Beyond the money, lunch, and drink,
The people in the protest march –
The ones who wobbled days in trucks
To brake the speeding Capital –
Had other pulling engines too:
To meet my sister living there.
The train would cost me half a month.
To raid the National Handloom Fair
And melt into the shouting crowd.
To watch the Indian cricket team
In practice for their World Cup match.
To run away from family
With that one on the women’s truck.
To see the Taj Mahal! Say what?
It isn’t in the Capital?
Minakhi Misra 