Shanta

एक चीनी कवि-मित्र द्वारा बनाए अपने एक रेखाचित्र को सोचते हुए

Ek Chini Kavi-Mitra Dwara Banae Apne Ek Rekhachitra Ko Sochte Hue

Kunwar Narayan

1 min read 7 versesकलामित्रतारेखाचित्र

7 verses · ~1 min

यह मेरे एक चीनी कवि-मित्र का झटपट बनाया हुआ रेखाचित्र है

मुझे नहीं मालूम था कि मैं रेखांकित किया जा रहा हूँ

मैं कुछ सुन रहा था कुछ देख रहा था कुछ सोच रहा था

उसी समय में रेखाओं के माध्यम से मुझे भी कोई देख सुन और सोच रहा था।

रेखाओं में एक कौतुक है जिससे एक काग़ज़ी व्योम खेल रहा है

उसमें कल्पना का रंग भरते ही चित्र बदल जाता है किसी अनाम यात्री की ऊबड़-खाबड़ यात्राओं में।

शायद मैं विभिन्न देशों को जोड़ने वाले किसी 'रेशमी मार्ग' पर भटक रहा था।

इति

The Poet

कुंवर नारायण

Kunwar Narayan

1927 · 2017

Kunwar Narayan possessed a poetic vision that operated across centuries, seamlessly connecting ancient Indian mythology with the deep anxieties of modern existence. Born in 1927 in Faizabad, he was a pivotal voice in the Nayi Kavita movement. He was a thinker of immense patience, sometimes taking decades to complete a single work. His masterpiece Atmajayee reimagined the Kathopanishad, using the mythological character of Nachiketa to explore the existential terrors of death and the search for ultimate truth. He wrote in a highly meditative, unhurried tone, rejecting loud ideological slogans in favor of quiet philosophical inquiry. Honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Jnanpith Award, he passed away in 2017. He was a writer of profound intellectual integrity, proving that literature achieves its highest purpose when it attempts to answer the fundamental questions of the human soul.

Read more from Kunwar Narayan

Paired Painting

Game of Pachisi

In this evocative watercolor, William Carpenter invites us into a quiet moment of camaraderie and shared focus, as four men gather on the floor to play the ancient Indian cross and circle board game of Pachisi. The artist observed Indian life with profound empathy and acute technical skill, rendering not merely figures in local attire, but the rich texture of human connection found in traditional pastimes. Pachisi, often considered the national game of India and the ancestor of modern Ludo, brings people together across social barriers, creating a space of friendly rivalry and deep contemplation. The gentle washes of earthy tones and the careful play of light across turbans and bare shoulders breathe life into a scene that has echoed across generations of Indian homes.

Open the viewer →

If this held you

Four more, in the same key.

Chosen for their rasa and their register, not their popularity. Each one carries some part of what Ek Chini Kavi-Mitra Dwara Banae Apne Ek Rekhachitra Ko Sochte Hue carries.