–  Lekhnath Chhetri

Do not show kids the door of any temple
or do not tell them
that there lives a God,
so that they forget
the belief of being God themselves.

Do not teach history to kids
So that,while learning
history,
they forgets their own present.

Do not say there was
Gandhi, Hitler or someone,
so that they think
unnecessary to become someone.

When, kids write in a handwriting
not able to understand,
don’t say anything to them
so that they find their own language,
let them make their own grammar
which remains far away from all Debates.

When the kids,
make an image in the paper,
when they draw the hill like the line of saw,
when they mix pink color in the water,
or makes big images of humans than home,
they might be learning
that one straight line,
one whole color,
or the definite shape
is not a Life.

when the kids run home fearless
after the last bell of School,
do not slap them.
Let them learn
from the wounds of their
own knees,
that life is not to rush
but to walk and reach somewhere.

Do not make them carry
the load of books,
do not make the infant minds
by heart some serious principle,
or do not teach them
the hard sums of
adding and subtracting,
multiply and division.

There is still more time,
kids are kids
let them be kids.

TRANSLATION: Ismael Subba

(Mr Lekhnath Chhetri is one of the promising poet from the hills of Darjeeling. He has published one of his book and also he is in the translation work. Sharing you all one of his all time favorite poem)