There was an era when Hindi Poets and writers used to create magic by their write –ups. One such name was Harivansh Rai Bachchan
Today, Hindi is struggling for its existence in our country. People hardly read Hindi. In fact, speaking English is the new caste system. But do you know Hindi is just not our mother tongue but it’s a beautiful language too? There was an era when Hindi Poets and writers used to create magic by their write –ups. One such name was Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
He was the bright star of Hindi poetry. He has written some evergreen poems that are still prevalent amongst literature lovers. His words had some magic. A celebrated Indian poet, Bachchan’s verses have left an indelible imprint on our minds. His poems can teach us a lot of things that we desperately need to learn in the era of this quick and smart world.
The Padma Bhushan awardee had many more accolades to his name like the Saraswati Samman award and the sahitya Akademi Award. When asked to introduce himself, he only said, “Mitti ka tan, masti ka man, kshan-bhar jivan-mera parichay”. If you are acquainted with Hindi literature, you know Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a legend. The writer of the poem Madhushala is one of the most admired Hindi poets of all time.
Poem Madhushala by Harivansh Rai Bachchan that will stay with us forever
दुतकारा मस्जिद ने मुझको कहकर है पीनेवाला,
ठुकराया ठाकुरद्वारे ने देख हथेली पर प्याला,
कहाँ ठिकाना मिलता जग में भला अभागे काफिर को?
शरणस्थल बनकर न मुझे यदि अपना लेती मधुशाला।
(The mosque abused me saying that I am a drunkard,
The temple rejected me when it was a wine glass in my hand,
Where in this world a hapless infidel would have found a place for himself,
If the tavem wouldn’t have accepted him and provided him with shelter)
For Bachchan, who whipped up a literary frenzy and pleasant intoxication through his classic work Madhushala, poetry had always been a reflection of his own life tempered by poverty, tragedies, achievements and bouts of bliss.
Bachchan’s writing has been used in movies several times. He wrote few songs for Bollywood too. He wrote the popular Holi song “Rang Barse Bheege…” of the film Silsila which was featured his don Amitabh Bachchan. Stanzas of his popular poem “Agneepath” was used in the title and the theme for the Blockbuster movie Agneepath in 1991.
Stanzas of “Koshish karne waalon ki kabhi…” are included in the film ‘Maine Gandhi Ko Nehi Mara’. The melodious song “Koi Gata Main So Jata…’ used in the film Allap. The musical version madhusala was sang by Manna Dey.
Hard work versus Smart work
His most famous Poem Koshish Karne walon ki kabhi haar nhi hoti teaches us that it’s important at least. Today, the meaning of poem appropriately fits in our situations. We all want to achieve a lot in life but when it comes trying hard for something, we usually give up.
We don’t want any reason to remember legends. They are remembered because of their greatness and Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a great poet from whom we can always learn to lead a life full of wisdom.
