Poem-How could I leave thee?

Wave No. 26 Nov. 18 1983

How could I leave you?

- S. Balakrishnan

Yes, I would still prefer to be in Orissa.

The winter maybe cold & unfriendly

The summer, too hot there

And, when the rains do come at last,

The roads are dirty & rivers in full fury

But, still ...how could I leave you?

The lovely air, crisp & healthy,

And the cool waters of Mahanadi,

I had not breathed enough

I had not drunk enough

How could I leave so soon?

The crowded bazaar -

Full of life & colour

With scents of flowers

Handsome arts & crafts

Friends - few but sincere- and

The happy moments we spent together

Monuments of lore standing high

And the colourful functions & festivities

Mahanadi, the eternal charmer of me,

How could I ever leave thee?

The awesome sunrises, enchanting twilights

And the amorous full moon nights -

I had shared these most beautiful moments -

Walking, pedaling & boating - with you

Tell me; oh tell me, how could I ever leave thee?

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Note: A letter dated 27^th April 1983 from Janab Syed Taher Ahmad, Cuttack (Indian Bank) reached me in Madras (now Chennai) on the 30^th. I was in Madras on leave, for my B. Com. III year exam when I had been transferred from Cuttack in Orissa to Gangtok in Sikkim. I had informed him of this development. In his reply, he had said, “Life in Cuttack is dull, drab & insipid. Summer is scorching. Days hot, evenings breezeless and load shedding in nights!’, and had asked, “Still would you prefer Cuttack?’. Thus ended his lovely letter, which I was munching on May 1, without concentrating on my lessons, when this poem (if one can call so) arose.