#desi thoughts

It's a warm Sunday night

I am lying next to you

Your tired hands are holding me tightly

Asking me to sleep but

Your sleepy voice still drives me crazy

I turn my face towards you

You pull me closer

And your warm breath feels like a breeze

Everything feels so perfect

When I am next to you

Your heartbeat feels like a lullaby

I look at your lips with love

Remembering the times when it was on mine

You open your eyes slightly

And I close mine haphazardly

Before I could open my eyes to stare at you

Your lips gently brush against mine

Hearing the thunder

I opened my eyes only to find

Ur wedding pictures lying beside me

U are smiling at her

And with a deep sigh

I accepted u were never mine

The doors of hope

I have closed them forever now

But I cry Remembering you

While praying about you

My hands start trembling

Seeing your hands holding her tightly

I have accepted one thing

Even after 933 days

any legitimate criticism, whether crude or not, towards the national song, now may be considered criminal, because the word "insult" allows subjective interpretation. and anything allowing interpretation has often been misused in this country.

let's talk about how india ranks 157th out of 180 countries on the freedom of its press.

let's talk about how it has only dropped further since narendra modi came into power.

let's talk about how the state can restrict the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression for reasons with undefined limits like "public order," "morality," and the "sovereignty and integrity of india", again, allowing subjective interpretations.

let's talk about how it's been misused.

let's talk about how the fundamental right to protest peacefully has very often met by severe restrictions and police violence in the form of lathi charges, tear gas, pellet guns, legal consequences, and illegal detention.

you have freedom to use your mouth. oh — but don't dare to use it too boldly. don't infringe on someone's personal ideal of "morality" and "order", who has the power to make you a criminal. don't practise your freedom too loudly. don't protest — unless you're prepared to deal with police violence for practicing your fundamental right.

dance within their ideals of patriotism. don't criticize the government. shh. you might be called "anti-nationalist" or "pakistani". but the fact that many indians consider being chinese and pakistani inherently derogatory is a conversation for another day.

we don't talk about how the constitution is often just a piece of paper now — a suggestion they may or may not listen to.

whatever is convenient for the government prevails, right? we voted for them, didn't we?