English, August

It's August

India's turned 60

So what's it like?

How poised are we?

Where do we go from here?

How much more hype?

What's the buzz... tell me what's a -happening

that's still the mantra of

the man and women

in the street

The water's there

knee-deep

in some places chest-deep

the 'chines' food roadside stalls

the vibrancy of the ordinary person

new aspirations

new wants

new frustrations

and there's a new aspirational language

in the land of Hind

it's called English