Banhi Kanya: The Daughter Of Fire Poem by Namita Rani Panda

An angel descended in a remote village named Samleipadar
With a flame of nationalism in one hand and lamp of compassion in the other

As a flame of a torch, she's set to set fire
To the most powerful and brutal British empire
But as a lamp of empathy a balm so sacred and pure
The wounds of the destitutes did she mend and cure

Listening to Gandhiji's clarion call
She jumped to the river of freedom struggle
Though just twelve, in tender years
She rose beyond her age and peers
She moved tirelessly from village to village
As if to train people in weaving khadi her holy pilgrimage
Armed with Gandhiji's weapons of nonviolence and self-reliance
As a steady mountain she stood firm in the forefront of the Quit India Movement campaign with daring defiance
She marched in rallies without fear
Her courage terrified the ruthless Britisher rulers
At just sixteen she was sent to jail
Yet her revolt was as wild as an unrestrained gale
The prison life was harsh and strict
But she stood firm to fight for the right
A tender frame yet fire untamed
Banhi Kanya: Daughter of Fire, name she gained

When the flag of freedom kissed the dawn
She neither rested nor sought for recognition
No crown she wore, no throne she claimed
Yet her commitment to service still highly acclaimed

She turned her life from fight to care
She healed the wounds of the needy and despair
Became everyone's loving Badama, the elder mother
She cradled orphans in her loving arms
Mother Teresa of Western Odisha she's so calm and warm
Her hands were balm, heart a flame
A divine soul in a saintly frame

O divine soul Parbati Giri
Your footsteps still linger on the dusty paths
Where stands the Katurba Matruniketan of Nrusinghanath
And Dr. Santra Bal Niketan at Birasingha Gar
Proclaims you as an unparalleled saviour
Your life's a hymn of selfless service, a divine ray
A guiding star that continues to light our way