Beautiful Damaged People

by Abhay Flavian Xaxa

 

Among the doom and gloom they smile,

Mistaken for idiots by the mad rational world.

 The Adivasis, beautifully damaged people!

On the treasures of iron, gold and diamond they sit,

Poor and powerless, holding the curse of nature.

The curse of loving their land , water, forest,

where they prefer to die as mad lover

beautifully damaged people!

With stars in their eyes, n moon in their minds,

Thoughts flowing like an undammed river

with hearts unadulterated with twisted philosophies,

Religions, ideologies, lust and greed.

Their vision misunderstood as juvenility,

On the face of violence, loot and hopelessness they remain,

Dreamy, defiant and deviant,

Beautifully damaged people!

Totally unfit in the world of money and power,

Locked in the mental asylums of nature and culture,

They are teased, played, raped and killed

With the weapons of development and benevolence,

Time after time, history after history.

The beautiful damaged people!

They fail to understand the logic of intelligent world,

Why mines are important than forests,

Or water become a commodity to buy and sell,

Why love, dance and mahua should be restrained

Why its dangerous to be David against the Goliaths!

Beautifully damaged people!

The ugly normal people of the world,

Disciplined, insecure, greedy and lusty

Beneficiaries of loot, cheating and mayhem

Fearing to figure out a future of their generations,

Suddenly realising that they were reading their book upside down,

Confused between mindless and mindful, need and greed

Keep pondering why Adivasis stay happy!

For if there is any hope of future for this world,

It is by the beautifully damaged people.

Who among the doom and gloom, smile and survive

In togetherness with nature,

The Adivasis!

—————————————————————————————————————————This poem was originally featured on Citizens for Justice and Peace.

Abhay Falvian Xaxa was an Adivasi Rights Activist and scholar from the state of Chattisgarh in India. He described himself as “Sociologist by profession, Indigenous Activist by heart!” Xaxa studied at the University of Sussex and Jawaharlal Nehru University (Ph.D). In his pursuit of rights and justice for Adivasis Xaxa worked with student unions, grassroots organizations, research institutions and movements. He was the National Convenor at National Campaign on Adivasi Rights. Xaxa passed away in March 2020 and but his legacy continues through his writings and indigenous people’s movements for their rights. You can read his often quoted poem ‘I am not your data’ here.

Suggested citation: Xaxa, A. 30 November, 2017. “Beautiful Damaged People.” Citizens for Justice and Peace: https://cjp.org.in/beautiful-damaged-people/.