Life And Time Poems

पहली कोशिश – राज नारायण बिसारिया

First futile attemp at finding love!

This poem belongs to an era of 1950s. Boys and girls did not meet freely and a feminine mystique existed in the eyes of young boys. There were many attempts at getting near a girl, but most ended without any consequence. Castles were made in air and got demolished all …

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गीत फरोश – भवानी प्रसाद मिश्र

What a lovely poem this is. Subtle humor mixed with lots of pain of a poet who sees commercialization of poetry all around him. I heard it about 60 years ago being recited by Bhawani Prasad ji himself and it left a deep impression- Rajiv K. Saxena गीत फरोश जी …

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तुम कितनी सुंदर लगती हो: धर्मवीर भारती

How beautigul you look when you feel sad!

तुम कितनी सुंदर लगती हो तुम कितनी सुंदर लगती हो जब तुम हो जाती हो उदास! ज्यों किसी गुलाबी दुनिया में सूने खंडहर के आसपास मदभरी चांदनी जगती हो! मुख पर ढंक लेती हो आंचल ज्यों डूब रहे रवि पर बादल‚ या दिनभर उड़ कर थकी किरन‚ सो जाती हो …

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पिता की मृत्यु पर – निदा फ़ाज़ली

A son turns out to be a copy of his father. As we grow, we gradually realize that in our mannerism, thinking and opinions, we become more and more like our fathers. Here is a touching poem that brings out this truth out in the voice of the son at …

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मधुशाला – हरिवंश राय बच्चन

Madhushala

Madhushala is one of the most popular book of Hindi poetry. There was a time that this work of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan Ji, comprising 135 verses, was a craze. Here are few selected verses from Madhushala. Rajiv Krishna Saxena मधुशाला मृदु भावों के अंगूरों की आज बना लाया हाला‚ …

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कांच का खिलौना- आत्म प्रकाश शुक्ल

So temporary! What is the point of life?!

Life is so short. At times it seems rather pointless and absurd. Here is a very down to earth perspective on life that is very Indian. Rajiv Krishna Saxena कांच का खिलौना माटी का पलंग मिला राख का बिछौना। जिंदगी मिली कि जैसे कांच का खिलौना। एक ही दुकान में …

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परम्परा – रामधारी सिंह दिनकर

Tradition is so precious!!

Tradition (parampara) is strong in India but the forces of post-modernism are chipping at it. Tradition may appear irrational but it provides the inner strength to a society. One is resigned to the fact that in due course of time, Indian society would give up its traditional ways. While this …

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पतंगों का मौसम – शिव मृदुल

Season of kites!

Raksha bandhan, Janmashtami and 15 August are the festivals when the sky in Northern India gets dotted by kites of wonderful colors. That madness engulfs every one. Strings tied to the eaten cob of corn (bhutta) act as lai-langar to force down kites. There is a mad rush to grab …

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पीर मेरी कर रही ग़मग़ीन मुझको– वीरेंद्र मिश्र

Missing you is most painful

We have problems with our life that sadden us. However, if we see others who have far bigger problems, we realize that our problems are not that big after all! Here is an old classic from Virendra Mishra. Please read the poem loudly and slowly, to really enjoy it. Rajiv …

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अंधा युग (गांधारी का शाप और प्रभु श्री कृष्ण का शाप को स्वीकारना) – धर्मवीर भारती

Lord Krishna was cursed by Gandhari for instigating the killing of her son

The great war of Mahabharata left a permanent scar on the Indian psyche. The politics, the moral and ethical issues, the sheer magnitude of human suffering and loss of millions of lives, all this; the event was unparalleled in human history. But what happened after the war? Life simply could …

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