करुणा· Karuna
01श्रम की मंडी
Shram Ki Mandi
Avaneesh Singh Chauhan
7 verses · ~8 lines · 1 min
7 verses · ~1 min
वह ट्रेन में चढ़ गया था उसे उतार लिया गया
उसका सामान दूसरे डिब्बे में था वह डिब्बा किसी अनजाने स्टेशन पर कट गया
वह शख़्स कहीं और था उसका सामान कहीं और
उससे कहा गया घर बैठे उतनी ही मज़दूरी देंगे और पीने को दारू बस, मतदान के दिन पहुँच कर वोट पंजे पर देना है
लौटे नहीं बालाघाट के मज़दूर दीवाली पहले जो गए थे हर बरस इसी तरह होने चाहिए चुनाव
सामान क्या था? ओढ़ने-बिछाने की एक सदरी कुछ टाट-टप्पड़ और दो धोतियाँ, दो-तीन कमीज़ें पायज़ामा और एक पतीली जिसमें ठूँस-ठूँस कर भर दिए सत्तू, चावल, प्याज
चलो, भाई, चलो तुम्हें ही देते हैं वोट ठेकेदार को, तो देख लेंगे बाद में जाना तो पड़ेगा, लेकिन जितनी गरज हमारी है, उसकी भी तो उतनी ही है
इति
The Poet
ऋतुराज
Rituraj
1940 · 2021
While many modern writers focused on grand political narratives or complex urban themes, Rituraj deliberately turned his attention to the quiet and often overlooked corners of ordinary existence. Born in 1940 in Rajasthan, he spent over three decades teaching English literature. However, he chose Hindi as the medium to express the profound tragedies and daily struggles of the Indian heartland. He lived mostly in Bundi, far from the glittering literary circles of major metropolitan cities. From there, he developed a voice that is exceptionally attentive to those living on the margins of society. In his famous poem Kanyadaan, he examines the complex anxiety of a mother giving away her daughter with piercing, understated realism. He avoided heavy ornamentation and artificial rhetoric. His poetry simply affirms the quiet resilience of everyday people. He passed away in 2024, leaving behind a body of work that forces readers to confront the deep ironies hidden in plain sight.
Paired Painting
Flood Dear Flood
In this haunting masterpiece, Bikash Bhattacharjee captures the visceral desolation of life in Bengal, where the recurring floods are both a natural occurrence and a metaphor for systemic neglect. The juxtaposition of the iconic red pillar box, a symbol of colonial bureaucracy, against the mud, water, and human struggle, evokes a deep sense of alienation. The figures emerge from the water with expressions of stoic endurance, reflecting the artist's profound empathy for the common person trapped within an indifferent administrative landscape. It is a work of social realism, rendered with a surrealist touch that transforms the mundane into the tragic, inviting the viewer to contemplate the fragile intersection of state presence and human survival.
Open the viewer →
If this held you
Four more, in the same key.
Chosen for their rasa and their register, not their popularity. Each one carries some part of what Samaan carries.
