5 verses · ~1 min
चँदन केर बिरवा मइया तोरे अँगना कइस होई चँदन क फूल!
कनिया रहिल माई बाबा से कहलीं, लेइ चलो मइया के दुआर! केतिक बरस बीति गइले निहारे बिन दरसन न भइले एक बार! हार बनाइल मइया तोहे सिंगारिल, चुनि-चुनि सुबरन फूल!
जइहौ हो बिटिया, बन के सुहागिनि, ऐतो न खरच हमार, आपुनोई घर होइल, आपुन मन केर होइल सबै तेवहार! बियाह गइल, परबस भइ गइले हम, रे माई तू जनि भूल!
ना मोर पाइ धरिल एतन बल, ना हम भइले पाँखी! कइस आइल एतन दूरी हो कइस जुड़ाइल आँखी! कोस कोस छाइल गमक महमही, पाएल न चँदन क फूल!
आपुनपो लै लीन्हेल गिरस्थी अब मन कइस सबूरी! चँदन फूल धरि चरन परस की - जनि रह आस अधूरी! विरवा चँदन,गाछ बन गइला मइया अरज कबूल!
इति
The Poet
प्रतिभा सक्सेना
Pratibha Saxena
Dr. Pratibha Saxena holds a distinct and vital place in contemporary Hindi literature. Her work connects the rigorous intellectual demands of academia with the sensitive realities of human relationships. Born on February 9, 1938, in Madhya Pradesh, her life path took her from the lecture halls of Kanpur, where she worked as an educator, to a diasporic existence in the United States. This geographical shift is highly visible in her diverse literary output, which includes poetry, short stories, and satire. In collections like Uttar Katha and Seema Ke Bandhan, she examines the modern domestic sphere. She highlights the subtle constraints placed upon women and the shifting dynamics of family life with deep psychological insight. Her language carries a quiet and confident thoughtfulness that never shouts but still commands complete attention. Saxena has spent decades enriching Hindi literature, demonstrating that a writer can remain deeply rooted in their native culture while living far from home.
Paired Painting
Sakuntala Leaving for the Palace of King Dushyanta
This poignant scene captures a pivotal moment from the timeless epic, the Mahabharata, as immortalized by Kalidasa in his play, Abhijnanashakuntalam. We witness the young Sakuntala, accompanied by her guardians, as she ventures toward the court of King Dushyanta. The weight of destiny hangs heavy in the air, and her expression holds a delicate mix of maidenly shyness, vulnerability, and the solemnity of a future queen stepping into an uncertain reality. Raja Ravi Varma, with his mastery of Western realism blended with Indian sensibilities, brings this mythological encounter to life, grounding the divine narrative in an evocative, earthy forest landscape that mirrors the emotional depth of the protagonist.
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