But, all alone I dreamed,

Way past midnight, I dreamed a dream that no one dared dream, 

as panic gave way for peace, there was no talk of the doom

for a hundred thousand oxygen tankers ran to the rescue of ailing ones,

But, all alone I dreamed, for dawn came damning millions  

Yesterday, I was a besotted hero, today I was barricaded by fate

A prisoner of my own thoughts, a pensioner of my testy past

The tonnes of fake news, disinformation failed to make me cry

But, all alone I dreamed, like a lake that's sunk, a river that's dry.

Way past midnight, when nightmares dominate, I dreamed a dream

Of a happy present, to live in the moment, a call for carpe diem.

behold, bliss beyond the scope of logic and filters of feelings...

But, all alone I dreamed, for I lost track of reality and it's trappings.

Pride of the pristine past? What good does it do to a raging heart?

Promise of a fabulous future? What comfort it gives to a restless mind? 
The tryst with destiny turned into a mirage of cruelty
But, all alone I dreamed, for that dream is a work of art, a true beauty!  

"But, all alone I dreamed," - Poem (English)

Maheeth Veluvali, 

Sunday - 25th of April, 2021

16 Saladi Jamindar Street, Palakollu,

From Salary, with Love, to Petrol!

(My heart skipped a beat when I looked at the reading of the Petrol Bunk -  1.03 Litre(s) for Rs.100/-! This was how 'salary' reacted poetically to the growth of his beloved, unreachable and unapproachable 'petrol')

In the times of Fire and Wheel, ours is a tryst set by the masses;

Me, a middle class dreamer and you, the fantastic fuel of all classes!

A darling made dearer by the Arab Crisis and unknown higher levies,

and so, each passing day takes you away from my reach. 

 

Why so serious? Why so aloof and why so ambitious? 

Even the stars of the sky bow before my master's aspirations.

If only you knew how much of me you've taken and torn apart;

if only you'd come down once lest we be forced to take the ancient cart.

 

To gain your favor and seek your blessings, treaties are made and wars are fought..

Alas, I could make none, for I am a mere pawn trapped and caught. 

You grow and glow like a heartless giant, but I have a larger heart.

Heed to me and fall, my dear, and you will see for yourself, a connoisseur's art! 

(From Salary, with Love, to Petrol!)

Poem/Allegory - English

Maheeth Veluvali, 

Monday, 1st of March, 2021,.

16 Saladi Jamindar Street, Palakollu.

The Unique Scribe

Me with the Shahsana Sundari

(There is a famous and rare - perhaps the only one of it's kind - sculpture of Shila Balika/Shasana Sundari on the wall of Kamaleshwara/Ishwara Temple of Jalasingvi, Humnabad Taluka of Bidar District, Karnataka. A graceful & mythological apsara/madanika is drafting an eulogising epigraph on her patron, Vikramaditya VI. )

There exists a unique scribe on the walls of the old Chalukyan temple, with a shine,

in 'Tribhanga' she stood, rapt and apt, consistent amidst the crushing sands of time.

Despite the ubiquitous jewellery, something's amiss about this mysterious miss,

for her raised hand and outward beauty deceive her radiance inward, of a soulful bliss.

In styllish syllables, she scripts an eloquent eulogy on her proud patron,

as ignorant people steal lazy glances on the cultured maiden.

When would the world learn to admire the scribe's true talents,

without off-color remarks or sarcastic jibes aimed to further endanger the gender balance.

Underneath the grace and elegance of the learned lady,

beneath all the veneer of opulence & vanity that suits nobody,

a simple yet unique scribe's at work - like a paradox at play.

Until our minds are cleansed of perverse judgements, beauty remains a captive in toys of stone and clay!


 

Shasana Sundari/Shila Balika - the unique scribe

Maheeth V
Sunday, 08th of March, 2020 - On the eve of International Women's Day
Palakollu

A coward's march to victory...

(For almost 500 years, the dynasty of Eastern Chalukyas ruled from Vengi, Bikkavolu and Rajamahendravaram - all in modern day Andhra Pradesh. Most of the time, they were forced to play second fiddle to competitors like Cholas, Western Chalukyas, Eastern Gangas, Rashtrakutas and were relegated as tax paying feudatories.Yet, for some brief time during the 9th Century, facing insane odds, their greatest emperor Gunaga Vijayaditya rose to prominence, which gave a semblance of respect to them. Gunaga's generals went on to defeat Rashtrakutas, subdjugate rebel feudals and these 'Chanda Chalukyas' had no opponent from Pulicat Lake to the Vindhya mountains. But, Gunaga had a rough beginning - he had to face a civil war against rival claimants and relatives. Initially, he had to flee the kingdom and wandered as a depressed coward with little hope, waiting and waiting...In his own words)

Warriors (Stone/Rock) - Eastern Chalukyas - Kakinada Museum

I wonder why 'Victory' was added to my name, and I never tasted even a little success?
A cruel joke of destiny, that's played on me, a petty pawn in the game of chess.
I'm cast away like a shipwrecked man, and I thought I was a Prince loved by all.
Now, I realize they only lust after power, and I'm just a pampered naive doll.

Armies of all kingdoms from all directions raid our beloved cities for tributes and glory,
But our forces only take sides in disastrous succession battles - what a  tomfoolery!
My ancestors held lofty titles - all nice lies, their bulging fragile egos overspent...
And here I am, their grand successor, wandering in forests, pursued by my own men.

An uncertain life of a Prince in exile - that's what that's before me,
A clueless coward or a cunning conspirator ? Right now, I'm just a survivor per se,
My life is in dark, let the dawn come and I'll live through hell if need be,
Let the beasts of the forest be a testimony of this coward's march to victory!

One of the ruined temples supposedly built by Gunaga Vijayaditya at Bikkavolu (c.9th Century CE)

The Lone Pilgrim

(On a pillar in the Antaralaya - Mandapa of Sri Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy temple - Palakollu, there is an unremarkable carving - a lone pilgrim on journey)


The lone pilgrim embarked on a treacherous journey fraught with perils,
for faith moves mountains, and crushes all imaginative devils.
Some laughed at his naivety, some cursed his bravery,
some mocked his penury, yet he marched on with neither glam nor glory.

Day and night consistently picked at his resolve,
dream and nightmare played with his quest unsolved.
One moment he was a darling entertainer of a group of fellow travelers,
the next second all alone and aloof like a mere lump lacking calibre.

Past the villages and across the rivers,
cutting through the forests and withstanding shivers,
unending and unsatisfied, as the world moves on and on...
the show goes on and the lone pilgrim marches on!





Palakollu, 
11th of September, 2019

The Fishermen's Day had begun

The Fishermen's Day had begun

(Allegory - Poem) 

" After a numb sleep on an uncomfortable sleeper coach upper berth,
I woke up and looked around like a hungry polar bear with girth.
As the great train slowed down but with an unyielding sound,
I knew that the next stop is the City of Victory,to which most of us are bound.

Then I stood before the door, and here it was, River Krishna in full flow.
The monstrous engine made a screeching halt, honking with a hefty blow.
But, Was it not yesterday that the nature bestowed it's fury on us,
And how come everything is very calm now, that the storm is over thus?

I remember the frightening floods and the marooned houses, the roads and
the rails cutoff, the power being gone, the suffering of a people shunned.
But, now only beauty and peace pervades, like the gentle yet mighty river,
We are made to be stronger and We shall over come with a gentle quiver.

Somewhere down below, two fishermen started their day,
For us all like them, life moves on, however past loving we weigh.
In times of Storm and Calm, We move on like this train,
And Just like for those two fishermen, it is our day and it had just begun."

References (If any)

1. Place and Date -

@ - On Board 17232 Nsl-Ns Express, Railway Bridge, River Krishna, Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh)

On -22nd of November, 2015

2. Subject - Railway Bridge, River Krishna (Allegory Poem) - "The Fishermen's Day had begun"

-

The Pachyderm of Prayaga

The Pachyderm of Prayaga

(Allegory - Poem) 

" Amidst a joyful banter in the jeep, I was away lost deep in my own thoughts,

And we stopped before Lord Hanuman’s Temple, yet I was still connecting the dots.

 The frustration of failure, the fear of future, the glory of the past and….

Somewhere among all these, I lay hopelessly drummed.

Then it was there that I saw, this pachyderm of Prayaga,

A Mighty elephant loyally bound, en route to Gaya.

I wonder what strength lies beneath the simple chains of the gentle giant,

 Is that legal? My brain asked but My heart is not quaint.

But as I look at it once more, and I feel that I’m this elephant,

Shackled by my own thoughts, the strength in me is not decadent.

And, the elephant trumpeted, a wake cup call not to plummet,

A sign that even a badly chained elephant could happily trumpet.

 I thanked the Pachyderm of Prayaga, for the invaluable lesson imparted,

To enjoy the simple pleasures of life, to live before being  departed,

And Most Importantly, - “To Trumpet happily every once in a while, forgetting everything” "

References (If any)

1. Place and Date -

@ - Lord Hanuman's Temple, Near Tiveni Sangam, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)

On -21st of July, 2015

2. Subject - Elephant (Allegory Poem) - "The Pachyderm of Prayaga"

-