Nanak

By Jaswant Singh Zafar | Poem |

Excuse us
It’s quite hard for us
to envisage the true image of Nanak
Legs messed up with the dust of the winding path
Cracked heals
Beard entangled by turbulent winds
Skin toughened in arid-cold seasons
Concave and skinny cheeks
Eyes popping from the facial bone structure
dazzling & renegade
Eyes, which refute-
the hierarchy
the monarchy
and clergy

The real Nanak can prove fatal to us
That Nanak, who we can’t even dream
He can
destruct our homely institutions
lead our children into the throws of non-conformism
Can create quests
to point our feet towards Kaaba
Consequently
we can be injured and amputated
We may be motivated for many more wrong deeds
For instance

We may perceive the irrelevance of religious symbolism
we may bring out a manifesto
to divert the flows
to challenge propriety

We are wary of this preposterous Nanak
All we want is

success
succor
solace

We desire luxurious graces
familial blessings
and promotion and progress
in terms of wealthNanak depicted by Sobha Singh’s school of portraits
is well suited for us
White Sun-Silky beard
spherical shining cheeks
Fair and Lovely
rosy Tipsy lips
soft Gemini feet
delicate Barbie hands
Arielly cleaned messianic robes

The walls of our homes can only hold
Nanak in the pictures of Sobha Singh’s style

The true picture of dangerous Nanak
who rejected the well-traversed paths
is too momentous for our walls

Excuse us
we can’t afford ruining of homes
those we created with labour of blood
We can’t afford losing kids
those we got with prayers

We can not envisage the real image of Nanak
Excuse us please

Translation : Manpreet a research scholar at JNU; Jasdeep, a software engineer

Jaswant Singh Zafar is a famous Punjabi poet, photographer, and a painter. The Ludhiana-based work include Do Sāhān Vichkār, Asi Guru Nanak De Ki Lagde Hān, Sikhu So Khoji Lahai, and Eh Banda ki Hunda. He is the deputy chief engineer for grid construction circle at Punjab State Power Corporation Limited.In 2020, Punjab state government conferred him the ‘Punjabi Shiromani Kavi’ award.

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