1 verses · ~1 min
हमें पता था कि खाली हाथ और टूटे हथियार लिए शिविर में लौटना होगा: यह भी कि हम जैसे लोग कभी जीत नहीं पाए- वे या तो हारते हैं या खेत रहते हैं- हम सिर्फ बचे हुए हैं इस शर्म से कि हमने चुप्पी नहीं साधी, कि हमने मोर्चा सम्हालने से पहले या हारने के बाद न तो समर्पण किया, न समझौता: हम लड़े, हारे और बचे भर हैं! यह कोई वीरगाथा नहीं है: इतिहास विजय की कथाएं कहता है, उसमें प्रतिरोध और पराजय के लिए जगह नहीं होती। लोग हमारी मूढ़ता पर हंसते हैं- हमेशा की तरह वे विजेताओं के जुलूस में उत्साह से शामिल हैं- हम भी इस भ्रम से मुक्त होने की कोशिश में हैं कि हमने अलग से कोई साहस दिखाया: हम तो कविता और अंत:करण के पाले में रहे जो आदिकाल से युद्धरत हैं, रहेंगे! हम पथहारे हैं पर पथ हमसे कहीं आगे जाता है।
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
Sita in Ashoka Vatika
This profound work captures a moment of quiet, enduring strength within the epic Ramayana. Here, the noble Sita finds herself isolated in the Ashoka Vatika, surrounded by the watchful gaze of demonic guards. Raja Ravi Varma masterfully portrays her not merely as a victim of her circumstances, but as a beacon of poise and spiritual resilience. Her deep red attire stands in vibrant contrast to the shadows of her captivity, serving as a silent testament to her unwavering devotion and inner purity. The artist imbues the scene with a heavy, atmospheric tension, inviting the viewer to contemplate the dignity of the human spirit when faced with profound adversity.
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