6 verses · ~1 min
हम अपने पूर्वजों की अस्थियों में रहते हैं-
हम उठाते हैं एक शब्द और किसी पिछली शताब्दी का वाक्य-विन्यास विचलित होता है, हम खोलते हैं द्वार और आवाज़ गूँजती है एक प्राचीन घर में कहीं-
हम वनस्पतियों की अभेद्य छाँह में रहते हैं कीड़ों की तरह
हम अपने बच्चों को छोड़ जाते हैं पूर्वजों के पास काम पर जाने के पहले
हम उठाते हैं टोकनियों पर बोझ और समय हम रुखी-सुखी खा और ठंडा पानी पीकर चल पड़ते हैं, अनंत की राह पर और धीरे-धीरे दृश्य में ओझल हो जाते हैं कि कोई देखे तो कह नहीं पायेगा कि अभी कुछ देर पहले हम थे
हम अपने पूर्वजों की अस्थियों में रहते हैं-
इति
The Poet
अशोक वाजपेयी
Ashok Vajpeyi
1941 · 2008
Ashok Vajpeyi occupies a towering position in contemporary Hindi letters as both a prolific poet and a master architect of cultural institutions. Born in 1941 in Durg, he joined the civil service and subsequently shaped India's modern arts landscape by founding institutions like Bharat Bhavan. Despite his immense public responsibilities, his poetry remains fiercely dedicated to the intimate and the personal. He views poetry as a civilizational defense against the crushing impersonality of the modern world. In collections like Shaher Ab Bhi Sambhavana Hai and his Sahitya Akademi Award winning Kahin Nahin Wahin, Vajpeyi explores the themes of love, death, nature, and absence with remarkable linguistic precision. He writes in free verse, employing a sparse and exact vocabulary to capture fleeting moments of domestic quiet or sudden metaphysical dread. His work has been translated across the globe, bringing modern Hindi sensibilities to a vast international audience. Vajpeyi demonstrates that a writer can navigate the complex machinery of the state while keeping the solitary flame of the poetic conscience brilliantly alive.
Paired Painting
To the Temple
In this evocative piece, the artist captures a moment of profound serenity and cultural grace. A woman of Maharashtra, dressed in the traditional nine yard sari, steps softly through the ancient corridors of a temple. She carries a small offering vessel with a quiet, meditative poise that bridges the gap between the mundane and the divine. The light catches the folds of her deep green sari and illuminates the stone pillars, evoking a sense of timelessness that has defined Indian spiritual architecture for centuries. This is more than a portrait: it is an ode to the silent, steady devotion that sustains the soul of a culture.
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