The Lost Poetry of Sikh Poet Nunihal Singh Layal: Events of the Times

(Editor’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series to preserve on the Internet the “lost” poetry of Nunihal Singh Layal, the “Tradesman Poet,” who I met in New Delhi in 1974. Some poems contain his original introductions. I have a self-published book of his that is disintegrating and falling apart and over the next year or two I will run and preserve all of his poetry here. Joe Gandelman)

Events of the Times
by Nunihal Singh Layal

The poet is touched to see the after-effects of World War II, the partition of the country [India into India and Pakistan], and its increasing shifting population, and narrates all that he sees, reads and feels, with a purpose to improve up it, and lessening the bad trend of the people.

In growing and explanding Delhi
Day by day and daily
What we look and see,
Increasing use of liquor, coffee and tea,
Vanishing use of milk, butter and ghee.

Papers publishing palpitating news,
Of kidnappings, killings and such vieew,
Accidents on rail, road and air,
Increasing taxes and fare,
Demonstrations, strikes and quarrels,
Relects bad impression on boys and girls.

Irregular queues on railway booking windows,
So is on post office and bank windows,
Crowds on municipal treasury windows,
In front of cinemas booking windows,
While we ride or land.

Shortages of houses, in spite of increasing houses,
Shortage of schools; in spite of increasing schools,
Shortage of food in spite of importing food,
Shortage of responsibility, in spite of increasing responsibility,
Shortage of humanity, in spite of increasing human activity,
In short, all round shortage and leakage,
Due to wrong plannings, estmating, and also stealage.