by Sreekanth Kopuri

All the roads lead to Nellore
not to demolish a masjid
nor disown a temple nor
deconstruct a church
but to exchange
the rotte of miracles.

It doesn’t ask my religion,
nor saffronize, nor convert
my faith for it isn’t a human.
Instead burns its self in my
neighbour’s hands to make
me love him as myself, always

our faiths dissolve here
into a breaded oneness
for something that bonds
us with a hope, a child has
in a father’s promised toys.

The tide of hopes rise
and stream into the 
Barah Shaheed Dargah,
take a sacred dip in 
the swarnala cheruvu,

knead more hopes and
signpost the names:
Pelli rotte, 
Soubhagya rotte
Udyoga rotte
Santhanam rotte
Nuthana gruha rotte,
Arogya rotte,
Promotion rotte

elsewhere someone
holds a placard:
Prapancha Santhi rotte.

Myth or truth
isn’t the question
but the hope we
exchange as a
prasadam or Bread
of a holy communion,

a reality not of Gaza
nor the weird silences
of Manipur nor the one
around our own clocks

but which draws you and I
to a sanctity of purpose,
for hopes above woes
and faith above despair.

Here the reasoning’s
perennial like the Pulicat
that doesn’t cease to draw 
the birds from everywhere. 
A quantum leap, year by year
from the unreason around
the discriminations of faith.

Rottela Panduga is an annual five day festival of breads in Nellore in the month of Muharram. It commemorates 12 martyrs who fought against the British troops in 1751 during the siege of Arcot in the Carnatic wars. Their mortal remains are buried in the Bara Shaheed Dargah, a mausoleum. It draws nearly 20 lakhs of pilgrims from various parts of India as well as abroad every year. People cutting across class, caste and creed congregate near Swarnala Lake near the dargah and break bread. as thanksgiving for past wishes fulfilled, while others receive them, hoping their own wishes would be granted

Rotte means bread in Telugu

Pelli : Marriage

Soubhagya: prosperity

Udyoga : job

Santhanam: having children 

Nuthana gruha : new House

Aro gya: health