Will You Be Coming For Our Birthdays, Thatha?
- a Poem
- by Jayasankar Krishnamurty
Will you be coming for our birthdays, Thatha?
My grandchildren ask.
All of them are in the same month,
And most years we have attended.
How do I answer them?
Nani and I would love to be there,
Helping with arrangements,
Joining in the fun.
But this year is different.
There is a pandemic on
We cannot be with you
For we cannot take risks.
We will watch you on Zoom
As you cut your cakes in San Francisco and Bethesda
Think of us, our loved ones, as you have your cakes
Nani and I will miss you as we eat ours in Geneva.
As you know, this whole Zoom thing
Gives us some joy during the pandemic.
It is an illusion we desperately cling to
When we are denied reality.
As used in the composition, Thatha is grandfather in Tamil and Nani is grandmother in Hindi, reflecting the fact that the grandparents are originally from different parts of India.
Jayasankar Krishnamurty
from Geneva, in Switzerland, is an economist and economic historian who lives with his wife in Geneva. He was educated at St Stephen's College and Delhi School of Economics. He retired as a Senior Economist with the International Labour Office in Geneva.
1 thought on “Will You Be Coming For Our Birthdays, Thatha?”
nice poem… glad to hear your news