लौटे बचपन

The poem evokes a poignant, shanta-imbued nostalgia, juxtaposing the raw, unhurried innocence of a rural past against the suffocating, grid-like entrapment of an urbanized present. Visually, the scene shifts from expansive, sun-drenched orchards and the protective sanctuary of a parent’s lap to a claustrophobic landscape defined by concrete cobwebs that tether the weary, burdened shoulders of adulthood. The imagery carries a heavy sense of loss, symbolized by the transition from picking pearls of sunlight and chasing shadows to the static, heavy labor of modern life, suggesting an ache to return to the simple, sovereign kingdom of a village shrine. Ultimately, the artistic tone is one of meditative longing, framing the lost childhood not merely as a time of play, but as a vanished sacred space that offered the only true stability in a life now fragmented by duty.

लौटे बचपन (Laute Bachpan), by Avaneesh Singh Chauhan runs to 44 lines across 7 stanzas, set as Longer stanzas with short, rhythmic lines. Its governing rasa is Shanta, shaded by Karuna. The metre is free verse. Rhyme falls as irregular.

Read it for शहरी कंक्रीट के जाल में खोता सादा जीवन and बचपन की मासूमियत और गाँव की यादें. 3 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Lady at Ball Game: Bathed in a warm, naturalistic light, the painting evokes a mood of serene leisure and ethereal elegance, capturing a fleeting moment of quiet grace. Set against a lush, verdant pastoral landscape, a poised young woman…