.
To a fellow Delhiwalla,
‘Sir, are you for or against rape?’
Newspapers say she was returning home after watching a film in Select Citywalk,
She was with a friend.
Cutting across party lines,
Members of our Parliament sound self-righteous.
Did she have a cappuccino in the multiplex?
Popcorns or nachos?
Extraordinary outrage of our TV news anchors,
As if a metal rod was never before forced into a living body,
In Kashmir, Manipur, Gujarat and Chattisgarh.
23-year-old.
Special campaigns launched by our newspapers,
To unite India against rape.
(Helps in the branding,
Makes a connection with the readership.)
A physiotherapy student,
Basically from UP.
Media reached in time at India Gate last night,
To cover the candle-light protest.
The newspapers call her a hero,
But she was just one of us.
Safdarjung Hospital.
Intestines, severely damaged,
Doctors say.
Next 48 hours are critical.
A TV channel ticker:
‘What’s the solution? Write to us, call us.’
Now, morning,
What is her mummy thinking?
Times of India on December 28:
Vital signs deteriorate with severe organ failure
About 10 pm, December 16,
A white bus (with tinted windows) stops at Munirika,
Close to where she is standing,
Waiting for a bus.
As part of the series Delhi’s Bandaged Moments, The Delhi Walla is searching for poets in the city. If you are one, please contact me at mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com.