Nav Gati, Nav Laya, Taal, Chhand Nav
Naval Kanth, Nav Jalad-Mand Rav
Nav Nabh Ke Nav Vihag-Vrind Ko
Nav Par Nav Swar De! Var de! Veenavadini Var De!

Kumod Jha - May 24, 2006

Thank you Anjum ji for changing the tone of this section. I am up to my ears with daily dose of politics, mostly dirty, and I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way.

Though I read this and many other poems in my school and college days; I did not come to appreciate the true beauty of these masterpieces until much later in my life. Unfortunately, we Indians, in our race to materialism (and I am not, by any means, against it), seem to have lost touch with such gems of life that are available to everyone - rich or poor; free of cost!

Here are some of the names that immediately pop-up in mind when we talk about Hindi poems.

Mahadevi Verma - a genius in 'Chhayavad' (romanticism) who wrote dozens of poems and novels including 'Ateet ke Chalchitra' that we read during our college days. Realizing that she was born in the first decade of the 1900, her stand on Indian independence, plight of women in those days, and a strong sense of empathy for the poor, you can't help but have admiration for the lady who was certainly way ahead of her time. I also recall some of her poems brilliantly sung by Asha Bhonsle.

Maithili Sharan Gupt's 'Saket' was also required in college days. Also, I recall his poem 'Kisaan' that went something like "Hemant mein bahuda ghanon se poorn rahta vyom hai..."

Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's 'Rashmi Rathi', of course, was a must read. "Main dekh raha hoon kurukshetra ke runn ko" was, like most of his poems, drawn from an episode of Mahabharat.

And who hasn't read Subhadra Chauhan's famous 'Jhansi ki Raani'? "Khoob ladi mardani, woh to Jhansi wali rani thi..." is still being used to depict strong-willed women with a sense of duty.

Sumitra Nandan Pant, also like Mahadevi Verma, was a 'Chhayavad' poet. In his 'Anguthita', he painstakingly desribes the various roles of a woman.

Jaishankar Prasad, in his 'Kamayani', depicts various human emotions and how they are interlinked with each other. His plays 'Ajaatshatru' and 'Dhruvaswamini' are still etched in my brain since I first read them during my Inter years.

Suryakant Tripathi Nirala's 'Bhikshuk' evoked a strange image of a beggar when I read it in school.

There are several other names that come to mind including Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, Jaysi, Bihari but can't think of their poems at the moment.

I hope people don't take me as showing my knowledge of Hindi literature because I just don't have it. All I know about these poets and their works is purely from a layman's point of view. This is just an attempt to spark the thought process of others on this forum, just as Anjum ji did for my brain, so we can discuss something other than politics and religion. - Anil Kumar - May 24, 2006

Thank God and really a welcome relief from our "great" politicians. God really knows what He was thinking when He created such self-serving creatures. Anyways, the thread made me nostalgic about some of the great poems especially these riddles from Khusro always fascinated me in my child hood when my grand father used to ask me.

1.
raajaa pyaasaa kyon?
gadahaa udaasaa kyon?

uttar: lotaa na tha..

2:
ghuum ghumelaa lehanga pahine,
ek paanv se rahe khadi.
aath haath hain us naarii ke,
suurat usakii lage parii.
sab koii us kii chaah kare hai,
musalamaan hinduu kshatriye.
"khusaro" ne yah kahii pahelii,
dil mein apane soch jarii..

uttar: chhatari

3.
bala tha jab man ko bhaya, bada hua kuchh kaam na aaya,
"khusaro" kah diyaa us kaa naanv, buujhe nahiin to chhode gaanv..

uttar: diyaa

Ravindra Kumar - May 24, 2006

Following are the few lines from Bharatendu Harishchandra's poem "Matru-Bhasa ke prati":

"Nij bhasa unnati ahai, sab unnati ko mool.
Bin neej bhasa gyan ke, mitat na hiya ko sool

Angreji padhi ke jadapi, sab gun hot prabin,
Pai neej bhasa bin, rahat hin ke hin"

He was felicitated with Honorary Magistrate in kashi at the age of twenty. At the age of 34 he died.

The Bir ras kabi Shyam Narayan Pandey's "Haldighati ki ladai" can raise one's nerves. I still remember my father started crying on explaining this poem to me:
"Nirbal bakaron se bagh lade, Bheed gaye singh mrig chhaono se,
Ghode gir pade, gire hathi, Paidal beechh gaye bichhaowno se

Chadh chetak par talwar utha, rakhata tha bhutal paani ko,
Rana Pratap sir kaat kaat, karata tha safal jawani ko

Hay rund geere, gaj mund gire, kat kat awani par shund gire.
Ladate ladate ari jhund gire, bhu par hay bikal bitund gire"

Tarakeswar Dubey - May 25, 2006

Thank you all for making this a success. Here is one more, but I am forgetting poet's name:

Phir kya hoga uske baad
Ravi se ujjwal shashi se sunder
Nav kislayadal se komaltar
Vadhhu tumhari ghar aayegi
Us vivah utsav ke baad

Palbhar mukh pe smeet ki rekha
Khel gayi phir maa ne dekha
Utsuk ho kah utha kintu wo
Phir kya hoga uske baad

Phir nabh ke ye nachhatr manohar
Swarg lok se utar utar kar
Tere shishu banne ko mere
Ghar aayenge uske baad

Mere naye khilone lekar
Chale na jayen wo apne ghar
Chintit ho kah utha kintu wo
Phir kya hoga uske baad

Ab maa ka ji oob chukka tha
Harsh saranti me doob chukka tha
Boli phir main budhi hokar
Mar jauingi uske baad

Ye sunkar bhar aaye lochan
Kintu ponchkar use usi chhan
Utsuk ho kah utha phir wo
Phir kya hoga uske baad

Kavi ko balak ne sikhlaya
Such dukh hai palbhar ki maya
Hai anant ka tatv prashn ye
Phir kya hoga uske baad.

- Anjum Parwej - May 25, 2006

Anjum ji, great poem and a lesson we often forget or even deliberately try to push it in the back of our mind. It also reminded me of William Wordsworth's 'Rainbow':

A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The child is father of the Man;
I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

Tarakeswar ji, Ravindra ji; thanks for bringing up those verses and riddles. I remember the first one 'raajaa pyaasaa kyon? gadahaa udaasaa kyon? from my childhood days. - Anil Kumar - May 25, 2006

Majaa Aa gaya! After a long time! Specially I liked the 4 liner from Nirala - 'Chaat rahe hai joothi Pattal....'! Thanks Anjum!

Other 4 liners were good too but bit more complicated, they went above my head! Feeling bad for that, sounds like I am losing my touch of being Bihari. When I visit to Patna-Bihar next time I am going to buy all those Hindi books of BTBP books of 10th and 11th class (excluding Laloo-Chalisa).

Any way, I have been telling few liners too till last year (before Nitish government). Here they are (twisted a bit to fit your taste :)

BURBAAD-A-GULISHTAAN KARANE KO BUS EK HI ULLU KAAFEE THA!
HAR SHAAKH PE ULLU BAITHEY HAI, UNJAAM-A-GULISHTAAN KYA HOGAA!!
(Not sure who wrote it but not me)

Naren Singh, Bristol-CT, USA - May 25, 2006

If one thinks scientifically an ullu (owl) is good for a gulistaan (garden) since it eats the rats and mice that destroy the plants and crops. In USA, Canada and European countries they place statues of ullus in their garden to shoo away the birds that destroy the garden and poop on people's cars and houses causing infection and allergies. People also create tree hallows in their farm so that ullus can nest there and help the farm. - Rajendra Kumar - May 26, 2006

Sure, it is so refreshing to read this article and all the comments!!! It refreshed the memory of our school days. We used to have Antakshari Competition in our school, few days after our annual exams were over. So, after the exams were over, and we had spent 1-2 days relaxing, we used to attack the library to get the books on Hindi literature and Hindi poems.

Indeed, our Hindi literature is so rich. I love so many poems, and all the poems written by so many great writers. These lines come to my mind at the moment, written by Bachchan Jee:

Jag mein ras ki nadiyan behti, ras na do boonde pati hai.
Jeevan ki jhilmil si jhanki nainon ke aage aati hai.
Swar-taal mayi Veena bajti, bas milti hai Jhankkar mujhe,
Mere sumnon ki gandh kahin ye vayu ura le jati hai.
Is paar priye, Madhu hai, tum ho us paar na jane kya hoga.

Thanks,
Rakhee Sinha - May 26, 2006

Kavita Karna bahut kathin hai
Pucho in phankaron se
Kaat rahe hain lohe ko ye
Kagaj ki talwaron se

T. V. Sinha - May 27, 2006

Discussion on this topic is now closed.