Mountain Child
The mountain child —
a fragment of the mountain —
plays in the lap of the mountain
Toddling up the mountain
he plants his feet in the mountain soil
to rise like a mountain
in the land of mountains
The whole mountain
lives inside the mountain child
And in the lap of the mountain
lives the scurrying mountain child
The mountain child sees
a plane flying over the mountain
And he asks his father —
What is that bird?
a fragment of the mountain —
plays in the lap of the mountain
Toddling up the mountain
he plants his feet in the mountain soil
to rise like a mountain
in the land of mountains
The whole mountain
lives inside the mountain child
And in the lap of the mountain
lives the scurrying mountain child
The mountain child sees
a plane flying over the mountain
And he asks his father —
What is that bird?
Nirmala Putul
Nirmala Putul was born in 1972, in a Santhali Adivasi (tribal) family. She writes in the Indian tribal language, Santali. She has a diploma in nursing. A collection of her poems Nagare Ki Tarah Bajte Hain Shabad (Words resound like drums) was published in 2004.
Nirmala Putul counterpoises her tribal world with the 'developed' modern world. Her poetry questions the whole notion of 'development' and 'progress' in modern civilization. Her poetry is very musical and full of nature imagery. There is an echo of tribal songs in her work
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