This poem is published in Asantakali Odia magazine October 09 Issue. It talks of
transgressing of so called general rules. A reader can well imagine of the poem hearing the genesis of this poem. I was standing in front of a shopping mall. And at the hearing distance, two middle aged women were standing Looking at a billboard carrying a poster of a warrior (of a recent hit movie of the son of a Telugu movie hero), one of these two were expressing a desire (or lamenting of not having) to have a husband like the smart guy on the billboard. I could hear that and I was startled at and later understood that desire was quite normal for a human being. And felt how our made perceptions make us stereotype in assuming something in a said pattern.
The poem deals with this desire - a river having a dam at upper stream has been reduced to a small stream. The river is Salandi - passing through a town Bhadrak - the nearest town to my village. Once Salandi was furious with water flowing (overflowing) full inundating banks. That time Salandi was longing of an expert swimmer who can play with its current with fun. But, it is waiting since for that, even if Hadgarha dam has made it just a 'nala'. still Salanadi longs for the arrival of such a swimmer .......
