№ MMXXVI

RACHNA · A LIVING ARCHIVE

Rachna by M.

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MM · XXVI

Canvas
Untitled

Hasya

अफ़ीमची

Afeemchi

Shriprakash Shukla
2 min read 8 versesअफ़ीमopiumबंदर

8 verses · ~2 min

गाजीपुर की अफीम फैक्टरी के नसेड़ी बंदरों को देखकर

वे अफीमची हैं दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी फैक्टरी के सबसे छोटे उत्पाद!

उनके पास भी सपने हैं उनकी अपनी तराजू भी है लेकिन उनके पास ताक़त नहीं है

वे इस शहर के बीचो-बीच अपनी ठहरी हुई सुर्ख आँखों से लोगों को निहारते रहते हैं

उनका अपना इतिहास इतिहास के बाहर है उनका अपना भूगोल भूगोल से अलग है उनका अपना जीवन जीवन से दूर है

उन्होंने जितनी बार जीवन में आने की कोशिश की है उन्हें मौन कर दिया गया है वे इस दुनियाँ के पूर्वज हैं जो ऊपर से बंदर दिखते हैं नीचे से आदमी अपनी ताकत से वे जार्ज बुश से लेकर बाजपेयी तक को हिला सकते हैं ऊसर में गुलाब खिला सकते हैं और रेत में पानी

वे अपनी दुनिया के बादशाह हैं जिनकी आँखों में एक बूंद पानी भी नहीं है हालाँकि अपनी नज़रों से वे समुद्र थाह सकते हैं

वे अफीमची हैं इस सचल दुनिया के एक मात्र अचल प्राणी!

इति

Shriprakash Shukla

The Poet

श्रीप्रकाश शुक्ल

Shriprakash Shukla

Shriprakash Shukla is an eminent voice in contemporary Hindi literature who draws his creative energy directly from the cultural roots of rural India. Born in 1965 in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, he serves as a professor at Banaras Hindu University. His poetry and critical essays stand as a powerful defense of local traditions against the homogenizing forces of modern globalization. Collections like Boli Baat and Ret Mein Aakritiyan showcase his deep understanding of ordinary people, their spoken dialects, and their everyday struggles. He does not write from a place of academic detachment. Instead, he approaches poetry with the sensitivity of someone who feels the pulse of the changing agrarian landscape. Honored with prestigious awards including the Naresh Mehta Samman and the Vijaydev Narayan Sahi Samman, Shukla writes to preserve the fading memories of rural life. He reminds readers that true literary beauty often resides in the unfiltered, unpolished realities of the village courtyard.

Untitled

Paired Painting

Untitled

This painting captures the regal, yet melancholic presence of the tiger, a creature revered for centuries as the soul of the Indian wilderness. In this composition, the artist observes the beast not as a predatory force, but in a moment of quiet, heavy stillness. There is a profound sense of introspection in the tiger, with eyes wide and alert, reflecting a world that was changing during the colonial era. The interplay between the deep shadows of the forest and the warm, vibrant coat of the tiger serves as a reminder of the fragility of such magnificent beings, standing as silent witnesses to the deep mysteries of the jungle.

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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 Afeemchi carries.