Poems

बिन दाढ़ी मुख सून – काका हाथरसी

A face without beard ... is lifeless!

Here is what Kaka Hathrasi thinks about the beard on men’s face. Kaka writes in his autobiography that once he was travelling by train along with Harivansh Rai Bachchan and the latter gave him the first line of this poem asking him to compose the rest. Here is how Kaka …

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हिम्मत करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती – हरिवंश राय बच्चन

Relentless efforts are rewarded at thw end

I recently saw the movie “Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara” directed by Jahnu Barua, with lead characters played superbly by Anupam Kher and Urmila Matondkar. It is a gripping tale of a family’s struggle to treat the delusional dementia of their old father. A poem that runs through the movie …

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रे प्रवासी जाग – रामधारी सिंह दिनकर

A message form the motherland for those who left the country

There is always nostalgia about the country we left long ago. Even as we wade our way through alien society and land, heart often pines for good old Home. Here is a poem of this nostalgia from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar – Rajiv Krishna Saxena रे प्रवासी जाग रे प्रवासी‚ जाग‚ …

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तुमुल कोलाहल कलह में मैं हृदय की बात रे मन – जयशंकर प्रसाद

In the midst of noise and extreme disarray, I am the voice of heart

In times of deep distress and depression, a ray of hope and optimism suddenly emerges in mind. This poem is dedicated to that optimism. Check out the lovely Anupras Alankar in the last line; five words starting with the letter “M”. Rajiv Krishna Saxena तुमुल कोलाहल कलह में, मैं हृदय …

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ठंडा लोहा – धर्मवीर भारती

Cold-steel

ठंडा लोहा! ठंडा लोहा! ठंडा लोहा! ठंडा लोहा! मेरी दुखती हुई रगों पर ठंडा लोहा! मेरी स्वप्न भरी पलकों पर मेरे गीत भरे होठों पर मेरी दर्द भरी आत्मा पर स्वप्न नहीं अब गीत नहीं अब दर्द नहीं अब एक पर्त ठंडे लोहे की मैं जम कर लोहा बन जाऊँ– …

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ठुकरा दो या प्यार करो – सुभद्रा कुमारी चौहान

Reject me or accept me O' Lord

Here is an old classic from Subhdra Kumari Chauhan. Most of us have read this poem in our school days. Here it is to refresh the memory. – Rajiv Krishna Saxena ठुकरा दो या प्यार करो देव! तुम्हारे कई उपासक कई ढंग से आते हैं सेवा में बहुमूल्य भेंट वे …

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अंधा युग (शाप पाने से प्रभु मृत्यु तक) – धर्मवीर भारती

अंधा युग युद्धान्त से प्रभु की मृत्यु तक

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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यह भी दिन बीत गया – रामदरश मिश्र

This day too is over!

One more day has passed. Did it add some thing or took away some thing from the enigma that life is? How do we, or can we really evaluate any day? A lovely poem by Ramdarash Mishra Ji. – Rajiv Krishna Saxena यह भी दिन बीत गया यह भी दिन …

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खिलौने ले लो बाबूजी – राजीव कृष्ण सक्सेना

Sir, please buy some of my clay toys

In this age of computers games and electronics, where stands the old Khilone Wala who still makes toys of clay? Traditional arts appear to increasingly lose ground to modern technology. Here is the plea of such an old Khilone Wala who is struggling to survive in todays fast paced world …

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चांद का कुर्ता – रामधारी सिंह दिनकर

What the moon should wear on cold nights!

Little moon feels so cold in night. He asks his mother for a woolen coat. See the problem that the mother faces! I have tried my hands on illustrating this poem and hope that you like it. – Rajiv Krishna Saxena चांद का कुर्ता हठ कर बैठा चांद एक दिन …

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