FROM INDIA Nilanshu Kumar Agarwal Adult Franchise Voting age lowered From 21 to 18. Victory of youth. Victory of democracy. No, No, No. This is not so. It is the conquest of the politicians. We are merely contraceptive condoms. More condoms in the hands of politicians. They use us for their gains And throw us in a vacant dustbin After the use. Rural India Rural India a great paradox. Girls are prohibited To study at the colleges. Boys are there, Boys are there. You should avoid boys. The moment they are married They do nothing but cohabitation. What a great paradox! Till puberty complete avoidance After puberty complete indulgence. A Brahmin family epitome of purity. They are from Lord Prajapati's mouth. The woman of the holy caste Using the same dirty rag To wash the menstrual liquid Numberless times. What a great paradox! An upper caste Hindu avoids a Shudra. Defiled he is by the shadow of the untouchable. The same higher caste person Grazing greedily... Where? Where? Where? The bathing fairsex of the lower caste. The soap on her frail skin. Slight piece of clothing on her breasts and hips. He is not polluted by her touch. What a great paradox! Note: According to Indian tradition, Lord Prajapati is the creator of this universe. Out of His mouth, there was the birth of Brahmin. Kshatriya, Vaishaya and Shudra, the other three conventional castes, came out of His chest, thighs and feet respectively. Indian society is divided into a stratified caste system. On the ladder of this system, the Brahmins (the holy caste) were at the top of the hierarchy, whereas the Shudras were made untouchables and prohibited from all social contacts. Dr. Nilanshu Kumar Agarwal is a Lecturer in English at a P.G. College of India. His writings include a dissertation on T.S. Eliot's poetry, and his reviews and poems have appeared in a number of scholarly journals and anthologies. He serves on the editorial board of Cyberwit. He lives in Allahabad, (U.P.), India.