Pray we

Pray we

 

Oh Lord Laxminursingham

your “Maya” none can fathom..

Your Maya only cast its spell

to shape the Choudhury clan’s tale.

As its history speaks of its origin

to Baidhar, the credit, it has given.

To Kalikapur, with many features

the village,cuddled by rivers

to settle Choudhury Baidhar came

there his deeds earned for him fame’

earning a title Mohapatra to his name

Routray was his clan’s original surname

Thus three titles he had to his credit

with pride his descendants enjoyed it

Being the fore father of the race

and blessed by your benign grace

as a zamindar, Baidhar prospered rich

and grew his family tree without hitch.

with cozy lifestyle and lateral expansions

expanding their mansion with additions

making it a labyrinth of the highest order

having many a zigzag dark corridor

connecting numerous open terraces

meant for womenfolk’s relaxing spaces.

Came the act of Zamuindari abolition

Lord! You taught the clan a lesson

to compete with people common

and lavish living, comfort, to shun.

Left all, in struggle for bread and butter.

Bou was a lone guard to the clan’s honor

for some time with her uncle in law

serving his old needs without flaw

and then mostly she was lone person

in the dilapidated gigantic mansion

as if to safeguard the Lord, your shrine

and her in law’s pride , then on the decline

that was epitomized by the big mansion

then with leaking roofs and roofs, fallen

Hey Lord! By your grace to her prater

The clan’s worse, she saw as taken care.

Thus her ancestral in-laws, now no more

must be praying you from their hearts; core

to bless their daughter-in-law our Bou

“Forever Hey Lord to keep with you”.

Her deeds on the eve of her departures

focused on you as per your scripture

that certain is his liberation

if in you, keeping his devotion

breaths his last, a person.

what our Bou did with perfection.

That she came all the away

ftom a hospital just for a day

to be near your shrine to die

Snapping her each mortal tie

detaching all her attachments

with all offspring and all claimants.

Cast, creed others’ or her own

all relationships she did shun

to be in piety to merge with you

“ Hey Lord with you thus keep our Bou.”

She disowned us her darling offspring

the evidence, her last deeds vividly bring.

from others hands, she took her sacred water

the girl meriting her love, flaming her pyre

honoring You Lord and her hubby our father.

Hey lord we pray you to take care of a true mother.

 

P K Routray

her eldest son ‘i

n the service of Lord

 

(We lost our mother aged 92 on 20^th May. We belonged to a family which was once zamindar and had a big gigantic mansion built 200 yesars ago with lime earth and molasses. It was like a palace with many rooms and open terraces. Our ancestors had Laxminursingham in a shrine at the entry of the mansion and my mother was staying far away from the entree door.The mansion broke down gradually due to aging and non-maintenance. All of us went out of the village to earn our lilyhood. My youngest brother built a good house though too small in comparison and mother stayed there for five years and rarely left the place guarding thre shrine and honor of the clan.)