हाक़िम हैं

The poem evokes a heavy, sorrowful atmosphere tinged with bitter resignation and deep-seated humiliation, perfectly encapsulating the karuna rasa of sorrow and compassion twisted by injustice. A potential painting of this scene would depict a desolate courtier or commoner standing passively inside a grand, sterile hall of power, bearing physical wounds while indifferent rulers sit aloofly above, their hands clapping in mockery. The imagery relies on stark contrasts—the intimacy of locked eyes juxtaposed with the transactional desperation of survival, and the cruel reality of stones weaponized against a bruised soul. Symbolizing the helpless subjugation of the individual beneath the crushing weight of authoritarian apathy, the artistic tone shifts seamlessly between sharp political satire and tragic, melancholic surrender.

हाक़िम हैं (Haqim Hain), by Divik Ramesh runs to 12 lines across 6 stanzas, set as Ghazal format with rhyming couplets. Its governing rasa is Karuna, shaded by Raudra. The metre is ghazal. Rhyme falls as AA BA CA DA.

It belongs to the 1946 · 1980s span of Divik Ramesh's working life, and keeps the plain, spoken register that period is known for.

Read it for सत्ता और हाकिमों की संवेदनहीनता and स्वाभिमान और सामाजिक विवशता. 3 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Draupadi Humiliated: The painting evokes a tense, agonizing atmosphere charged with raw vulnerability and moral outrage, capturing the exact moment Queen Draupadi lies prostrate on a marble palace floor after suffering a grievous public…