Write me down, I am an Indian, my name is Ajmal: A poem of protest for these troubled times

After Mahmood Darvesh in Palestine, Agha Shahid Ali in Kashmir and the Mia poets in Assam***Write me downI am an IndianWrite it downMy name is AjmalI am a Muslimand Indian citizenWe are seven at homeall are Indian by birthDo you want documents? Write me downthat I am an IndianI am a MoplahMy ancestors were untouchablesHindus in your languageSlapped on the face of Manuthey changed their nameswhen they were given dignitycenturies agobefore forefathers of your ideologues were bornAre you suspicious? Write me downI am an IndianMy ancestors tilled the soil hereThey lived hereand diedTheir roots are deeper than the roots of these banyan and coconut treesThough they weren’t landlordsbut only peasantsthis land is their rootThe scent of their root is the scent of this landThe colour of their skinis the colour of this landDo you want documents?[caption id="attachment_6824191" align="alignnone" width="825"] Representational image. REUTERS[/caption]Write me downI am an IndianDo you still need documents?Then I will dig the graves in Malabarand many othersI want to show you the boot and bullets on their chestswhen they fell down with the British bulletsDo you still need documents?I knowWhat documents you haveThe copy of a confession at Cellular JailAndThe blood stains of Gandhi on your handDo you want me to remind you more those ? I sayShut the fuck upIf you ask me for documents. Write me downI am an IndianRememberI have not forgottenthat you sent people to demolish MasjidBut nowyou have demolished the Constitutionthe soul of this landI am angryHow dare you?How dare you? Write me downI am IndianThis is my landIf I have born hereI will die hereThere forWrite it downClearlyIn bold and capital lettersOn the top of your NRCthat I am an Indian. The author teaches at Ashoka University and Ambedkar UniversityThe verses are in the style of Mahmoud Dariwsh's 'Write down! I am an Arab', Hafiz Ahmed's 'Write Down, I am a Miyah' Read on Firstpost: A Traitor's Testimony by Malathi Maithri, and Aditi Angiras' Seance in Kashmir