Pallav Chander, ‘An Actor Prepare (2)’, mixed medium on linen canvas, 36×24″, 2020 | Image courtesy Guftugu
Gold buttons in his coat.
The maharaja wore them with elan;
a god on one side, a reigning king on the other.
Sanskrit written in Brahmi script extolling kings;
replacing Greek, Iranian scripts and gods
in the strident supremacy of solid gold.
An archaeologist recognised them as coins,
coins of the Gupta kings,
a golden age fifteen centuries past.
The Maharaja confessed he found them in a vase –
1821 coins in spouted copper buried in the sands.
Treasures of antiquity, they were taken, housed in a museum
in glass cases under powerful lights
reminding visitors that gold cannot be hidden
not usurped
nor worn with elan.
Gold is gold no matter what its cast.
Neera Kashyap has authored a book for young adults titled Daring to Dream and contributed to several prize-winning anthologies for children. As a writer of short fiction, poetry, book reviews and essays, her work has appeared in several international literary journals and poetry anthologies. The Indian journals include Guftugu, Indian Quarterly, The Bangalore Review, Teesta Review, The Punch Magazine, Kolkata Arts, among others. She lives in Delhi.Born in New Delhi, Pallav Chander completed his BFA in Painting from the Birmingham City University (BCU), UK. Apart from various group shows across India, Chander has also had three solo shows including , “Decoding A Dyslexic Mind” (2014) at the Visual Art Gallery, New Delhi. His works can be found in the Kiran Nadar Museum, the Alkazi Foundation, and various other collections across India and abroad.
