Sheila Dixit, Honourable Ex Chief Minister of Delhi.
Anuradha Bezbaruah
Mamoni Raisome Goswami.
1st January 2018.Haus Khas, New Delhi.
Meeting the gracious Sheila Dixit one last time.
I walked around that parched park
Wasted under a mantle of winter sediment
Dust weighing down every leaf.
In sharp contrast to my visit during the monsoons when
The sun rays had sprayed the society through
A canopy of greenery of varied trees.
A young helper answered the door.
I stepped inside the drawing room
And saw her sitting on the sofa, by the oil heater
Running her frail fingers over the ridges
In an effort to draw more warmth.
When I entered, she looked up
To greet me with a smile as warm
As her oversized cashmere sweater
Which engulfed her petite frame.
We talked about the beautiful things
Life blessed us mortals with.
She smiled a lot and spoke ill of none.
Her eyes were pools of contentment
In a visage etched rich with lines of experience.
The beauty she reflected as an individual
Was ever graceful . She said
She had expectations from none. And
Like the little girl she had once been
Whose ambition in life
Was to emulate Florence Nightingale
And serve people;
She remained content
Secure in the knowledge that
She had given her best in the discharge of her duties.
That morning, on the first day of the New Year,
As I made my way from her home-
It crossed my mind that
We could converse in leisure
Of things random in nature
For no favour seekers
With requests were present
As she no longer held a post of power.
‘The satisfaction one experiences out of doing good
Is an unparalleled experience,’she said.
I agree.
**************
Sheila Dixit: 31 March 1938–2July,2019.
The Beauty of Anuradha Baideu
Your laughter, a jubilate of
The clink of champagne glasses
To cheer in delight,
Your words sparkled like lilting songs of passerines
Squashing all dread in every gloom,
Your silent smiling presence
A touch of gentle breeze soothing flushed cheeks.
Radiating warmth and laughter
To all around you
Was your life’s artwork.
Aesthetically giving, gifting,
Your passion.
When the stars aligned,
Graceful as a swan
You bowed to exit
Like a spectacular sunset
Leaving us in awe at the exquisite
Love and dignity you bestowed upon life.
Even with a standing ovation
Requesting an encore
You left a stark stage
You had to go, free your soul,
Leaving all whose lives you touched
Bedewed with your benignity.
**************
2nd January, 2021.Kharguli, Guwahati.
Mrs.Anuradha Bezbaruah, 10th October.1947–1sth January, 2021.
******************
Hullo…. Mamoni Baideu
She walks in beauty
With words of wisdom probably Never spoken in a sweeter vein
By a fairer woman.
She reveals a wealth of knowledge With astonishingly clear eyes Only to hide them in mystery
With the dark tresses that shine With a life of their own.
If ever there was
A simple pleasure known in merely meeting a person:
It surely must be like
The pleasure in meeting you.
***************
Nilakshi Borgohain wrote in 2001, New Delhi, when asked to speak a few words on
Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami,Jnanpith Awardee. Dr Goswami 14th November,1942– 29th November 2011.
.
