By IANS,
New Delhi : Exactly a month ago, when some opposition politicians tossed wads of currency notes in parliament claiming they were bribed, they did not know that one of their tribe will freeze this moment of “betrayal and trust” in his mobile and turn it into a poem.
But Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal did precisely that. Hours after winning the trust vote, Sibal was asked by the prime minister to go to Scandinavian countries to persuade these countries to back the nuclear deal. Mid-flight, poetic rage swept Sibal, he recalled at the celebrity-studded launch of his debut anthology of poems Thursday night.
The poem he wrote that fateful day encapsulates his anguish and rage at this shameful chapter in India’s political history.
“22nd of July/a day to remember/for both betrayal/and trust. The government had won/ democracy the loser/and politics in/ utter disarray./This temple of justice/invaded by avarice/yet the nation will/ still have its way.”
As Sibal recited this poem, a hush fell among an eclectic audience that included politicians, diplomats, legal luminaries, socialites, family and friends that had turned up in large numbers to toast his plunge into the world of poetry.
Sibal’s poetry book “I Witness”, subtitled “Partial Observations”, has been published by Roli Books. It dramatizes a diverse range of themes ranging from the “triumph and trauma” of Twenty20 cricket and the quibbles of the 123 nuclear deal to the ache of romantic longing and the pull of nostalgic memories.
Sibal said since juggling politics and poetry was difficult at times, he started scribbling on the digital notepad in his mobile.
“It’s not always possible to find time to sit down with a notepad and write poems. That’s why I decided to use mobile to write verses. It’s easier that way,” he said.
Launching the book, former chief justice of India M.N. Venkatachaliah said these poems revealed “a sensitive and warm human being” and captured the spirit of the times we live in.
There were lighter moments, too, as Sibal, a spokesperson for the Congress party, recited witty poems like “Sycophant” and “Meeting at London” that satirized inanities of political culture and the ludicrous side of the Indian middle class.