1.Bagicha

“For centuries, people from across the Deccan plateau — a rocky Indian terrain, bordered by the Narmada River to its north and the magnificent ghats to its east and west — have faithfully come to seek the blessings of our beloved king and patron deity: Khandoba. An incarnation of Lord Shiva, Khandoba sits in a fort upon a hill in our auspicious town of Jejuri, constantly guarding, guiding, and enlightening our lives. He is, in the truest sense, the family deity for all of us—Hindus, Christians, and Muslims alike.
It is important to understand that Khandoba is worshipped by people of all castes and creeds, and we are His Children—the Children of the mountains.
Naturally, as mountain dwellers, our greatest pride and often our greatest ambition is to own a small farm in our fertile valley, decorated by a beautiful orchard—a Bagicha—filled with mangoes, guavas, or, my favourite, pomegranates.
Here is a poem about this. It is the first of the ‘Children of the Mountains’ series.
But first, a quick glossary note: In the poem, I refer to Brahma—the God of creation—and Karha—a holy river that flows through Jejuri.”

After the leaves are shed
and the trees are pruned
the pomegranate flowers,
a brilliant red,
on the face of our black-brown earth.

The farmers say
it is the nectar from Brahma’s pot
that flows through the arils of the fruit,
the nectar that is the Karha
herself.

We are shadowed from the rain.
Our town
lies in a keep
on the leeward side
of the great Sahyadri mountains.

Yet our soil yields plenty.
It sits
on the banks
of a holy river,
prosperous and fertile,
a garden,
of pomegranate trees.