7 verses · ~1 min
किस ने मुझको सदा दी बता कौन है ऐ हवा तेरे घर में छुपा कौन है
बारिशों में किसी पेड़ को देखना शाल ओढ़े हुए भीगता कौन है
मैं यहाँ धूप में तप रहा हूँ मगर वो पसीने में डूबा हुआ कौन है
आसमानों को हमने बताया नहीं डूबती शाम में डूबता कौन है
ख़ुश्बुओं में नहाई हुई शाख़ पर फूल-सा मुस्कुराता हुआ कौन है
दिल को पत्थर हुए इक ज़माना हुआ इस मकाँ में मगर बोलता कौन है
तुम भी मजबूर हो हम भी मजबूर हैं बेवफ़ा कौन है बावफ़ा कौन है
इति
The Poet
बशीर बद्र
Bashir Badr
1935 · 1999
Bashir Badr achieved something exceedingly rare in the modern literary landscape by bringing the Urdu ghazal out of the exclusive courts of intellectuals and directly into the hearts of the common people. Born Syed Muhammad Bashir in 1935 in Ayodhya, he cultivated a poetic voice that used the simplest, most everyday Hindustani vocabulary to express the deepest nuances of love, heartbreak, and social tragedy. His couplets are universally recognized and frequently quoted by individuals who may never have read a formal poetry book. His life was marked by profound personal tragedy, most notably when his home and decades of literary archives were burned to ashes during the communal riots of 1992 in Meerut. Yet, instead of responding with hatred, he channeled his grief into verses that pleaded for communal harmony and human empathy. Honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Shri in 1999, he later relocated to Bhopal. Bashir Badr stands as a living legend whose ghazals are permanently etched into the cultural memory of the subcontinent.
Paired Painting
Shakuntala Writing a Love Letter
This profound work captures a moment of exquisite vulnerability from the Mahabharata, illustrating Shakuntala deeply immersed in the delicate act of composing a love letter to King Dushyanta. Raja Ravi Varma masterfully juxtaposes the quiet solitude of the forest with the internal turbulence of young love, depicting the heroine surrounded by her companions and a gentle deer. The scene pulsates with the vitality of the natural world, while the soft light filters through the trees to illuminate the contemplative expression of a soul lost in longing. It is a testament to the artist's devotion to Indian epic literature, inviting us to witness the human heart suspended in time before the complexities of fate intervene.
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