1) These dark green leaves with pungent smell now
seen
As a storehouse of vitamins, a herbal source
That purifies our guts and gives us strength and force
Maintains our system strong and clean.
2) Whatever people assume and perceive
These leaves add flavor and spice up our plate
Their presence enough to tickle our taste
Our steaming soup without them we can’t conceive.
In every kitchen their use a must
This healthy herb in spices stands as first
That cleans our lungs and makes our blood-flow good
4) Without their touch our curries taste too
bland
Our preparations turn too stale
and dull
In Indian cuisine they cast a
magic spell
These fresh green leaves, a culinary gift to our land.
5) These fresh, green leaves thrown out after their use
Their essence grabbed; none notice their
worth
Though their fragrance and taste
enhance our health
Mercilessly thrown out as
wasteful refuse.
6) Like them we too, a part of Nature
We too share same fate in our existence
When counted most power and wealth immense
When none respects values and moral stature.
7) Those whom we love and deeply trust
Those whom we earnestly help with feelings warm
Throw us at once like leaves in a storm
Our steadfast faith shaken crumbles down to dust.
8) Our elders too suffer similar fate
Deprived of status lose their power and hold
When their youngsters rebel defiant and bold
Showing scant attention to their state.
9) Our hearts feel deepest pang of pain
When thrown out like worthless trash in
haste
As if our feelings count nothing but waste
When whom we love treat us with disdain.
10) Once
you quit your seat you lose your right
Like orange peels thrown out seems your plight
Your services and none brings to light
Your former staff turn cold and avoid your sight.
11) Our leaders use people as their tools
Once they succeed look down as fools
They feel supreme and violate all rules
To grab their gains, make others slog like
mules.
12) Persons
deprived of their status seen
Like curry leaves well-used and thrown
Who strained their every muscle, nerve and bone;
And yet they spice our lives like those leaves, fresh and green.
*******************************
1) The curry
leaf plant is a native plant of India and is now grown in other south Asian
countries like Burma, Ceylon, Australia and China. In every Indian home it is
widely used in many dishes like soups, dals, curries and chutneys. In seasoning
items, it has an important place. It has many nutritious values and contains
calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins. It has anti-bacterial properties and
improves our digestion and functioning of heart. It lowers blood sugar and bad
cholesterol. The curry leaf oil is also used in soap industry. But most of us
throw out these leaves after extracting their essence. Hence the Indian idiom
“thrown away like curry leaves” implies showing scant regard and recognition
after making use of a person. It is equivalent to the English idiom “thrown
away like an orange peel.”
2) In this poem “curry leaves” is symbolically used to show the present trends of the world where man exploits everything with acquisitive tendency and neglects moral values and obligations.
