KarunaBeginner

वक़्त जीवन में ऐसा न आये कभी

Waqt Jeevan Mein Aisa Na Aaye Kabhi

Ashok Anjum

1 min read 4 versesChildhood Flute

4 verses · ~1 min

वक़्त जीवन में ऐसा न आये कभी ख़त किसी के भी कोई जलाये कभी

धुल है, धुंध है, शोर ही शोर है कोई मधुवन में बंसी बजाये कभी

मेरी मासूमियत खो गई है कहीं काश बचपन मेरा लौट आये कभी

जिसकी खातिर में लिखता रहा उम्र भर वो भी मेरी ग़ज़ल गुनगुनाये कभी

इति

Rasa: Karuna
Stanzas: 4
Lines: 8
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Ghazal
Metre: ghazal
Rhyme: AA BA CA DA

The poem evokes a profound sense of karuna (pathos) through the melancholy landscape of a lost, innocent childhood set against the harsh, chaotic noise of the adult world. A painting of this scene would contrast a misty, obscured present with the vibrant, golden memory of a flute-playing figure in the Madhuvan forest, symbolizing a yearning to return to a pristine state of purity. The imagery of burning letters serves as a poignant metaphor for the destruction of intimacy and the silencing of one’s emotional history, casting a tragic, nostalgic tone over the entire composition. Ultimately, the work functions as a grieving meditation on the transience of youth and the agonizing desire for a loved one to finally recognize and cherish the verses born from a lifetime of solitude.

वक़्त जीवन में ऐसा न आये कभी (Waqt Jeevan Mein Aisa Na Aaye Kabhi), by Ashok Anjum runs to 8 lines across 4 stanzas, set as Couplets (Sher). Its governing rasa is Karuna, shaded by Shringara. The metre is ghazal. Rhyme falls as AA BA CA DA.

It belongs to the 1961 · 2000s span of Ashok Anjum's working life, and keeps the plain, spoken register that period is known for.

Read it for खोई हुई मासूमियत और बचपन की चाह and शहरी कोलाहल के बीच शांति की खोज. 5 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Shakuntala Writing a Letter: Bathed in a warm, intimate atmosphere of tender vulnerability and quiet longing, the painting captures the legendary heroine Shakuntala seated by a riverbank in a lush forest setting as she pauses from composing a love…

Words worth pausing on

मधुवन: वृंदावन का एक वन जहाँ कृष्ण लीला करते थे
वक़्त: समय
ख़त: पत्र या चिट्ठी
मासूमियत: भोलापन
ग़ज़ल: एक प्रकार की कविता

Threads

Childhood Flute

The Poet

अशोक अंजुम

Ashok Anjum

1961 · 2000s

Ashok Anjum holds a highly respected place in modern Hindi literature as a devoted guardian of lyrical traditions. Born in 1958 in Aligarh, he dedicated his creative life to enriching the Navgeet, Doha, and Ghazal forms. At a time when contemporary poetry heavily favored free verse, Anjum insisted on the necessity of rhythm and classical structure. He writes with profound sensitivity about changing human values, rural displacement, and the moral decay of modern society. Beyond his own poetic output, he has been a prominent editor and a guiding force in reviving the literary prestige of the Aligarh region. His verses carry the quiet dignity of a man who observes the world deeply, using gentle melodies to deliver razor sharp social critique.