7 verses · ~2 min
कुमकुम रंजित करतल की छाप अभी भी, इन दीवारों से झाँक रही है घर में, पुत्री तो बिदा हो गई लेकिन उसकी, माया तो अब भी व्याप रही है घर में!
उसकी छाया आ डोल-डोल जाती है, जब सावन के बादल नभ में घहराते, कानों में मधु स्वर बोल- बोल जाती है जब भी झूलों के गीत कान में आते!
कोई सुसवादु व्यंजन थाली में आता, क्या पता, आज उसने क्या खाया होगा! संकुचित वहाँ झिझकी सी रहती होगी, उसका मन कोई जान न पाया होगा!
बेटी ससुराल गई पर उसकी यादें, कितनी गहरी पैठी हैं माँ के मन में, नन्हीं सी गुड़िया जिसको पाला पोसा किस तरह बिदा हो गई पराये घर में!
अधिकार नहीं कोई, कुछ कह लूं सुन लूँ, छू लूँ समेट लूँ ममता के अंचल में कैसी बेबसी अभी तक सिर्फ़ हमीं थे, अधिकार हीन हो गये एक ही पल में.
मन कैसा हो जाता आकुल भीगा-सा सामने खड़ी हो जाती उसकी सूरत, हो गई पराई कैसे, जिसे जनम से निष्कलुष रखा जैसे गौरा की मूरत!
कर उसे याद मन व्याकुल सा हो जाता, कितनी यादें उमड़ी आतीं अंतर में, नन्हें कर-तल जब विकसे खिले कमल से, बस दो थापें धर गये नयन को भरने!
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
Scene from a Hindu Marriage
Rao Bahadur Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar stands as one of the most sublime chroniclers of Indian domestic and spiritual life. In this evocative masterpiece, Dhurandhar invites us into the warm heart of a traditional Maharashtrian household on the sacred occasion of a wedding. The expansive hall vibrates with quiet excitement, filled with women adorned in gorgeous nine-yard nauvari sarees, delicate gold jewellery, and fragrant flower garlands. At the lower right, a young bride dressed in radiant yellow sits with subtle grace, her face framed by traditional floral mundavalya, quietly sharing a gentle moment with an elder in deep crimson. Every posture and fold of fabric reveals Dhurandhar's profound respect for his subjects, capturing not just a social ritual, but the enduring bonds of sisterhood, love, and cultural identity that connect generations.
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