"Even in a Conscious State,

the Entire Nation Is Unconscious!"

On the occasion of Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena’s 36th death anniversary, we remember his poem, ‘Deshgaan’ ('An Ode to The Nation').

An Ode to The Nation

What a country this is, what a country!

Of courts and clients, there is no sign

Yet cases are made out all the time

Every heart is a stony mountain

every eye a river of brine

The human is mere topography

carved into the map of choice

What a country this is, what a country!

All are masters at conjuring

crops in the palm of the hand

But the palm itself is a pauper

wandering door to door

What a country this is, what a country!

Tree or human

It makes no difference

Raze them all to the ground

Yet the jungle is forever

What a country this is, what a country!

More the questions

less the answers

Even in a conscious state

the entire nation is unconscious

What a country this is, what a country!

Will people remain on the hook under the impression

the fault is not theirs, the hook is to blame

What a country this is, what a country!

He was born on the 15th of Sept. 1927 in Basti a city, in UP where he received his education at BHU and Allahabad University.

Later on, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his Poetry collection, Khutiyon Par Tange Log ("People Hanging From Pegs").

The most recognized incident in the Life of Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena:

When his short story, Bakri ("Scapegoat"), has been adapted as 'kuri.com', in Kannada, by M.S. Sathyu, it has been staged several times over the year, with revised adaptations, it was used as a political lampoon, it has also been presented as a folk play. Inspired by this he wrote Mukti ki Aakanksha that showed the need for independence during his time. He had also written 'Sham Ek Kishan'. Looking forward he also wrote many children's poems of which Ibn battuta ka juta is the popular one and edited the children's magazine Parag.