"I am a witness to great wars
I have heard war cries.
I have seen seekers meditating upon my banks,
Devotees chanting hymns and glories,
And the melodious voices of the birds
In the forests you destroyed.

I have irrigated the entire nation
I have quenched the thirst of generations.
I bear the ashes of your ancestors
And the nutrients for the generations to come.
I have seen my waters getting dirty
From the sins of your progress
As you became affluent,
And used me for your effluent.
I have seen humans develop
I have seen humanity degrade.
Believe me, I have seen it all.




But if you come to me with devotion,
I will still wash away your sins
And offer you a chance for repentance."

Your holy river,
Ganga

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"It's okay to feel sad,
anxious, guilty, angry at times.
Be aware of your emotions.
Don't suppress your emotions.
Validate them.
Use them constructively."

#WorldMentalHealthDay

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Today is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay
Today is also Ganesh Chaturthi and last day of Paryushan.
May the विघ्नहर्ता गणेश remove all the obstacles coming our way.
May we all realize that to err is human but to forgive is divine.
The mere act of forgiveness (forgiving others as well as forgiving self) can also prevent a lot of suicides.
मिच्छामी दुक्कड़म

- Dr. Devashish Palkar
MD Psychiatry

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"When the battle will be over and the last standing enemy will be shot down with a jab,
When the last of deadly waves will have ebbed,
When the last of our martyrs will be laid to rest,
When the storms of doom will have settled,
When the world will again be allowed to breathe without fear,
Or stand in a crowd and hug each other,
Alas! We won't even have the scars to show,
Just memories from a nightmare-
No bullet sounds, just beeping monitors.
The hushed silence of the oxygen running through the pipes.
And the gasping of our breathless brothers.
The moans and the wails of the relatives over the phone.
We will put a giant stone and bury them in a corner
But some nights they will sneak out and freak us out,
And remind us of the claustrophobia when the first time we put on that PPE kit in the summer of twenty.
I can assure you there are scars aplenty.
Alas! They are just too deep!"

-

"Prayers and tears.
Victories and defeats.
Miracles and disappointments.
It has seen it all over the past few months."

-

Dark clouds of doubt hovered over the mind's sky.
"The end is near", a thought whispered by.

The sun too was blinded by the darkness around.
Fearful thoughts echoed, "You will be smashed to the ground!"

The blustery winds started to blow across the sky.
The wise mind urged, "It's okay to seek help, it's okay to cry!"

It started off as a drizzle but soon became a downpour,
The palpitations were ignored and now the heart was on a war.

"The darkness, winds and the downpour lasted a full hour,
Finally he decided to seek help and it was indeed an act of power.

And then the storm vanished just as it had arrived,
The heart sighed in relief for it had survived.

The blustery winds and the rain did clear a lot of dust away,
And the cyclone too gave way to a beautiful sunset that day!"

-

I see noises disappearing into oblivion.
Sleep embracing me with a lullaby..
But my caffeine filled eyes refusing to go gentle into that good night..
As I see poetry rising at the horizon..

-

"What if certain trees don't wish to flower?
Ever asked why those sages are not hungry for power?

What if certain trees are just meant to be a tree?
Why can they not be who they are, wild and free?

Why do we want every tree to give us a fruit and flower?
Why do we always want to win and gain some power?

What if certain birds just want to fly freely and joyously?
Ever asked why all birds need to sing melodiously?

What if we don't want to be fairies or elves?
Ever asked if we just want to be our true selves?

Why does every child need to be intelligent and special?
Why can everyone not have a different potential?

Why does everyone have to solve puzzle and algorithm?
Who will then play the violins with harmony and rhythm?

Also, why is it necessary to be outstanding and extraordinary?
Why can one not be happy and ordinary?"

- Devashish Palkar

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"She weeps,
She speaks,
Words unspoken,
Spine broken..
.
Raped by the caste, society and dynasty.
She cries knowing her perpetrators will again be granted amnesty!!
.
Molested by monsters who ganged up on her,
She fought but had nowhere to hide for cover.
.
The fire has been doused and her mortal remains have returned to dust,
Unspoken she asks, how will we ever extinguish this fire of lust?

Justice is imbalanced and judiciary is blind,
We will express our horror and then repress it in a dark corner of our mind!

Her tongue cut, her spine broken,
She still shouts, words unspoken.."

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It's been that year really
When we questioned everything.
The vulnerability of relationships!
Whether to hug each other in a warm embrace?
Or to stay distant, stay safe, lose the human touch?

It's been that year really
When we questioned everything.
The utility of masks!
Whether to save ourselves from a virus?
Or to save our frightened faces?

It's been that year really
When we questioned everything.
The futility of life!
Whether to merely survive and exist?
Or to actually breathe and celebrate?

It's been that year really
When we questioned everything.
The paucity of time!
Whether to spend it in paranoid dystopia?
Or to day dream about a hopeful utopia?

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