№ MMXXVI

RACHNA · A LIVING ARCHIVE

Rachna by M.

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MM · XXVI

Canvas
Portrait of a Lady

Hasya

आधुनिका

Adhunika

Sumitranandan Pant
2 min read 4 versesआधुनिकताmodernityनारी

4 verses · ~2 min

पशुओं से मृदु चर्म, पक्षियों से ले प्रिय रोमिल पर, ऋतु कुसुमों से सुरँग सुरुचिमय चित्र वस्त्र ले सुंदर, सुभग रूज़, लिप स्टिक, ब्रौ स्टिक, पौडर से कर मुख रंजित, अंगराग, क्यूटेक्स अलक्तक से बन नख शिख शोभित; ’सागर तल से ले मुक्ताफल, खानों से मणि उज्वल’, रजत स्वर्ण में अंकित तुम फिरती अप्सरि सी चंचल।

शिक्षित तुम संस्कृत, युग के सत्याभासों से पोषित, समकक्षिणी नरों की तुम, निज द्वन्द्व मूल्य पर गर्वित। नारी की सौन्दर्य मधुरिमा औ’ महिमा से मंडित, तुम नारी उर की विभूति से, हृदय सत्य से वंचित! प्रेम, दया, सहृदयता, शील, क्षमा, पर दुख कातरता, तुममें तप, संयम, सहिष्णुता नहीं त्याग, तत्परता।

लहरी सी तुम चपल लालसा श्वास वायु से नर्तित, तितली सी तुम फूल फूल पर मँडराती मधुक्षण हित! मार्जारी तुम, नहीं प्रेम को करती आत्म समर्पण, तुम्हें सुहाता रंग प्रणय, धन पद मद, आत्म प्रदर्शन! तुम सब कुछ हो, फूल, लहर, तितली, विहगी, मार्जारी, आधुनिके, तुम अगर नहीं कुछ, नहीं सिर्फ़ तुम नारी!

रचनाकाल: फ़रवरी’ ४०

इति

Sumitranandan Pant

The Poet

सुमित्रानंदन पंत

Sumitranandan Pant

1900 · 1977

Sumitranandan Pant was the absolute master of lyrical aestheticism in modern Hindi literature. Born in 1900 in the lush Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand, he drew his earliest and most profound inspiration from the pristine beauty of the Himalayas. He became one of the four foundational pillars of Chhayavaad, the Hindi neo romantic movement. However, his literary journey did not stagnate in romantic nature worship. Over a career spanning more than five decades, his poetry evolved through distinct phases, absorbing progressive ideologies and eventually culminating in the deep philosophical spiritualism of Sri Aurobindo. Works like Pallav showcased his unmatched ability to weave delicate, musical imagery, while his later masterpiece Chidambara earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1968, the very first time this prestigious honor was given to a Hindi writer. Pant was also recognized with the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan. He passed away in 1977, leaving behind a poetic vocabulary that taught the Hindi language how to capture the exact softness of falling dew and the quiet grandeur of the mountains.

Portrait of a Lady

Paired Painting

Portrait of a Lady

Raja Ravi Varma was a luminary who bridged the divide between traditional Indian iconography and Western academic realism. His paintings, often depicting elegant women in their cultural splendor, serve as a testament to the grace and dignity of the Indian noblewoman during the late nineteenth century. In this piece, the soft gaze and the intricate adornment (from the gold coins of the necklace to the delicate nose ring) invite the viewer to witness a moment of quiet reflection, suspended in time by the artist's masterful brushwork.

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 Adhunika carries.