KarunaIntermediate

और ही राग

Aur Hi Rag

3 verses · ~1 min

टेबिल टाप पर तुम्हारी उँगलियाँ पड़ी हुई थीं निर्जीव और मैं प्रतीक्षा में थी दम साधे कि अब वे हरकत करेंगी-

धिनक धिनक धिन्... धिनक धिन्... रच दोगे तुम एक अनोखा संगीत जिसकी लय पर मैं थिरकने लगूंगी धिनक धिनक्... धिन्... ता...

पर वे थीं कि हिले-डुले बिना वैसी ही थमी रहीं उसी जगह अचल गहरे मौन का या निष्प्रभ जीवन का एक और ही राग अलापती हुईं जिसमें डूबती–डूबती मैं जा पहुँची अतल में ।

इति

Rasa: Karuna
Stanzas: 3
Lines: 13
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Free verse
Metre: free verse
Rhyme: none

The poem evokes a heavy, sorrowful emotional atmosphere saturated with karuna rasa, where hopeful anticipation curdles into a paralyzing grief. Visually, a painting of this scene would depict a stark tabletop where a loved one's lifeless fingers rest entirely motionless, while a partner waits breathlessly beside them, straining for a sign of movement. The implied narrative is one of profound loss and unfulfilled longing, symbolized by the tragic contrast between the phantom sounds of tabla beats echoing in the speaker's mind and the devastating, heavy silence of the actual physical stillness. The overall artistic tone is one of tragic resignation and sinking despair, drawing the viewer downward into an abyssal depth of unending silence and absence.

और ही राग (Aur Hi Rag), by Ajit Kumar runs to 13 lines across 3 stanzas, set as Three short stanzas depicting anticipation and subsequent despair. Its governing rasa is Karuna, shaded by Shanta. The metre is free verse. Rhyme falls as none.

It belongs to the 1933 · 2017 span of Ajit Kumar's working life, and keeps the plain, spoken register that period is known for.

Read it for शारीरिक निष्क्रियता और जीवन के बुझते स्वर and मौन और अचल अवस्था में गहरा दुख. 2 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside An Interesting Lesson: Steeped in an atmosphere of serene devotion and quiet intellectual absorption, this intimate domestic scene captures a private music lesson unfolding within a traditional Indian interior. A woman sits poised in song,…

Words worth pausing on

निष्प्रभ: बिना चमक का या तेजहीन
अतल: गहराई जिसकी कोई थाह न हो

Threads

Music Silence Grief

The Poet

अजित कुमार

Ajit Kumar

1933 · 2017

Ajit Kumar occupied a remarkably unique space in modern Hindi literature, serving simultaneously as a brilliant creator and a devoted custodian of the literary tradition. Born in 1933 in Lucknow, he became a highly respected poet, memoirist, and editor associated with the Nayi Kavita movement. He was one of the closest confidants of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, taking on the monumental task of editing the complete works of the legendary poet and ensuring that a vast literary heritage was preserved for future generations. In his own writing, Kumar possessed a gentle, conversational lyricism that completely avoided heavy academic pretension. Through memoirs like Door Van Mein and travelogues like Safri Jhole Mein, he mapped both geographical landscapes and the intricate emotional terrains of human friendship. Passing away in 2017, he left behind a legacy defined by profound intellectual generosity. He was a writer who understood that celebrating the greatness of others only expands one's own literary soul.