
9 verses · ~1 min
दो हज़ार मन गेहूँ आया दस गाँवों के नाम राधे चक्कर लगा काटने, सुबह हो गई शाम
सौदा पटा बडी मुश्किल से, पिघले नेताराम पूजा पाकर साध गये चुप्पी हाकिम-हुक्काम
भारत-सेवक जी को था अपनी सेवा से काम खुला चोर-बाज़ार, बढ़ा चोकर-चूनी का दाम
भीतर झुरा गई ठठरी, बाहर झुलसी चाम भूखी जनता की ख़ातिर आज़ादी हुई हराम
नया तरीका अपनाया है राधे ने इस साल बैलों वाले पोस्टर साटे, चमक उठी दीवाल
नीचे से लेकर ऊपर तक समझ गया सब हाल सरकारी गल्ला चुपके से भेज रहा नेपाल
अन्दर टंगे पडे हैं गांधी-तिलक-जवाहरलाल चिकना तन, चिकना पहनावा, चिकने-चिकने गाल
चिकनी किस्मत, चिकना पेशा, मार रहा है माल नया तरीका अपनाया है राधे ने इस साल
(१९५८)
इति
The Poet
नागार्जुन
Nagarjun
1911 · 1998
Vaidyanath Mishra, universally known as Nagarjun, was a literary force of nature who absolutely refused to bow before power. Born in 1911 in the Darbhanga district of Bihar, he earned the title of Janakavi or the poet of the people through decades of unyielding progressive writing. He wrote in both Hindi and Maithili, winning the Sahitya Akademi Award for his Maithili collection Patrahin Nagna Gachh. Nagarjun was a restless traveler and a committed activist who actively participated in peasant movements and went to prison several times. His poetry is stripped of all artificial elegance. It speaks directly with the raw, biting anger of the hungry, the marginalized, and the exploited. Whether he was exposing political corruption or writing tenderly about the first rains on parched village earth, his words carried the undeniable scent of the soil. He died in 1998, but he remains the ultimate benchmark for resistance poetry in India. He proved that true poetry does not reside in the palaces of kings, but in the sweat and struggle of the common folk.

Paired Painting
King Dasharatha and Queen Kaikeyi in the Wrath Chamber
This poignant artwork captures a deeply tragic and pivotal turning point from the Ayodhya Kanda of the Ramayana. Queen Kaikeyi lies in profound despair and anger upon the floor of her wrath chamber, the Krodh Bhavan, having demanded boons that will exile Prince Rama and uproot the kingdom. King Dasharatha stands above her, his posture broken by a mixture of shock, sorrow, and impending doom. The painting evokes a heavy emotional atmosphere, reflecting the agonizing clash between royal duty, binding promises, and personal devastation.
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