Hasmita Shah, 1998

he name conjures up so many contrasting images

Of mystic spirituality and temples in remote places

Of people accepting abject poverty

As their predetermined destiny

Of an economy held hostage to bureaucracy

Yet its people living in the world’s biggest democracy

Bombay our first stop is the gateway to this country

A dirty noisy overcrowded city we first agree

But we soon come to appreciate its vibrant community

Whose skills and business acumen excel those of any western economy

Goa by comparison is a tranquil paradise

What a beautiful sight for those tired eyes

Delhi another hot and dusty city

Industrialisation is taking its toll ecologically

This we see on our visit to the Taj Mahal site

Though still an absolutely wonderful delight

You can see its resplendent beauty fading at the edges

Like the corners of an ancient book when you turn its pages

To Palitana and the ritual ascending up all those steps

We wonder what source of energy one taps

As we who are young and fit quickly tire

And small children and mothers carrying babies we admire

As they effortlessly and without complaining ascend

It must be some spiritual force lending them a hand

There are so many other places I could mention

So many other observations I could bring to your attention

But who am I to pass judgement

The people were so hospitable wherever I went

Surely that after all is what matters more

That to a mere stranger they were willing to open their door

All too soon it is time to leave

I came as a tourist and took more than I could give

But this forgiving country bears me no grudge

How could I with preconceived notions it judge

This is the land of my ancestors my motherland

Severing my links to it is like cutting off my hand

It is inviting me to stay

But accept me as I am it seems to say

I have a rich cultural heritage

Passed down from a once golden age

I leave but promise myself that I will return

Not as a tourist but like the prodigal son

Who has been wandering everywhere

But is unable to plant his roots anywhere

Because deep down I know there is nowhere

Nowhere else that is home but there

Though I have been raped and plundered by colonialists

My unshaken belief in the goodness of men still persists