Sample from the book ‘Kavyaphule’ published by Ambedkar College, Mumbai
I pay my respects to Jotiba, my lord, so dear
His mellifluous words resonate in my ear;
I serve the Mahar-Maag *
considered outcasts
Memories of my beloved Lord fill my heart;
The path of service and truth brings contentment
And fills one’s soul with peace and fulfillment;
I reflect upon Jotiba’s words
And see their reflections in my mind ;
They who serve with a philanthropic goal
Attain greatness amongst humankind;
These are Jotiba’s teachings gleamed from experience
I, Savitri, cherish them in the deep recesses of my conscience;
Man and Nature
The rains have breached the fields, bathed Nature pure and clear
Fruits, flowers and pulses all are invigorated and green
The pitter-patter of falling rain , Nature is at her loveliest
In a shimmering sari with motifs of fruits and flowers bedecked;
The koel2 sings melodiously, the peacock sways and dances
Abroad the flowers, full of glee the pirate bee prances
Beautiful is Nature, beautiful human beings, beautiful is all life
Let the rains of goodwill bring blossoms and wipe away all strife;
Let’s beautify human existence
And make progress
Let others live and let’s live ourselves
Let’s get rid of all our fears and stress;
Human bedags and all of creation are but two sides of a coia
To preserve these priceless bounties let us our hands join;
Pledge
A smooth round rock with a coat of oil aad safroa
And lo and behold it becomes one of the Gods of the pnatheoa;
Buffaloes and what not, such terrifyiag Gods
Yet people believe them to be their Lord;
They pledge that they will sacrifice a goat
And if a child is bora fulfill their oath;
If rocks can answer prayers and grate them children
What’s the need for marriage between men and women?
Says Savitri, do contemplate over every little thing
And make your life truly worth living;
Translated from the original Marathi to English by Ujjwala Mhatre
* Mahar and Mang are castes on the lowest rung of the caste-hierarchy, the members of which are treated as
untouchables.
** A black singing bird found in India that signals the advent of spring.
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