Minnu’s Toffee was not like Minnu.
Wherever Minnu was puffed like a balloon,
Therever Toffee was lean like its thread.
Where Minnu’s hauteur became hot air,
His Toffee’s thread secured him there.
He’d ask his Minnu, “Why go up?”
You have no place amongst the clouds.
Your peer pressure will burst you from inside.
Stay here. At least, you’ll bring some smiles.”
Though, Toffee also wished to fly.
But not as an orphaned string of a cut-down kite.
He wanted to fly on a brother’s smile
Evoked by a sister’s Rakhi thread.
He wanted to fly on prayers freed
From threads around a holy tree.
He used to say,
“You want to fly? Spread joy and fly.
Spray dust as spinning wheels and fly.
Is there a point to hot-hot air?
Effulge on lampwick’s smoke and fly.”
Some years have passed now from those days.
This tug of war is still ongoing.
Here Minnu seeks his home in clouds,
There, Toffee in a dargah rug.
Translated from my Hindi poem, मिन्नु का टॉफ़ी
Minnu kā Toffee
Minnu kā Toffee Minnu sā nahīn thā.
jahān jahān Minnu balloon sā fūlā thā,
wahān wahān Toffee Dor sā patlā thā.
jahān Minnu kā gurūr use hawā mein uDātā thā,
wahān Toffee kā Dor use zamīn pe le ātā thā.
Minnu se pūCHtā thā, “upar jāke karoge kyā?”
bādalon mein tumhārī koī ahmiyat to hei nahīn.
andar mehsūs hote peer pressure se FaT jāoge.
yahīn ruko, kisī ke chehre pe smile to le āoge.”
waise uDne ka shauk Toffee ko bhī thā,
par kaTe patang ke anāth mānjhe sā nahīn.
behen kī rākhī se CHūTe
bhāī kī hansī par uDnā thā use.
kisī peD pe bandhī duāon par uDnā thā use.
kehtā thā –
“uDnā hī hei to KHushī failā ke uDo.
charKHe kī sūtī sā dhūl chalā ke uDo.
khud mein garam havā bharne ka kyā mol hei?
bātī ke dhuen pe roshnī jalā ke uDo.”
kuCH sāl ho gayein hein ab to.
khīnchā tāni kā khel abhī bhī chālu hei.
Minnu ab bhī ghar bādalon mein DHunDH rahā hei.
Aur Toffee kisī dargāh pe biCHī chaddar mein.
Minakhi Misra 