5 verses · ~1 min
आज माँझी ले चलो उन निर्जनों में, किसी पग की चाप से आगे वनों में ले चलो उस तट बिना पहचानवाले, जहां कोई आ नहीं पाये, पता ले.
जिस जगह, संध्या-सुबह चुपचाप आयें, रात्रियाँ आ मौन ही फिर लौट जायें, जहाँ कोई प्रश्न उठ पाये न आगे, जिस जगह, बस मौन का ही राग जागे.
चलो अब कुछ काल वहीं व्यतीत कर लें यहँ से कुछ भी बताये-बिन निकल लें दूर इतनी यहाँ की किरणे न आयें, यहाँ की यादें वहाँ तक जा न पायें.
पार सबको कर, चलो ऐसी दिशा में, इन तटों से दूर हो, कुछ दिन बिताने ले चलो उस ओर कोई द्वीप होगा, वहाँ से आकाश बहुत समीप होगा.
चलो मेरे साथ, चाहे लौट आना, यहँ से बस कर चलो कोई बहाना. ले चलो उन दूरियों तक जहाँ कोई भी न जाये, या कि उन गहराइयों में जहाँ कोई डूब जाये!
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
Sunset on the Backwaters
C. Raja Raja Varma, the gifted younger brother of the legendary Raja Ravi Varma, possessed a sublime sensitivity for the landscape of his native Kerala. In this evocative piece from 1897, he captures the transition of the day as the sun descends behind the silhouette of palm trees. The painting radiates a quietude that is deeply spiritual, inviting the viewer to pause beside the still waters of the backwaters. It is a work of gentle observation, reflecting the artist's profound intimacy with the light, atmosphere, and rhythmic life of the land he held so dear.
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