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A flicker of hope: A poem by Vasudha Pansare

 When there is darkness all around,

All we need is a flicker of hope,

A glimmer of light,

A spark of radiance to dispel the gloom.


In the darkness of slavery and discrimination,

Lincoln and Martin Luther King

Lighted the torch and led the way,

Towards racial equality.

 

In the darkness of British rule,

Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and many hundreds,

Lighted the lamp of our freedom movement,

And defeated the might of the empire.

 

In the darkness of patriarchy,

Reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy,

And many others empowered women

And showed them the light of education.

 

In the darkness of the caste system,

Ambedkar gave the slogan,Unite, Educate, Agitate,

And fought for social justice,

And dispersed the darkness with his vision.

 

Now the darkness of the pandemic engulfs us,

We need a flicker of hope,

The light of a vaccine,

And the wisdom of wise leaders.