Category: Poetry

Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

(We are extremely thankful to Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi ji  for sharing his literary and art works with e-abhivyakti.  An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Capt. Pravin has served the country at national as well international level in various fronts. Presently, working as Senior Advisor, C-DAC in Artificial Intelligence and HPC Group; and involved in various national level projects. We present a translation of Shri Sanjay Bhardwaj’s Hindi poem ” ब्लेक होल ” published in today’s  साप्ताहिक स्तम्भ – ☆ संजय उवाच – #8 – ब्लेक होल ☆ . We extend our heartiest thanks for this beautiful translation. )

 

☆ Black Hole…. ☆

 

How do you manage

to absorb

so many hardships

so much of sadness

within yourself,

Science says:

Decay of substance

Happens from more to less

Dense to sparse…

Misery of world

Comes and gets

consumed in me,

My inside is getting

used to of it

Entire emptiness of mine

is gradually turning

into the ‘Black hole!’

 

© Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

(We are extremely thankful to Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi ji  for sharing his literary and art works with e-abhivyakti.  An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Capt. Pravin has served the country at national as well international level in various fronts. Presently, working as Senior Advisor, C-DAC in Artificial Intelligence and HPC Group; and involved in various national level projects. We present an emotional poem of Capt. Raghuvanshi ji “Life goes on….”.)

 

☆ Life goes on…. ☆

 

No one ever leaves

before his time comes

When will that happen?

No one even knows…

 

There’s no bigger catastrophe than the

Heartache ceaselessly oozing out through eyes…

 

I sure’ve reaped gains by

my carefree senselessness,

As, now doesn’t even exist

a complaint with the life…

 

Though, the eternal quest

still on deep inside me

But never-ever bothered to

explore my fathomless heart

 

There used to live a

bounteous person inside

However hard I searched

but never found him again…

 

Life now is such an intense

perpetual concatenate maze

That doesn’t even have

foreseeable unpuzzled end!

 

But life goes on…

 

© Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

(We are extremely thankful to Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi ji  for sharing his literary and art works with e-abhivyakti.  An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Capt. Pravin has served the country at national as well international level in various fronts. We present an excellent poetry depicting pain and sorrow of every river in the country.  Every one is aware of the reasons and worried about the level of pollution. But, who will take the first step for the mankind.  This poetry is actually anguish of the river sensed by Capt. Raghuvanshi ji.  

In his own words

Visiting my place in Varanasi, situated at the confluence of Ganga and Gomati…

Wrote few lines on state of rivers in our country…     Capt. Raghuvanshi:

Today, we present the poetry of Capt. Pravin Raghuvanshi ji “Anguish of the River…” .)

 

☆ Anguish of the River… ☆

 

River is not like *Neelkanth*, the Lord Shiva!

 

She was once a playful translucent river

And me, a carefree

ambitious damsel

Used to do *Aachman*,

sipping her sacred water while offering her my resolute obeisance…

 

I always stood by her

as a solid rock

Kept attending to all

–her evergrowing frustrations,

–her excruciating vexations,

–her boisterous predicaments

I was happy to be

the rock to her…

 

But, one day you came,

While clutching me

crossed all the limits

I didn’t like your

that filthy touch,

In a moment, I got disintegrated

into millions of sand particles…

 

Just fell devastated into

forlorn lap of the river

That’s when I realised that

river is not mere flowing water…

 

She, being a dextrous historian,

Kept scripting historical manuscripts,

Creating cultures, nurturing customs as a responsible ancestor…

 

She was also a

modern trendsetter

Always altering courses

on her freewill…

She was the seeker, a questor!

 

She was a loving-mother incarnate

That’s how I could live the sufferings of the river…

 

Now, you’ve removed even

the womb, intestine, heart,

flesh and marrow from her body…

 

So many times, I could

–Hear her sobbing from

the palatial garrets

–Witness the river

repeatedly shedding her

tears in the inner

layers of the roads

 

She too wanted to get dispersed as particles

in the thin air

Exactly like me!

 

But where could she go?

Where could she get accommodated? Where!!

As she did not have the river,

just like herself only…

 

I fell on her bosom, tiredly

Kept watching her helplessly,

While you choked her face

with a dirty cloth

Had to watch her painful sufferings,

Her writhing in agony,

even for a breath!

Her misery of breathlessness

was far worse than my dispersing into particles…

 

River, that joyfully

spilled around

its banks for ages

Now, in this epoch, has only last few breaths of life

Stinking, panting,

Counting her remaining breaths…!

 

How many times

did I beg of you

If you desire, take my remaining particles too; but,

Fill her with few breaths

in her lungs

By mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,

Just return her past glory

Which you forcibly

snatched her of,

Plant *Singi* tools

to pull all the poison

out of her body…

 

Listen,

River cannot survive

By drinking the poison

Because, river is not the *Neelkanth*, the Lord Shiva…!

 

Note:

*Neelkanth* (Blue throat), is the other name of Lord Shiva who drank the poison, without having effect on Him; as He held it in His throat which turned blue because of its severity; thus, called as *Neelkanth*

*Singi* is a tool which is used for sucking poison from the body…

 

© Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

Hemant Bawankar

 

(Inspired by the news published in a newspaper in which a mother donated her eyes with an unborn child before dowry-death.  This poem has been cited from my book “The Variegated Life of Emotional Hearts”.)

 

 ☆ It’s not an eye-donation….  It is an eye-offering  ☆ 

 

Listen

these eyes are

not only eyes

but,

these eyes are

like melted and purified gold

in the life’s altar.

 

I have seen.

No ….No

these eyes have seen

a river of fire

warmth in the mother’s lap

and

inflammation of puberty.

 

Wedding pavilion

sacrificial altar

and seven rounds

around the fire.

 

The first night’s

soft and warm flower bed

and ….  and

various forms of fire.

 

My beautiful body,

I was proud of which

has been scorched

in

the fire of dowry.

 

Where is ‘he’?

Where?

Who has held my hands

by making

fire as witness.

Now given

the fire of dowry;

and ……

he will give

the fire of the funeral.

 

But, Mom!

Why are you crying?

And brother,

you too?

 

You are drowned in debt

by raising funds for dowry.

 

How have you been broken in life?

Alas!

Dad is no more today.

Else,

in your place

he could have offered

his shoulder to you

in support

to cry with you!

 

My goodbye tears

are still in my eyes

and

my bier is being readied.

 

Enough is enough.

Breath is less than hope,

I am going

with an unborn child.

I can’t imagine

his/her face

and

I don’t know

how he/she could

smile/play/laugh/cry

if he/she could take birth?

 

No ….. no

Mom!

Enough is enough.

 

Now,

give these eyes to someone.

Not as a donation

as charity is being done by those

that have something.

 

Therefore,

it is not an eye-donation

it is an eye-offering

to continue the journey

of life.

 

Listen

These eyes are

not only eyes

but,

these eyes are

melted and purified gold

in the life’s altar.

 

© Hemant Bawankar

This poem was written on 2nd December, 1987.

Shri Divyanshu Shekhar 

 

(Young author Shri Divyanshu Shekhar writes poems, stories, plays and scripts in Hindi and English. His first collection of poems  “Zindagi – ek chalchitra” was published in May 2017 and first English Novel “Too Close – Too Far” in December 2018. Today we present his poem “Fair wasn’t fair “.)

☆ Fair wasn’t fair ☆

A kid and an adult went to a fair and my good luck, I was also there.

Kid was cute like a teddy bear while adult was looking fit and fair.

There were swings, which were trying to make everyone feel that you also have wings.

Kid didn’t try due to the fear of height while adult didn’t try due to backbite.

Kid tasted foods irrespective to the diet while adult was counting someone unhygienic bites.

Kid shouted and laughed while adult just smiled.

Kid had everything to act while adult had nothing to react.

Kid looked all the things with possibilities while adult watched all those with responsibilities.

Kid’s expenditure was hundred percent while adult couldn’t spend a single cent.

I tried to talk with them individually but my bad luck, they both returned simultaneously.

I observed both but a doubt in my mind is still active, was fair a noun or just an adjective?

 

© Divyanshu Shekhar

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

 

(We reproduce this poem taken from the famous poetry collection ‘Winter Shall Fade’ that finds a place in Limca Book of Records for being the first book co-authored by a mother-daughter duo (Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji and Ms Simran Chandra ji ) published by Omji Publishers.) 

Amazon Link: ‘Winter Shall Fade’

 

☆ Dreams ☆

 

I embrace my dreams

Just like the moon

Embraces the moonlight

Or the veil of night

Embraces the stars.

 

I fall in love with them

Little by little

And they come to me

Bit by bit

Kissing me

Hugging me

Skimming me,

As if drizzling upon me

And covering me with affection,

Percolating like fragrance

All over my being

And singing

Some happy numbers.

 

Keep dreaming

For

The relationship

Between dreams and self

Is the most fulfilling…

 

© Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra and Ms. Simran Chandra, Pune