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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 20. The Filthy

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  20. The Filthy My mother is an ogre She neither bathed me fondly Nor cajolingly fed me Neither stitched me a silk skirt Nor braided flowers in my hair. My mother Sun-burned, soot-faced With hands Eroded in the cleaning. When other mothers stealthily Gave their children pocket-money, For […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 18. Child Sacs

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  18. Child Sacs Leading a hand-to-mouth life The day before yesterday We sold our drudgery Yesterday we pawned the pitcher and winnowing pan. For a gulp of gruel we sold The blood in our body Our kidneys, for a handful of space We pawn our hearts every day. […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 17. Black Mother

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  17. Black Mother While all sons became mother’s sons And all daughters, father’s daughters Just so to garland their fame with poetry, You never got any respect in life, Mother Only crowns of hardship. When I think of you, The stream of humiliation that you swam across Breaches […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 12. Muddy Hands

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  12. Muddy Hands With the music of washed vessels. She wakes up the house. When the early cockcrows Piercing through thick darkness She lights the hut Feeds the children grains of rice. She arrives in the fields, porridge-vessel in hand The landlord welcomes her with abuses. As she […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 8. Morning Star

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  8. Morning Star Rising with the morning star Sweeping darkness away with a broom That girl draws patterns of brightness… As she washes dishes the sun rises from her beads of sweat. Amidst the chirping of birds. As she cleans everyone’s filth with her tender fingers That wonderful […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 6. Untouchable Assault

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  6. Untouchable Assault This is ‘untouchable Sunitha’ speaking: From long ago ― Forgotten by you all In this country, just as there is ― untouchable hunger untouchable exploitation, untouchable suicides untouchable rape too exists. I swear by my love for Yogeswar Reddy That mine is certainly an Untouchable […]

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దేహచింతన (కవిత)

దేహచింతన   –చల్లపల్లి స్వరూపారాణి నిజానికి మీకో దేశాన్నే యివ్వాలనుకున్నాదేహాన్నిచ్చి పాఠ్య పుస్తకం అవుతున్నా చచ్చినాక పూడ్చుకోడానికి ఆరడుగుల నేలకోసం యుద్ధాలు చేసే సంతతివైద్య విద్యార్దీ!యిది దేహం కాదు, దేశం ఈ దేహాన్ని జాగ్రత్తగా చదువు!దేశం అర్ధమౌతాది పేగుల్లో అర్ధశాస్త్రముంది చూడు చర్మం సుకుమారి కాదు వెన్నపూసల మర్దనా నలుగుపిండి స్నానం యెరగదు అయినా కళ్ళల్లో ఆకాంతి యెక్కడిదో ఆరా తియ్ !యిక గుండెకాయ గురించి యేమి చెప్పను!యెన్ని కొంచెపు మాటలు రంపంతో కోశాయో!ఆ గాయాలే సాక్ష్యం  వూపిరితిత్తులు నవనాడులు కాసింత గౌరవం కోసమే కొట్టుకునేవి ఈ దేహానికి తలకంటే పాదాలే పవిత్రం రాళ్ళూ రప్పల్లో చెప్పుల్లేకుండా తిరుగాడిన కాళ్ళు యెదురు దెబ్బలతో  నెత్తురు […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 3. Water

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  3. Water Just as water knows the ground’s incline, It knows the generations-old strife Between village and wada Like dampness on the well’s edge that never dries, It knows that untouchability never disappears. Water knows everything. It knows race The difference between the woman from Samaria and Jesus, […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) – 2. An Ethnic Dream

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  2. An Ethnic Dream The criss-crossed entangled forest seemsTo have gathered its hair neatly into a knot.Swallowed by a corporate whaleThat spits them out in the centre of Shilparamam*Small huts in deep sleep amidst green treesAppear doll houses with lime patternsAlluring. Nose studs, beaded necklaces, mirror blouses ofThe […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems)

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  ‘ Memory as an Ideology ‘           Challapalli Swaroopa Rani uses memory not only as a technique but also as an ideology. Her selective memory carefully constructs the people and the milestones in her life and collates this personal memory with her memory of […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems)

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  ‘ THE PAIN OF BEING A PART APART ‘           This collection of 35 poems written by Prof Challapalli Swaroopa Rani now translated in to English, are eye-openers into the unspeakable experiences of Dalits not only in Andhra but all over India. These poems […]

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Bruised, but not Broken (poems)

Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani  My Word           By and large the feminist movement in India has been about patriarchal oppression, experienced by dominant castes and middle class educated/urban women – gender discrimination: unequal man-woman relationships; undemocratic family system; burden of child-rearing and hardship of domestic chores as women […]

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