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उत्तर दक्षिण पूरब पश्चिम

Uttar Dakshin Poorab Paschim

1 min read 3 versesDarkness Hope

3 verses · ~1 min

उत्तर दक्षिण पूरब पश्चिम जिधर भी देखूं मैं अंधकार अंधकार अँधेरे में जो बैठे हैं नज़र उन पर भी कुछ डालो अरे ओ रौशनी वालो बुरे इतने नहीं हैं हम जरा देखो हमे भालो अरे ओ रौशनी वालो

कफ़न से ढँक कर बैठे हैं हम सपनो की लाशो को जो किस्मत ने दिखाए देखते हैं उन उन तमाशों को हमे नफरत से मत देखो जरा हम पर रहम खालो अरे ओ रौशनी वालो

हमारे भी थे कुछ साथी हमारे भी थे कुछ सपने सभी वो राह में छूटे वो सब रूठे जो थे अपने जो रोते हैं कई दिन से जरा उनको भी समझा लो अरे ओ रौशनी वालो अँधेरे में जो बैठे हैं नज़र उन पर भी कुछ डालो अरे ओ रौशनी वालो

इति

Rasa: Karuna
Stanzas: 3
Lines: 26
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Geet (lyric song)
Metre: Geet
Rhyme: irregular

The atmosphere is thick with karuna (pathos), evoking a haunting, somber scene where the marginalized sit huddled in deep, encroaching shadows while the brilliant, cold light of privilege looms just beyond their reach. The visual tableau features faceless figures draped in funeral shrouds, clutching the remnants of broken dreams like cooling corpses amidst the gloom, their outstretched, beseeching hands serving as a stark rebuke to the indifferent, illuminated elite. Through the symbolism of darkness as systematic neglect and the flickering pradeep (lamp) of hope, the poem crafts a tragic, socially charged narrative of dehumanization and the quiet, persistent agony of those relegated to the periphery. The overall tone is one of mournful, dignified protest, blending profound melancholy with an urgent, desperate plea for human empathy across the vast chasm of social inequality.

उत्तर दक्षिण पूरब पश्चिम (Uttar Dakshin Poorab Paschim), by Kavi Pradeep runs to 26 lines across 3 stanzas, set as Three stanzas addressing the 'people of light' (privileged class). Its governing rasa is Karuna, shaded by Shanta. The metre is Geet. Rhyme falls as irregular.

A poignant social commentary on the divide between the rich (privileged) and the poor (marginalized) in post-independence India.

Read it for उपेक्षित और शोषित लोगों की मूक पुकार and समाज के समृद्ध वर्ग से करुणा की अपील. 2 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Dussasana Humiliating Draupadi: This emotionally devastating scene radiates a mood of profound sorrow, vulnerability, and impending violation within the confines of a tense royal assembly. The narrative captures the heartrending Vastraharan episode…

Words worth pausing on

रहम: दया या कृपा
रूठे: नाराज हुए

Threads

Darkness Hope

The Poet

प्रदीप

Kavi Pradeep

1915 · 1998

Kavi Pradeep possessed a voice that became the emotional anchor of a newly independent nation. Born Ramchandra Narayanji Dwivedi in 1915 in Badnagar, Madhya Pradesh, he chose the pen name Pradeep and devoted his literary life to the cause of Indian freedom and national unity. He did not write poetry for elite literary circles. He wrote for the soldier, the farmer, and the ordinary citizen. When the 1962 war with China left the nation shattered, Pradeep penned the immortal lyrics of Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo. Sung by Lata Mangeshkar, this song famously moved Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears and permanently enshrined Pradeep in the hearts of millions. Throughout his career, he wrote over seventeen hundred songs and poems, including the defiant anti colonial anthem Door Hato Ae Duniya Walo. Recognizing his monumental contribution, the government honored him with the title of Rashtrakavi and the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award. He passed away in 1998, but his words continue to define the purest essence of Indian patriotism. He proved that a single song can heal the wounds of an entire country.