Readers' Forum
An Ode to Dinshaw Wacha
I came across this Ode to Sir Dinshaw Wacha (1844-1936) in a 1959 book, Rambles in Rhymeland by Jhangirjee R. Dalal. Wacha was one of the founding fathers of the Indian National Congress and its president in 1901.
"With hoary age and honors crown’d/ Of Hind this stalwart son,/Eternal peace in heav’n hath found,/ His duty nobly done.
Of heart sincere, malice free,/With unabated zeal/And gen’rous warmth, right bravely he/ Hath fought for India’s weal.
With equal warmth may India’s youth/The path of progress trace;/May moderation, love of truth,/And faith their actions grace!”
"With hoary age and honors crown’d/ Of Hind this stalwart son,/Eternal peace in heav’n hath found,/ His duty nobly done.
Of heart sincere, malice free,/With unabated zeal/And gen’rous warmth, right bravely he/ Hath fought for India’s weal.
With equal warmth may India’s youth/The path of progress trace;/May moderation, love of truth,/And faith their actions grace!”
ARMIN KALYANIWALLA
Sir Dinshaw Wacha statueIllustration by Manjula Padmanabhan
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