Murdak Bayaan: The Discourse of the Dead (Opening)

जब तलक बैठूँल कुनैछी, बट्यावौ-बट्यावौ है गे।
(Jab talak baithul kuneechi, batyavau-batyavau hai ge.)
पराण लै छुटण नि दी, उठाऔ-उठाऔ है गे।।
(Praan lai chhutan ni di, uthau-uthau hai ge.)

These lines are from “Murdak Bayaan” (The Discourse of the Dead) by Sher Singh Bisht, known as Sherda Anpad — the Illiterate Poet. Though he never went to school, his grasp of language and life earned him the title “Kalidas of Kumaon.”

The poem begins beside a still body — the soul watching its own farewell. Through the voice of the dead, Sherda turns mourning into a reflection on the living.

Transcreation: As they said, “We’ll sit,” others called, “Lift him up.” They didn’t let the dead rest before urging, “Take him to the cremation ground.”

Beneath this simple moment lies a harsh truth — how quickly the world moves on. Even those who love you arrive grieving, yet already halfway back to their lives. The poet catches that instant when warmth hasn’t left the body, yet attachment has begun to fade.

These two lines open a dialogue between the dead and the living — not about death, but about life’s haste, its rituals, and its quiet forgetting.