Sunday, 1 January 2017

'Bharati Bhavan Library, Chowk, Allahabad': A poem by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

A day in 1923.

The perusing room is full.

In stick drop quiet,

Bookkeepers, homeopaths,

Trivial businesspeople, understudies, agents,

Turn the pages

Of the morning papers.

At the issuing work area,

Some are obtaining books:

An investigator novel in Urdu

In two volumes;

A free interpretation

Of a lyric by Goldsmith

Imprinted in Etawah,

Titled Yogi Arthur.

The books

Are still on the racks,

Their pages fragile

Also, spines missing.

New perusers involve the seats,

Turning the pages

Of the morning papers.

Turning pages as well,

Yet, of dusty records

In a back room,

Is a specialist from Cambridge, England.

It's her second visit,

Furthermore, everybody here knows her.

She's taking a gander at Indian perusing propensities

In the pilgrim time frame.

Outside,

On the asphalt,

Is a flourishing vegetable market.

In the midst of the slows down,

A blade processor sets up

His compact foundation

What's more, opens for business.

Work of art by Sameer Kulavoor

Work of art by Sameer Kulavoor

Excerpted with authorization from Collected Poems, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Penguin Books.

This determination is curated by Rohini Kejriwal. She likewise clergymen The Alipore Post, an every day pamphlet originating from an adoration of​ craftsmanship, verse, music, and all things wonderful.

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