Manikarnika

[Intro - heavy guitar riff, drums hook] [Verse 1 — lo-fi, spoken, tabla only, sitar enters softly] Manikarnika. Dopahar ke teen baje. Ek burha aadmi char ghante se shav jala raha hai — lakdi kam hai, twacha nahin jal rahi. Paas mein ek bachcha teen rupaye mein chai bech raha hai. Vah chita ki ore nahin dekhta — aadat ho gayi. Jaise kamre ki deewar se aadat hoti hai jahan sote hain. Main khada tha aur dekhta tha, dhuaan Ganga par kaise girta hai, jaise nadi — doosra sharir hai jo nahin jalta. Sitar aaya — ek swar, ek sawal bina poochhne wale ke: Paani madad kyon nahin karta? [Chorus — full mix, powerful, cinematic] They don't fear death here — they've packaged it in firewood. They don't pray here — they trade in fire and ash. The Ganges flows — through ash, through plastic, through who was yesterday and who will be tomorrow. And today — only smoke. Only smoke and the price of tea — three rupees. [Verse 2 — fast rap, syncopated tabla, sitar stabs] Somvaar — nadi gende ke phoolon se rangin, shanivaar — raakh, budhvaar — kapde dhona. Koi usi jagah saari dho raha hai, jahan kal kisi ke pita ki laash thi. Koi paani nahin chhootta — yeh sab dho deta hai. Brahman rupaye ginta hai, kutta buzhe hue choolhe ke paas sota hai — use sab ek hai, kiske haath mein maans tha. Sitar ne dhun kheenchi — phati hui, jaise taar, jise deewar se kheench liya. Aur maine socha: sundarta — vah nahin jo sundar hai. Sundarta — vah hai jo jalane ke baad bhi mitaya nahin gaya. [Bridge — whisper, tabla slow like metronome, sparse] Three rupees for tea. Three thousand for firewood. Thirty seconds — and you understood that life is worth nothing. Nothing. Except the water that flows. And the fire that doesn't ask your name. [Breakdown — screamed, distorted, heavy percussion hit] IT DOESN'T ASK YOUR NAME! DOESN'T ASK! YOUR NAME! [Final Chorus — full mix, epic, all instruments, slight slowdown] They don't fear death here — they've packaged it in firewood. They don't pray here — they trade in fire and ash. The Ganges flows — through ash, through plastic, through who was yesterday and who will be tomorrow. And today — only smoke. Only smoke. And tea for three rupees.