Tuesday, January 24, 2023

No Alphabets in Sight by Poykayil Appachan


No Alphabets in sight
       Poykayil Appachan(1879- 1939)


Poykayil Appachan or Poykayil Yohan nan, a pre- eminent figure of the Kerala Renaissance. As a revolutionary poet, he stood up against the rigid caste system existed in Kerala. He was first dalit activist and the founder of Pratyaksha Raksha Daiva Shabha. 

No, not a single letter is seen
On my race
So many histories are seen
On so many races
Scrutinize each one of them
The whole histories of the world
Not a single letter is seen
On my race
There was no one on this earth
To write the history
Of my race in the olden days
What a pity!
Think of it
Regret fills within
Let me add something
In my own melody
The story of
A people who lived in Kerala
Since the ancient times.
And how they became demons
No shame have I
To say the faults of my caste
Though all blame me
A cursed offspring on earth
How is it possible
That all blame us
Till the end
Of earth and sky
How can God
Who shaped everything
Allow this to happen
On earth today?


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