Ethnic Strife - Where Do We Stand Now ?
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Dr Ranbir Laishram
We've lost precious lives, and it's scary to count.
We've lost our dear homestead, an indelible anguish!
Our houses were demolished and torched.
A life-time remuneration pitilessly looted,
A multitude of our people internally displaced
Our Villages and Towns flattened in a blink !
How many lives has it cost?
This ethnic strife will know no end,
For, our leaders are fanning the sparks.
The stakes are far too high
Uncountable souls martyred midway...
And the stone still unmoved.
How many more will die?
Power -hungry people with medieval ways,
Will take our lives without a thought,
For them killing is in their head.
Think of wars in the past
And then of wars that you have left .
When you deploy fighters to maim and persecute,
In a war where nothing is gained,
Where the slaughter of people is but a game,
Mother earth soiled with cold blood,
And the color red trickles down the hillslope streams,
What else could flow from the wounds ?
And you tell us, God is on your side.
That when you kill it's justified.
Why, in war, it's right to take a life
But in peace, it’s our worst crime?
But in your domain,there is no law.
Is it called justice to your conscience ?
But hidden away deep down inside,
You are a human and you can't hide.
The statesmen have lengthy speeches as ever,
Alas ! No sign of them near the foothills
They hide away and out of danger
But the spoils of war turn bad,
When our warriors are sent home in coffins
With anger strong and bitterness high,
We struggle to fight the emotions inside
We’re told to be tough and mean
But we are helpless, our hands tied
We stand up against evil, in front of hell's guns.
Politicians recite "everything is going normal
Our state's integrity is in safe hands"
But the harsh reality is -
Our motherland is being mercilessly tormented
By our so- called leaders,
Not by common men who put them to power
Oh,our mighty leaders !
Once you are in the sublime throne
Never forget those who put you there.
Deal with those who think they can do better than you.
Also,choke not the voice of the people
For, therein lies the voice of God.
We've lost precious lives, and it's scary to count.
We've lost our dear homestead, an indelible anguish!
Our houses were demolished and torched.
A life-time remuneration pitilessly looted,
A multitude of our people internally displaced
Our Villages and Towns flattened in a blink !
How many lives has it cost?
This ethnic strife will know no end,
For, our leaders are fanning the sparks.
The stakes are far too high
Uncountable souls martyred midway...
And the stone still unmoved.
How many more will die?
Power -hungry people with medieval ways,
Will take our lives without a thought,
For them killing is in their head.
Think of wars in the past
And then of wars that you have left .
When you deploy fighters to maim and persecute,
In a war where nothing is gained,
Where the slaughter of people is but a game,
Mother earth soiled with cold blood,
And the color red trickles down the hillslope streams,
What else could flow from the wounds ?
And you tell us, God is on your side.
That when you kill it's justified.
Why, in war, it's right to take a life
But in peace, it’s our worst crime?
But in your domain,there is no law.
Is it called justice to your conscience ?
But hidden away deep down inside,
You are a human and you can't hide.
The statesmen have lengthy speeches as ever,
Alas ! No sign of them near the foothills
They hide away and out of danger
But the spoils of war turn bad,
When our warriors are sent home in coffins
With anger strong and bitterness high,
We struggle to fight the emotions inside
We’re told to be tough and mean
But we are helpless, our hands tied
We stand up against evil, in front of hell's guns.
Politicians recite "everything is going normal
Our state's integrity is in safe hands"
But the harsh reality is -
Our motherland is being mercilessly tormented
By our so- called leaders,
Not by common men who put them to power
Oh,our mighty leaders !
Once you are in the sublime throne
Never forget those who put you there.
Deal with those who think they can do better than you.
Also,choke not the voice of the people
For, therein lies the voice of God.