№ MMXXVI

RACHNA · A LIVING ARCHIVE

Rachna by M.

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MM · XXVI

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Untitled Idyllic Snapshot of Bustling Temple Life

Hasya

शारदा स्तुति

Sharda Stuti

Alhad Bikaneri
2 min read 8 versesशारदाgoddess of knowledgeस्तुति

8 verses · ~2 min

वर दे, वर दे, मातु शारदे कवि-सम्मेलन धुऑंधार दे

‘रस’ की बात लगे जब नीकी घर में जमे दोस्त नज़दीकी कैसे चाय पिलाएँ फीकी चीनी की बोरियाँ चार दे

‘छन्द’ पिट गया रबड़छन्द से मूर्ख भिड़ गया अक्लमंद से एक बूंद घी की सुगंध से स्मरण शक्ति मेरी निखार दे

‘अलंकार’ पर चढ़ा मुलम्मा आया कैसा वक्त निकम्मा रूठ गई राजू की अम्मा उसका तू पारा उतार दे

नए ‘रूपकों’ पर क्या झूमें लिए कनस्तर कब तक घूमें लगने को राशन की ‘क्यू’ में लल्ली-लल्लों की क़तार दे

थोथे ‘बिम्ब’ बजें नूपुर-से आह क्यों नहीं उपजे उर से तनख़ा मिली, उड़ गई फुर-से दस का इक पत्ता उधार दे

टंगी खूटियों पर ‘उपमाएँ’ लिखें, चुटकुलों पर कविताएँ पैने व्यंग्यकार पिट जाएँ पढ़ कर ऐसा मंत्र मार दे

हँसें कहाँ तक ही-ही-हू-हा ‘मिल्क-बूथ’ ने हमको दूहा सीलबन्द बोतल में चूहा ऐसा टॉनिक बार-बार दे

इति

Alhad Bikaneri

The Poet

अल्हड़ बीकानेरी

Alhad Bikaneri

1937 · 2009

Alhad Bikaneri possessed a genius for making a nation laugh at its own absurdities while quietly forcing it to confront deep social truths. Born Shyamlal Sharma in 1937 in the Rewari district of Haryana, he adopted his famous pen name and became an absolute legend in the realm of Hasya Ras or humorous poetry. Bikaneri did not rely on cheap comedy. He used strict poetic meters and a brilliant melodic delivery to dissect political corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, and the daily struggles of the common citizen. Audiences across the country would erupt in laughter as he sang his verses, only to realize the sharp societal critique hidden immediately beneath the humor. He was showered with prestigious honors, including the Kaka Hathrasi Award and the Haryana Gaurav Award. When he passed away in 2009, Hindi poetry lost one of its most beloved entertainers and sharpest satirists. He proved that a poet armed with a smile and a melodic voice can dismantle hypocrisy far more effectively than one armed with anger.

Untitled Idyllic Snapshot of Bustling Temple Life

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Untitled Idyllic Snapshot of Bustling Temple Life

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If this held you

Four more, in the same key.

Chosen for their rasa and their register, not their popularity. Each one carries some part of what Sharda Stuti carries.