2 verses · ~1 min
मनुष्य के कल्याण के लिए पहले उसे इतना भूखा रखो कि वह औऱ कुछ सोच न पाए फिर उसे कहो कि तुम्हारी पहली ज़रूरत रोटी है जिसके लिए वह गुलाम होना भी मंज़ूर करेगा फिर तो उसे यह बताना रह जाएगा कि अपनों की गुलामी विदेशियों की गुलामी से बेहतर है और विदेशियों की गुलामी वे अपने करते हों जिनकी गुलामी तुम करते हो तो वह भी क्या बुरी है तुम्हें रोटी तो मिल रही है एक जून।
(जनवरी, 1972)
इति
The Poet
रघुवीर सहाय
Raghuvir Sahay
1929 · 1990
Raghuvir Sahay transformed the language of modern Hindi poetry by entirely removing its reliance on classical romanticism. Born in Lucknow in 1929, he worked as an influential journalist and served as the chief editor of the prominent weekly magazine Dinaman. This journalistic career fundamentally shaped his poetic voice. Sahay wrote about political disillusionment, middle-class hypocrisy, and the quiet tragedies of urban life with the precision of a reporter and the sensitivity of a master poet. Collections like Log Bhool Gaye Hain, which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984, dissect the democratic failures of post-independence India. He refused to dress his anger in ornamental words. Instead, he used everyday conversational Hindi to confront readers with the harsh realities of power and powerlessness. Sahay died in 1990, leaving behind a stark and unsentimental body of work that continues to challenge the conscience of the nation. He proved that poetry does not need to be sweet to be profoundly moving.
Paired Painting
Lord Krishna Presenting Akshaya Patra to Draupadi
This deeply moving canvas captures a moment of divine grace and profound solace from the Mahabharata. During their harsh exile in the forest, the Pandavas faced immense hardship, famously tested by the sudden arrival of sage Durvasa and his numerous disciples for a meal when no food remained. In their moment of utter desperation, Queen Draupadi offered a heartfelt prayer to Lord Krishna. Moved by her unwavering devotion and surrender, the divine Lord appeared before her and bestowed the Akshaya Patra, a miraculous vessel that would endlessly produce food until Draupadi herself had finished eating. B. R. Banerjee renders this sacred exchange with tender emotional resonance, showing Draupadi cradling the vessel with reverence as her husband Yudhishthira stands behind her in awe, while Lord Krishna glows with celestial compassion, pointing toward the pot as the eternal provider of sustenance.
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