Shivasundar, a freelance journalist, writer, and longtime associate and dear friend of fiery activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated on September 5, 2017, by extremists alleged to belong to the dreaded Sanatan Sanstha has penned this heartfelt poem on Gauri. On the eighth anniversary of her dastardly assassination.
*Gauri*
Shivasundar
When shadows thickened
and the world seemed smothered in night,
she caught fire—
burning through the dark
until she became light itself.
When the heat of the street
melted the cold within,
she rose,
shaped by compassion
that refused to be contained.
Storms battered her from outside,
whirlwinds tore at her within,
yet she stood,
a small unwavering flame
that would not go out.
She did not trim truth
to fit convenience.
She walked with the street,
stood among the people,
and became their lamp.
She guarded the hushed voices
of conscience,
listened to the secret murmur
of the self,
and in knowing herself,
she helped us know who we are.
She saw red inside blue,
blue inside red,
embers glowing in black,
an open sky shining through white.
She wove these colors together
and became the rainbow.
Related:
Gauri Lankesh assassination: 6 years down, no closure for family and friends, justice elusive