Poetry bears witness to silent courage
“They deny me a womb, but give me a temple. They deny me life, but give me divinity.” With these lines, Meera Khanna’s Light & Shadows asserts itself, inviting readers to confront the paradoxes and contradictions of female existence. The collection opens a window into lived experience, social struggle, and the quiet, persistent forms of resilience that define both personal and collective lives.
Meera Khanna, renowned gender rights activist, writer, and social advocate. The 88-page volume brings together decades of lived experience, activism, and poetic reflection, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant exploration of resilience, identity, and renewal.
The book was launched at the India International Centre with Dr Rashmi Singh, Dr Malashri Lal, Rama Vaidyanathan, and Dr Usha Mujoo Munshi, followed by a discussion between Khanna and Dr Lal, followed by a performance where Vaidyanathan interpreted the poetry through dance, translating verse into gesture and silence into rhythm.
Khanna’s poems draw from decades of work with women in conflict zones without sentimentality. Paradise Lost traces Kashmiri women reclaiming autonomy after enduring years of conflict, while I Have Veiled Myself portrays a woman asserting agency and safety within societal and cultural constraints. Satirical pieces such as The Jungle Babblers critique public discourse with sharp observation, and Requiem for Yamuna reflects empathy extending to the environment, revealing Khanna’s awareness of interconnected forms of neglect and loss.
Central to the collection is The Triumvirate: Lakshmi. Saraswati. Shakti, a powerful meditation on feminine identity and strength. The poem begins with Lakshmi declaring, “I’m hope sprouting in the womb, the hope of tomorrow, faith that change will better today. I’m the softness of the dawn sky, the lilt of life’s song, that colours everyday. I’m the universal mother.”
The verses explore the contradictions of womanhood, the denial of basic rights alongside veneration, creation and destruction, despair and hope. Khanna’s words trace resilience in the midst of adversity: “In the midst of strife, I will survive.
In strength I transform. In strength I grow. In strength I evolve. For I am the change. I will live, I will be.” The poem embraces the playful, tender, and creative aspects of femininity, “I’m the laughter of innocence, the gurgle of mischief, the shyness of being she. I’m the universal mother, creating and recreating man. To be created and recreated as woman.” When performed through Bharatanatyam by Rama Vaidyanathan, The Triumvirate transforms from verse into living movement, amplifying both emotion and meaning.
The interplay of words and gesture demonstrates how poetry can move beyond text, becoming a vessel for social insight and emotional resonance. Other poems, including The Boy Soldier, mourn the premature loss of childhood in war-torn regions, while Posha Smiles celebrates the courage of young girls navigating conflict.
Khanna’s attention to natural spaces, as in Through the Window, brings beauty into relief against social and political hardship. Her language is deliberate and precise; each line conveys weight without ornamentation, allowing the subjects’ presence to be fully felt. Light & Shadows succeeds in treating activism and artistry as inseparable. Khanna’s work engages intellect and empathy simultaneously, exploring gender, conflict, and culture with clarity and insight.
The collection challenges readers to recognise acts of quiet courage, witness oppression and resistance, and see how creativity transforms observation into understanding. For those seeking literature that confronts social realities with honesty and intelligence, Khanna’s collection offers provocation and reflection. Her poetry becomes a space where hope, struggle, and transformation converge, leaving lines that remain long after the book is closed.
