Quickly go, 2017: A review of the year gone by, in verse

Editor's note: 2017 was a tumultuous year which gave us much food for thought. Whether it was the passing of veteran Bollywood actors Shashi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna, or the churning in Indian political and social landscape, it was a year which made us reflect on how the world around us is changing. Some things are easier to come to terms with, while others are difficult to wrap one's head around. For everything else, there's always poetry.A review in reverseOf the year in verse.For, Shashi Kapoor we will missHe has made us dwell on this:Smile, song and caramel dictionAre all we need to avert friction.Now, for other tittle-tattleAnd a bit of people prattle.Anushka and Virat tied the knotEnding speculation and wasteful thought.The Twitterrati buzzed, as is the norm –Excited over a wedding it was omitted from.News of a more mundane kindCan also bring joy, you will find.In case you were rushing off to get an Aadhaar CardMake no haste, says this verse-challenged bard,There will be time enough for that good deedSo you can dither, and have a read.Tarry, if you willJust don’t rack up a billAt your favourite coffee shopDon’t you know, food inflation is up!So you must sup with utmost careSplit your beans, your peas and pears.Also, when you pick your meatBe wise in what you eat.For, when it comes to cattleYou will have to battleA mob that says, “All cattle are equal,But some are divine; that is the prequel.”Other deaths, we must mournBefore the New Year is born.Search the kabristan, search the shamshanThere, you will find, a watchful KhanAnd other ghosts who cannot sleepBut sit by their tombstones and weep and weep.There, you will find many a scribeThe most outspoken of their tribeCarrying urns full of offending words –They now commune with only beast and bird.Maybe the ashes of words will scatterAcross hill and dale, and somehow matter.But, these deaths were not in vainFor we gathered to holler: Not In My Name!We marched the streets all day longShouting our slogans and singing our songs.So those ashes of words found a voiceAnd maybe a few outspoken ghosts rejoiced.People died, but books were bornWordy reminders to all who mourn –Literature brings a brief respiteFor those fighting the good fight.And so, The Ministry of Utmost HappinessLanded amid a state of madness.It was a year of errors and lapses,And let’s not forget the taxes.With whatever cash is left, for body and soulLet’s head to the nearest watering hole.There, with a few friends who are so dearLet’s rush to ring in the New Year.