7 verses · ~2 min
आ रही हिमालय से पुकार है उदधि गरजता बार बार प्राची पश्चिम भू नभ अपार; सब पूछ रहें हैं दिग-दिगन्त वीरों का हो कैसा वसन्त
फूली सरसों ने दिया रंग मधु लेकर आ पहुंचा अनंग वधु वसुधा पुलकित अंग अंग; है वीर देश में किन्तु कंत वीरों का हो कैसा वसन्त
भर रही कोकिला इधर तान मारू बाजे पर उधर गान है रंग और रण का विधान; मिलने को आए आदि अंत वीरों का हो कैसा वसन्त
गलबाहें हों या कृपाण चलचितवन हो या धनुषबाण हो रसविलास या दलितत्राण; अब यही समस्या है दुरंत वीरों का हो कैसा वसन्त
कह दे अतीत अब मौन त्याग लंके तुझमें क्यों लगी आग ऐ कुरुक्षेत्र अब जाग जाग; बतला अपने अनुभव अनंत वीरों का हो कैसा वसन्त
हल्दीघाटी के शिला खण्ड ऐ दुर्ग सिंहगढ़ के प्रचंड राणा ताना का कर घमंड; दो जगा आज स्मृतियां ज्वलंत वीरों का हो कैसा वसन्त
भूषण अथवा कवि चंद नहीं बिजली भर दे वह छन्द नहीं है कलम बंधी स्वच्छंद नहीं; फिर हमें बताए कौन हन्त वीरों का हो कैसा वसन्त
इति
The Poet
सुभद्राकुमारी चौहान
Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
1904 · 1948
There is a moment in every liberation movement when the struggle finds the poem that becomes its most essential utterance, not because the poem is merely rhetorical, but because it crystallizes an emotion so precisely that an entire people recognize themselves inside it. Subhadra Kumari Chauhan provided such a moment with Jhansi Ki Rani, her electric account of the warrior queen of Jhansi. This poem was so concentrated in its energy and so clear in its moral architecture that generations of Indian schoolchildren have carried it inside them as something closer to memory than memorization. But to reduce Chauhan to a single poem would be a severe literary injustice. She was an active participant in the independence movement who walked the path of satyagraha herself, becoming one of the first women to be imprisoned for civil disobedience. She was a poet of domestic tenderness, exploring childhood and the complex inner life of Indian women that formal literature had largely chosen to ignore. Born in 1904, she died in a road accident in 1948 too soon and too abruptly. Her voice remained fully alive and deeply necessary. She gave the warrior women of Indian mythology a voice, and in doing so, she became one herself.
Paired Painting
Battle of Haldighati
This profound work captures the ferocity and the soul of the Battle of Haldighati, a defining moment in the history of Rajasthan. Fought in 1576 between the forces of Maharana Pratap of Mewar and the Mughal emperor Akbar, it remains a symbol of indomitable spirit and resistance. Chokha brings the field to life, showing the swirling chaos of elephants, horses, and warriors engaged in a desperate struggle for land and honor. It is a painting that breathes with the dust of the battlefield, reflecting not just a tactical encounter, but the collective memory of a people who stood firm against overwhelming odds. The intricate detail reminds us of the heavy cost of pride and sovereignty in the rugged landscapes of the Mewar region.
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