5 verses · ~1 min
कौन सिखाता है चिड़ियों को चीं-चीं, चीं-चीं करना? कौन सिखाता फुदक-फुदक कर उनको चलना फिरना?
कौन सिखाता फुर्र से उड़ना दाने चुग-चुग खाना? कौन सिखाता तिनके ला-ला कर घोंसले बनाना?
कौन सिखाता है बच्चों का लालन-पालन उनको? माँ का प्यार, दुलार, चौकसी कौन सिखाता उनको?
कुदरत का यह खेल, वही हम सबको, सब कुछ देती। किन्तु नहीं बदले में हमसे वह कुछ भी है लेती।
हम सब उसके अंश कि जैसे तरू-पशु–पक्षी सारे। हम सब उसके वंशज जैसे सूरज-चांद-सितारे।
इति
The Poet
द्वारिका प्रसाद माहेश्वरी
Dwarika Prasad Maheshwari
1916 · 1998
Dwarika Prasad Maheshwari possessed a rare gift for translating profound moral truths into language so simple that a child could grasp it instantly. Born in 1916 in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh, he dedicated his entire life to the fields of education and children's literature. At a time when serious poets often ignored the younger audience, Maheshwari recognized that the future of a nation is built within the imagination of its children. He composed iconic, stirring verses like Veer Tum Badhe Chalo and Utho Dhara Ke Amar Saputo. These were not just poems. They were anthems of courage, duty, and national reconstruction that became permanently embedded in the Indian school curriculum. He served in various capacities within the Uttar Pradesh education department, ensuring that literature and moral learning walked hand in hand. Passing away in 1998, he left behind a legacy of absolute purity. He remains the beloved grandfather of Hindi poetry, whose words continue to teach millions of Indian children how to be brave.
Paired Painting
Rain Drops on Lotus Leaves
In this evocative diptych, A. Ramachandran invites us into the sanctuary of the lotus ponds he so frequently visited in the outskirts of Udaipur. This work marks a significant evolution in his career, where he turned away from the stark, often painful socio-political themes of his youth to embrace the life-affirming rhythms of nature. To Ramachandran, the lotus was a symbol of the profound interconnectedness of life: the way a single drop of rain dances upon a leaf becomes a cosmic event. He draws heavily from the classical aesthetics of Kerala murals and the intricate beauty of the miniature tradition, yet he reimagines them on a monumental scale. The painting is a visual hymn to the beauty of the mundane, transforming a simple pond into a stage for a divine, natural play.
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