शान्त· Shanta
01उमस में
Umas Mein
Ajit Kumar
5 verses · ~18 lines · 1 min
6 verses · ~1 min
एक उजली-सी नागिन धीमे-धीमे फुफकारती मेरे आगे लहराती रही फिर उसने मुझे अपनी गुंजलक में घेरा और आख़िरकार डस लिया।
दम तोड़ने से पहले की नीम बेहोशी में बचपन के घर का आँगन मुझे याद आया
स्कूल से लौटा हूँ- एड़ी में फँसा हुआ चूड़ीदार पाजामा उतारने की कोशिश में मुझे घसीटता है छोटू चकरघिन्नी की तरह पूरे आँगन में खिलखलाहटों से मुझे भरता
तभी आई थी खूसट वह बड़दंती बुढ़िया- - एक चुड़ैल जिसे देखते ही डर से चीख़ मैं कोठरी में जा छिपा था।
कितना अजीब है कि नागिन के ज़हर के असर में मेरे शैशव की डाइन वह आज मुझे लगभग अप्सरा-सी लगी।
और उसने मुझे जिलाया।
इति
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.
Paired Painting
Parvati and the Bania's Son
In this evocative scene from the folklore of the Deccan, we witness a moment of profound spiritual intervention. A devoted wife, having pleaded with the divine mother Parvati for the life of her husband, finds her prayers answered with miraculous grace. The painting captures the quiet, domestic tension of the household, where the serpent, a symbol of impending fate, emerges from the earthen vessel as if yielding to a higher power. It serves as a gentle reminder of the enduring faith that permeates Indian daily life, where the sacred and the mundane coexist in intimate harmony.
Open the viewer →
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 Neem Behoshi Mein carries.
