Anil Dharker
Now every flame has a sparker
And for Literature Live it's Anil Dharker.
The Fest is now in its twelfth year.
For that, Anil deserves a cheer.
Anil Alas! Is now no more
But at this fest he abides for sure!
Anil was a man of many parts.
Master of sciences, as well as arts!
In an age of specialists it is strange
To find a person with such range.
No matter how hard you scan
You won’t find such a Renaissance Man!
An expert in the field of salt
And a connoisseur of single malt.
In every art he excelled.
At NFDC he propelled
Indian film to critical acclaim.
Directors he promoted made their name.
Gandhi coproduction added to his fame.
He was an expert at the editorial game.
His greatest legacy is Literature Live!
We look to Amy to make it thrive.
And all of us certainly ought
To give it our utmost support.
Anil of course was India’s twin.
Amidst the 75th Birthday din
Let us have a dual celebration
Both Anil as well as his nation!
India at 75
There are problems in the world
Each year more are unfurled
Climate change has been there.
The pandemic brought its share.
Inequality is very dire
And maybe getting even higher.
And since the Russia-Ukraine War
The World has had to then endure
An unexpected commodity boom
All these dangers constantly loom.
Some countries succumbed to all this flack.
But we are on a better track!
And as commodity prices decline
Our inflation numbers should be fine.
We already know we will survive.
And now there’s hope we will thrive.
Our economy is growing fast
And there are signs that this will last.
It looks like we will thrive
While India is at 75!
Though there are many reasons to cheer
Today's India, I sometimes fear
Tagore’s heaven of freedom is far away.
His clear stream of reason has run astray
In the desert sand of traditional thought,
Instead of new avenues being sought.
Are we responding to a higher call
Or breaking in fragments divided by a wall?
I sincerely hope that we will be
The true spirit of democracy.
Where institutions will be strong.
Now, building them takes very long
But often we can find a way
To subvert or break them in a day.
I'd like to see much more free speech
Where the State's long arm doesn't reach
And crushes voices that oppose
But active debate thrives and grows.
Where ideas win because they're right
And not because of mere might.
Where everyone has equal rights
And personal dreams are within our sights.
Where all our skills can be used
And nobody is ever abused.
Where all have their opportunity
And therefore there's no penury.
Where our thoughts are never sectarian
But very firmly humanitarian.
Where hateful thoughts are gone and done
And we are at peace with everyone.
Where even those who often hate
We can convince but not placate!
Where our weather is no longer cursed
Since climate change has been reversed.
Whenever there's a flaw you see
Please try and act collectively.
But never stoop to moan and groan.
And if you must, please act alone.
Let us hope we have both
Social rights and economic growth.
Let us bear all this in mind,
There are solutions we can find.
If we take every one on board
And proceed with good accord.
Indeed, I hope we can see
Tagore’s heaven by India’s centenary
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by
narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening
thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Can we awake into Tagore’s heaven,
By 2047?
The times are tough, but we stand tall
We must beware, lest we fall.
If we are smart as well as wise
Surely India’s bound to rise.
And every Independence Day
Anil and India will hold sway.
