2 verses · ~1 min
मैं नहीं जाता किसी के द्वार बिना मनुहार अथवा समय की पुकार के
अनमांगा दण्डकारण्य भी फलता है लंका का स्वर्ण सिर्फ़ जलता है- जलता है!
इति
The Poet
शिवमंगल सिंह ‘सुमन’
Shivamangal Singh 'Suman'
1915 · 2002
There is a particular form of literary courage that has nothing to do with defiance or rebellion the courage of choosing to remain human when circumstances press hard toward despair. Shivamangal Singh Suman possessed this courage in extraordinary measure. He wrote across the full breadth of the progressive literary movement in Hindi, and his work bears the mark of a mind that refused to choose between aesthetic beauty and social conscience, insisting with deep patience that both are necessary if poetry is to perform its highest function. His verses walk the razor's edge between lyric grace and the weight of lived suffering never collapsing into sentimentality, never hardening into polemic. Born in Unnao in 1915, Suman rose to lead Vikram University as its Vice Chancellor, becoming one of the rare figures who moved between the world of intellectual administration and the world of pure creative fire without losing his substance in either. He received the Padma Bhushan and Sahitya Akademi recognition, but his true monument is the quality of sustenance his verses have provided across generations of readers who found in him a poet who understood that the will to go on is, in itself, a form of sacred defiance.
Paired Painting
Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in the Forest
This exquisite leaf captures a poignant moment of serenity amidst the profound exile of Lord Rama, his devoted wife Sita, and his loyal brother Lakshmana. Within the quietude of the forest, the divine figures are depicted living a life of ascetic simplicity, far removed from the grandeur of the Ayodhya throne. Rama and Sita sit with grace upon a raised platform, while Lakshmana tends to a small fire, a humble act that speaks volumes of his unwavering service. The lush greenery, the gentle wildlife, and the golden hues of the setting sun reflect the harmony between the divine and the natural world, a hallmark of the Kangra style that seeks to elevate the viewer to a state of meditative contemplation.
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