The dead don't die

She was burning your garbage,
her sari caught fire and she died.
He was cleaning your manhole,
a pipe burst and he died.
She didn't receive he wages,
she hung herself and she died.
He was wading through the drain,
he inhaled poisonous gases
and he died.

Remember.
The dead don't die.

When the media turns a blind ear,
And the state is unaccountable,
When there is no money to send his
body back home,
and the public is indifferent,
when his family is not given
any jobs,
And the city lives on in oblivion,

Remember.
The dead don't die.

As you build your new house,
carelessly discared your waste,
As you choose your blinders
And preach your progress,

Remember,
The dead don't die.

And when you constructy
your walls,
And lock your gates,
When you look paste the filth,
And praise the state,

Remember.
The dead don't die.



*This obituary is dedicated to the undocumented and unreported death of waste pickers, sweepers and manual scavengers in the city of the Bangalore. The city is witness to more than half of the manual scavenging death is at the workplace due to occupational hazards. In the recent past, worker have committed suicide over non-payment of wages. Their deaths are often unreported, and go unacknowledged, by the government, media and general public alike.