Poem: My Ode to Kamala Surayya
By Chandramohan S
“Whatever may be viewpoint of Google or its artist, she died as Kamala Suraiyya, a Muslim who wore burqa and hijab, and she should have been portrayed as such. In no way would it diminish the work she did as Kamala Das or Madhavikkutti” (Poet N Ravishankar, Palakkad, Kerala)
My Ode to Kamala Surayya
Some poets self- translate
On to a new pen name.
The rivulet of her oeuvre
Braids itself into a halo,
She wears it lightly
With the modesty of a headscarf.
She adorns a new anklet
Clanging to the rhythmic-chant of her new name,
Her poetry diffusing into free-verse
Like names freed from parenthesis.
But Google-doodle
Entombs her maiden name,
Shrouded in archaic veil!
Bio:
Chandramohan S is an Indian English Dalit poet based in Trivandrum, Kerala. His poems were shortlisted for Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2016. His second collection of poems titled “Letters to Namdeo Dhasal” was a runner up at M. HARISH GOVIND memorial prize instituted by POETRY CHAIN. A few of his poems have been used at many protests in addition to being anthologized in LAND: An Anthology of Indo-Australian Poetry (edited by Rob Harle) and 40 poets under 40 (edited by Nabina Das and Semeen Ali). He was instrumental in organising literary meets of English poets of Kerala for the Ayyappa Panicker Foundation.
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