Polio Free India

India achieved a tremendous feat by making the country Polio Free. For last one year, there has been no new case of Polio. Last detected case was on 13.01.2011. This is a historic positive achievement for India. The mass immunization programme with help from World Health Organization has been extremely successful. This has been possible with the support of people, health personnel, media mobilization, celebrity especially Amitabh's 'Do Boond Jindagi Ki' campaign. This is a great success story and we should be proud on this. We could achieve this despite several problems like feeble health infrastructure in Rural areas, problems in keeping vaccine in icebox, scepticism about the efficacy of medicine, backwardness and unawareness among people and communal suspicion about OPV. May the Government initiate such mass immunization programmes for other diseases.

Ancient Debt

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

A crisis is hovering over our virtuous land

Disaster has befallen on our austere country

Enemies are having eagle's eye on our peace-loving country

Adversaries are looking with greed on our golden land

Blood is pelting over the king of mountains

Kashmir's daughter is being disrobed

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Fire of battle is ablaze in the country

Anger of country is roaring

Nation's valour is ignited

Amour propre is thundering

We lost many won battles

We have thrown away many winning garlands

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

We would ask neither throne nor riches

We would ask neither gold nor silver

We would ask neither abode in heaven or on moon

We would ask only ammunition and heavenly weapon

We would ask neither salvation nor nirvana

We would ask only brave sons and armed forces

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

O lord of gods, you would be remembering horrendous terror of Taraka

Who cachinated after taking your throne

Heaven was looted, pride of Gods was shattered

Nandan orchard was destroyed and the Kalpavriksha was dried

We then sent Kartik Kumar

Got you win the war and helped in reclaiming heaven

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Ravan defeated all Gods in the war

Meghnad defeated the Indra

Virtuous deeds, religious sacrifices were stopped

Heavenly pride was shattered

We then sent Ramchandra and Laxman

Ravan and Indrajeet were killed by our help

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Whenever there is calamity in heaven

And throne of Indra is destabilized

We run with arms, ammunitinon & force

We fight against enemy in those fierce battle

We have even donated our bones by damaging our body

We have even given infallible armour

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Please send Ram, please send Krishna

Please send Bheem, please send Parth (Arjun)

Please send thunder weapon (Vajra), please send chakra

Please send Gandiv with everfilled arrows

Please accept our pleadings, please keep our pride

Please return the debt and please clear your dues

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Boundary of patience has broken

Line of suffering has disappeared

We would break open the gates of heaven

We would take arms and weapons of braves

We would break the silence of heaven

we would loot armoury of the heaven

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt.

* I have translated this Maithili poem, Prachin Rinn, of my father Dr. Janak Kishore Lal Das. This was published in the book Dillik Sarak Par. Any suggestion in translation is welcome.