Poem

Chandrakant Shah

Side by side

Original language

KABIR

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet
Let us reach them to other lands, argots and worlds

What are jeans if not bobbins brimming with language?
A vocabulary of 68,800 Gujarati words makes life routine
Man’s bond with jeans – is it authorised or unauthorised?

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet

Having travelled far and wide, we return to Kabir’s handloom
The wet fabric of jeans reveals the source of all knowledge
Bury a full-blown life with jeans and engorge the grave with jeans

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet

© Translation: 2005, Naushil Mehta and Arundhathi Subramaniam

Kabir: medieval Indian mystic, a weaver by profession

KABIR

© 2000, Chandrakant Shah
From: Blue Jeans
Publisher: Image Publications, Mumbai

Chandrakant Shah

Chandrakant Shah

Born in 1956, Chandrakant (or Chandu) Shah is a Boston-based Gujarati poet and playwright. He is the author of two books of poetry, Ane Thoda Sapna and Blue Jeans, and several important plays in Gujarati theatre, including Master Phoolmani, Kabro, Khelaiya, Ek Hati Rupli and Eva Mumbai Ma Chal Jaiye. He has also written an English play, Mahatma.Gandhi.Com.

Countries

Discover other poems and poets from India

Poems Poets

Languages

Discover other poems and poets in Gujarati

Poems Poets

Poems

Poems of Chandrakant Shah

JEANS ALTERATION

Chandrakant Shah

KABIR

Chandrakant Shah

LETTER TO BA

Chandrakant Shah

JEANS 101
AN HISTORICAL POEM

Chandrakant Shah

SUCH JEANS

Chandrakant Shah

THE PIANO

Chandrakant Shah

Close

KABIR

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet
Let us reach them to other lands, argots and worlds

What are jeans if not bobbins brimming with language?
A vocabulary of 68,800 Gujarati words makes life routine
Man’s bond with jeans – is it authorised or unauthorised?

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet

Having travelled far and wide, we return to Kabir’s handloom
The wet fabric of jeans reveals the source of all knowledge
Bury a full-blown life with jeans and engorge the grave with jeans

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet

© 2005, Naushil Mehta and Arundhathi Subramaniam
From: Blue Jeans

KABIR

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet
Let us reach them to other lands, argots and worlds

What are jeans if not bobbins brimming with language?
A vocabulary of 68,800 Gujarati words makes life routine
Man’s bond with jeans – is it authorised or unauthorised?

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet

Having travelled far and wide, we return to Kabir’s handloom
The wet fabric of jeans reveals the source of all knowledge
Bury a full-blown life with jeans and engorge the grave with jeans

Come! Let us bring genes out of the closet

© 2005, Naushil Mehta and Arundhathi Subramaniam

Sponsors

Partners

LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère