Old Classic Poems

होली आयी रे – शकील बदायूंनी

Holi aai re...

On the Happy occasion of Holi, I present this old classic from film Mother India, written by Shakeel Badayuni. Happy Holi to all readers! Rajiv Krishna Saxena होली आयी रे होली आयी रे कन्हाई, होली आयी रे होली आयी रे कन्हाई रंग छलके सुना दे ज़रा बांसरी होली आयी रे, …

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कबीर के दोहे – कबीर

Kabir ke dohe

Kabir (1440AD to 1518AD) was one of the early saints of bhakti kaal who lived in northern India. By profession he was a weaver. He was a disciple of Guru Ramanand from southern India. He shunned religious affiliations and sang the glory of one God in vedanta as well as …

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कृष्ण की चेतावनी – रामधारी सिंह दिनकर

                                  कृष्ण की चेतावनी                  वर्षों तक वन में घूम-घूम, बाधा-विघ्नों को चूम-चूम, सह धूप-घाम, पानी-पत्थर, पांडव आये कुछ और निखर। सौभाग्य न सब दिन सोता है, …

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हल्दीघाटी: युद्ध – श्याम नारायण पाण्डेय

How Rana Pratap fought Man Singh on the bettle field of Haldighati

In mid 1500s Akbar the Mughal emperor of India, in his bid to consolidate his empire, had entered into agreements with Rajput kingdoms except that of Mewar. Maharana Pratap of Mewar was defiant and did not want to lose his independence. Frustrated Akbar sent his massive army led by Mansingh …

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उस पार न जाने क्या होगा – हरिवंश राय बच्चन

We watch the river and wonder what will be there on the other side!

This is a very famous poem of Harivansh Rai Bachchan. We know nothing about where we go after death. The poet here expresses his apprehensions about the unfamiliar turf where one would find himself after the death and looks with a certain degree of nostalgia, about the familiarity of this …

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यह कदम्ब का पेड़ – सुभद्रा कुमारी चौहान

What if this Kadamb tree was on the bank of river Yamuna?

यह कदम्ब का पेड़ यह कदम्ब का पेड़ अगर माँ होता यमुना तीरे। मैं भी उस पर बैठ कन्हैया बनता धीरे-धीरे॥ ले देतीं यदि मुझे बांसुरी तुम दो पैसे वाली। किसी तरह नीची हो जाती यह कदंब की डाली॥ तुम्हें नहीं कुछ कहता पर मैं चुपके-चुपके आता। उस नीची डाली …

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रेशमी नगर – रामधारी सिंह दिनकर

Riches in a modern city

Here is an old and famous poem of Dinkar Ji. Amazing thing is that even though this poem must be half a century old, it is so relevant to today’s scene in the country also. Insensitivity of the capital city to woes of the poor public in the country seems …

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चांद का कुर्ता – रामधारी सिंह दिनकर

What the moon should wear on cold nights!

Little moon feels so cold in night. He asks his mother for a woolen coat. See the problem that the mother faces! I have tried my hands on illustrating this poem and hope that you like it. – Rajiv Krishna Saxena चांद का कुर्ता हठ कर बैठा चांद एक दिन …

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मधुशाला – हरिवंश राय बच्चन

Madhushala

Madhushala is one of the most popular book of Hindi poetry. There was a time that this work of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan Ji, comprising 135 verses, was a craze. Here are few selected verses from Madhushala. Rajiv Krishna Saxena मधुशाला मृदु भावों के अंगूरों की आज बना लाया हाला‚ …

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झाँसी की रानी – सुभद्रा कुमारी चौहान

Rani Laxmibai ki kahani

Story of Laxmi Bai, (born Nov.19, 1835) the Queen of Jhansi is unparalleled in the history of India. She was only 18 years old when her husband Gangadhar Rao, the king of Jhansi died. As the first born child of Rani had died, the couple was childless. They adopted a …

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