Which Holy River of This Country..: A DMK MP’s poetry
“Which holy river of this country…” is the opening line of a poem written by a member of the DMK who is attempting to convey the anguish that women in Manipur feel. According to the poet, Poo Naagam “is a mythological creature – a tiny snake that lives in flowers and is extremely venomous.”
CHENNAI: At a time when the whole of India is outraged by the video of two women in Manipur being paraded naked by a mob and tortured, DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian has Tweeted a poem penned by her in Tamil, Poo Nagam to capture the violence perpetrated against women.
The poem, which is a lament that echoes the agony and anger of women everywhere, starts with the lines, “Which holy river of this country / Could wash the stains of flesh clean from our rapes?”
பூ நாகம்!
Poo Naagam!Which holy river of this country
Could wash the stains of flesh clean from our rapes?
Which Gods of this country had paid heed
When we were disrobed?
Which forums of this country
Resonated the grief of our cries?
Which doors of this…— தமிழச்சி (@ThamizhachiTh) July 21, 2023
The Lok Sabha MP has tweeted the poem on July 21, 2023.
Poo Naagam, the poet explains, “is a mythological creature – a tiny snake that lives in flowers and is extremely venomous.”
The poem concludes on a resounding note, “We will bloom in the flowers of this country, As Thousand Neelis! (Neeli is a mythological woman character who exacted revenge on those who wronged her) When it’s time, The era of the Poo Naagam, Wouldn’t just avenge those that wreaked havoc on us, But also, who remained, as Silent Witnesses !
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