Poor People Poems

जाहिल मेरे बाने – भवानी प्रसाद मिश्र

जाहिल मेरे बाने – भवानी प्रसाद मिश्र

Our farmers are deeply attached to soil. They follow the rustic tradition and perpetuate the ancient ways. They grow food for all and sustain the humanity. Here is a lovely satire by Bhawani Prasad Mishra Ji on the “civilized” city-dwellers who call these farmers uncivilized. Rajiv Krishna Saxena जाहिल मेरे …

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यहाँ भी, वहाँ भी – निदा फ़ाज़ली

यहाँ भी, वहाँ भी – निदा फ़ाज़ली

A wider meaning of the term “Kavi” is a person with very deep perception of the human phenomenon. In this sense Nida Fazli is a true kavi. His poems make you think and be amazed at his very fine perception. The following poem was written by him after a visit …

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कुम्हलाये हैं फूल – ठाकुर गोपाल शरण सिंह

कुम्हलाये हैं फूल – ठाकुर गोपाल शरण सिंह

In this lovely poem, flowers are metaphors for children. Those children who do not have a childhood are like wilted flowers. Like the children I photographed recently in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar Market, selling various sundry items to passers by. Rajiv Krishna Saxena कुम्हलाये हैं फूल अभी–अभी तो खिल आये थे …

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भैंसागाड़ी – भगवती चरण वर्मा

Poverty was all pervasive when the country gained freedom. This famous poem by Bhagwati Charan Verma, excerpts from which are being presented here, describes the pathetic state of poor people who constituted bulk of the society at that time. Today as the country has “progressed” the disparity has accentuated. There …

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बाज़ लोग जिनका कोई नहीं होता – अनामिका

Non-descript poor laborers work hard and their hard work creates magnificent houses, roads, bridges, buildings and dams. They remain detached and move on once the job is done. They are the true magicians without ever realizing it. Here is a lovely poem by Anamika about such people. Rajiv Krishna Saxena …

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अनुभव परिपक्व – अज्ञेय

A little kid in a poverty stricken family… makes natural child-like impulsive demands. Then by experience, learns to scale them down. Rajiv Krishna Saxena अनुभव परिपक्व माँ हम नहीं मानते – अगली दीवाली पर मेले से हम वह गाने वाला टीन का लट्टू लेंगे ही लेंगे – नहीं, हम नहीं …

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आज की रात बहुत गर्म हवा चलती है – कैफ़ी आज़मी

Who wants to sleep on the footpath? Yet out of sheer helplessness, millions do. On a hot summer night, how uncomfortable and frustrating it should be to sleep on stones and gravel. This precious poem by Kaifi Azmi captures the frustration and its essence. It traces human evolution from animals …

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