My Roots

Want to drink from nature's cup

Brimming with unspoiled love

Come jump onto my buggy

I'll show you a slice of Paradise

Far away from the noisy city

In my ancestral village Panihati

Resting on the banks of Ganges

Resplendent with natural beauty

Every house has a small pond

Shaded by coconut tree fronds

Lotus blooms get nudged by fish

Swimming, multiplying underneath.

Men sit with their fishing rods

Marking time if one gets caught

Fresh catch, best fish lunch sought

By fish eaters in the village of Bengal

Folks gather, sit on steps of the Ghat

To watch the sun set, perform 'Puja Patt'

Full throated Bhajans rent the air

As lamps are lit for evening Aarti

It's just magical to be in this midst

As the river dances to the song's rhythms

Into this village, I often escape

Where my roots are deeply entrenched