blue sky
coloured by kites...
the ground a chessboard

a wounded pigeon 
at the doorstep 

couple wrestles 
on the bed 
for a quilt 

fading bruises 
her only alimony 

trampled jasmine blossoms 
stay hidden
            by the tall grass

the boy tries on makeup 
for the first time 

full moon 
steals the light 
from surrounding stars 

lion's mane ripples 
as it takes on the savannah 


*Vasant Panchami is a cultural festival in India which marks the arrival of spring. 

Form Used:     Rasika (a renku in eight linked-verses)

Participants:    This rasika renku 'Vasant Panchami' was written by the students of the Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts Pune, during their 60-hour course on haiku and allied genres, taught by Kala Ramesh. The students completed this renku trip in 4 hours divided into two hours each on 6th March and 7th March 2018.

                        Each student (whose verse was chosen) was the ‘sabaki’ for the new verse.
                        Megha Nair, Jesita Limathwala and Yaeshona Sarkar  – Verse 1
                        Jesita Limathwala  – Verse 2
                        Megha Nair  – Verse 3
                        Abhirami Ponnambalam  – Verse 4
                        Yashvi Shah  – Verse 5
                        Jesita Limathwala and Antara Dharane  – Verse 6
                        Megha Nair  – Verse 7
                        Yashvi Shah  – Verse 8