Nidhi Pratapneni, who is part of the Whitefield Rising group in Bengaluru, wrote a poem targetting candidates of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike elections due for August 22. The poem lists out past events that have created a frenzy but has seen no corporator step up to help the Whitefield residents. She does not just stop with berating the candidates, but says the residents are equally to blame as they are ignorant or indifferent or both.
Read Nidhi’s poem
You come around all dressed in white
And say that you bleed at our plight
“Please vote for me”, you pledge anew
And promise fixing all that’s due
And yet that day, pray where were you
When we cleaned streets and pavements too?
When lights went out near Forum Mall
Did you take note and make the call?
Why must we agitate and struggle
To have our streets made clear of rubble?
When your constituents complain
Are you inured to all their pain?
It is to your benefit we know
To keep us in the dark and so
You do not aim to educate
You just leave people to their fate
The illiterate, unknowing poor
With toddy, TVs, grains you lure
And those who think, evaluate
Sit by and let you win the stakes
We are as much to blame as you
It’s been a partnership I think, don’t you
We’ve watched our TVs, turned our eyes
As you went on, capitalised
But must that be the status quo
Will not we stand and now say “No!”?
Must we let ourselves sink further low
By choosing to not ink, ignore?
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)