GARGI SARKHEL BAGCHI

 

Faith (I)

 

As sure as the sun wakes up in the east

And slumbers off in the west

As sure as the stars peep out

Night after night, desiring no rest.

As sure as leaves bid farewell to trees

Every autumn and then

Spring back up unfailingly

Time and again.

As sure as a mother’s love

Has no start and no end

As sure as a rainbow

Cannot be seen without a bend

As sure as living things need air

To breathe and survive

That’s how sure I know you are

With me, every moment of my life.

© Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi

 

Faith (II)

(Haiku Verses)

 

I’ll never forget

The One who stood by me when

life lost all appeal.

 

Sometimes it’s a He

though sometimes a She as well.

It is no big deal.

 

What It is and who

is a mystery but that

does not foil my zeal.

 

The world calls this Being

‘God’, but for me it’s my Friend,

whose presence I feel.

 

Unconditional

unshakeable my belief -

I proudly reveal.

 

I hope to pass down

this faith to my child and gift

him a life ideal.   

© Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi

 

Faith (III)

 

I am not a religious person.

I know most nothing

About prayers, rites and rituals of any religion

The way most people around me know

And think people should know

“To keep the Gods happy”.

I don’t know any mantras or shlokas; I don’t know the norms.

I don’t visit any temples or other homes of God

When travelling to new places.

Pilgrimages will never be my thing.

But I do have a little mandir1 in my home

In which my husband and I light a lamp daily

While our child offers a small tumbler of water

To the Ones residing in it.

Idols passed down to us with love, faith and benediction

By my grandmother, my mother

My husband’s parents, my sister

And other family members and friends

Who wish us well.

I decorated this home of Theirs

With the same fervour I decorated my own:

There’s a small silver tulsi-plant my Granny bequeathed to me

That symbolizes her blessings in physical form.

There’s a green apple-shaped candle

That the hospital where I delivered my son

Handed to us the day he was born.

There are three wooden tulips – red, blue and white –

Denoting love, commitment and peace

That my husband had gifted me, back when we were dating.

I clean down the abode religiously, light fragrant incense sticks

The scent of which spreads a sense of calm in our dwelling.

I place goodies and flowers on special occasions.

I utter sincere gratitude to Them every morning

For granting us with more than we need.

I ask Them to be with us and help us do the right thing.

And I will do so till the day I die

Even though

I am not a religious person

And I know most nothing

About prayers, rites and rituals of any religion

The way most people around me know

And think people should know

“To keep the Gods happy”.

©Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi

 

GARGI SARKHEL BAGCHI

 

GARGI SARKHEL BAGCHI: The 1st prize winner of ‘The Reuel International Poetry Prize, 2022’, Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi hails from Pune, India. A university topper in her M.A. with German studies, she received a fully funded DAAD-scholarship to complete her second Master’s from LMU, Munich. The thesis she wrote there was published by GRIN publishing house, Germany and is available on Amazon worldwide.A German teacher for over 18 years, she has been pursuing her passion for writing since 2013 and has contributed her writings towards innumerable prestigious national and international publications. Though currently engaged full-time as a tutor with Deutsch Uni Online, Munich for students world over and as a German corporate trainer, she looks forward to publishing a compilation of her writings soon.