Hindi Poetry Is Not Dead
कल जो अलफ़ाज़ समेटे थे, कुछ पुराने से,
आज अख़बारों की रद्दी में वही गुम से हैं !
चंद लफ़्ज़ों में हम जो ख़्वाब बुना करते थे,
आज एहसास वही जाने क्यों गुमसुम से हैं !
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Circa late 1980s and early 90s… when many of my Hindi poems used to be published in reputed dailies like Hindustan, Aaj and Dainik Jagran etc…
Those were the days when Hindi literature was venerated in society and poets were duly remunerated for their work. The first cheque I received for my article published in Dharmyug (a Hindi weekly magazine by Bennett and Colman, the Times of India group) in 1887 was of Rs. 60/. Although, I never cashed that cheque because I didn’t have a bank account then. And, not to mention, Rs. 60 was considered quite a good amount as first ever remuneration for writing in late 80s for college going teens.
But the best part, the fruition of holding a pen at a young age was those hundreds of fan mail I received after my first article got published in Dharmyug. Trust me. I received nearly 200 fan mail as postcards, inland letters and some envelopes having scented letters, dried flowers, many wishes and blessings from elders and lots more. Even made some Penpals too. They were priceless, indeed. Just because Dharmyug used to publish writers’ addresses.
Come 90s and I started writing Vers Libre (free verses) in Hindi as they were in demand and published by all the leading newspapers of Patna.. The biggest joy was the phone call I received from the editor in chief of Hindustan Times, Patna, Mr. Awadhesh Preet, a noted littérateur of national fame. He turned out to be a luminary for me and even called me to appreciate my poem written on terrorism in 1997 with an offer to work with him.
Most of those poems and articles have gone astray in the garbage of time as I failed to retain them while I was prioritizing family. Yet some glimpses still peep from the past and remind me of those glorious days when Hindi writers were much adulated and rewarded generously.
Here’s sharing my first published article in Dharmyug along with 4 of my free verse poems which won a national poetry writing competition by Hindi daily, Hindustan and later published in it as well. Those sepia turned pages hold the best era of my life…
You must be wondering why this post is written in English and began with Urdu couplets though meant to glorify Hindi ! Well……That’s because languages are merely mirrors of our social interaction and literature is actual reflection. Multi faceted mirrors produce more vivid reflection of our beings. And, I love being vibrantly evocative in my expressions. However, Hindi is my Esse’. I’m as meek, as lucid and as evocative as Hindi.
Hindi will live forever in spite of all our polyglossia…
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