When the houses and tombs and
temples are being destroyed
a puppy wanders
wondering where to go.
For the departed souls without tombs
An d for those living without houses
What can the god denied of abode do?
When the houses of those living are being erased
A mother wandering with a
Kaarthigai month’s Kantthal flower
asks for a piece of land
for the tomb turned to rubbles
of her dead son.
No children
No tombs
Upon the trees where Kaanthal flowers
bloomed as a dream
lights glow.
When space is denied even while living
and after death too
what at all can the dead
and the living do?
What for we died
What for we survive
You might think –
when even God is
denied a place
with what hope the others exist.
Our land’s tombs
are not the ones awaiting Death
They are the dwelling place
where those buried
with the dream of a beautiful life
are reposing.
As the voice of children
As the voice of tombs
We will ask -
Because it is our Mother Land
We haven’t taken away anybody’s .
(POEM OF Deepachelvan captioned விதைக்கப்பட்டவர்களின் குரல் from his poem-collection 'எனது குழந்தை பயங்கரவாதி' translated into English by Latha Ramakrishnan)