PASSION AND COMPASSION
POET : MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's is one of the significant post-independence voices in Hindi and Indian English Poetry, expressing the lyricism and pathos, aspirations and yearnings of the modern Indian intellect. Rooted deep into the Indian soil, his poems reflect not only the moods of a poet but of a complex age.
Born : 26 June 1926: Jhansi (U.P.), Edu. : M.A. (1948), Ph.D. (1957) from Nagpur University; Retd. Professor.
Several volumes of poetry in English and other languages are published, viz. In French 'A MODERN INDIAN POET : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : UN POÈTE INDIEN ET MODERNE; In English Forty Poems of Mahendra Bhatnagar After The Forty Poems Exuberance and other poems Dr.Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry Death Perception : Life Perception Passion and Compassion Poems : For A Better World A Handful of Light Lyric-Lute. etc. Poems are translated in most of the Indian languages.
Published research & critical studies : (1) Living Through Challenges : A Study of Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry (2) Poet Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : His Mind And Art.
Adviser — 'POETCRIT'. At present — Reasearch Guide in many Indian Universities.
Contact : 110 BalwantNagar, Gandhi Road, Gwalior — 474 002 (M.P.) INDIA /
Phone : 0751-4092908 / M-098934 09793
E-Mail : drmahendrabh@rediffmail.com
A Critical Explication of Mahendra Bhatnagar’s
' Passion and Compassion'
— Dr. Anita Myles
Mahendra Bhatnagar has been involved with the writing of poetry for the past six decades. His poems have been translated into English and compiled in several volumes. 'Passion and Compassion' is his latest collection of fifty poems rendered into English by Dr.P .Adeshwar Rao. Thematically the volume is comprehensive bringing out admirably ,the poet’s perception of society the world over. One has the opportunity to come into close contact with Mahendra Bhatnagar’s varied experiences of life both pleasant as well as unpleasant for he believes that joys and sorrows together comprise the main tenets of human existence. The bitter truths of life are presented adroitly woven within the texture of his prolific and fecund imagination.
The poems compiled in this collection entitled Passion and Compassion revolve around man, the Divine’s extraordinary creation. However, poems depicting the negative qualities of this supreme creation such as lack of humanism, selfishness, greed, desire to usurp what belongs to others, inequality and the corruption among political leaders outnumber the poems which enumerate the blessings of human emotions like love, passion and compassion for those in distress. Nevertheless, the poet is not entirely disturbed by this bleak scenario. His enduring cogent optimism rushes to rescue him enabling him to share his buoyancy about life with the readers. Nature, which occupies a prominent place in his other collections has been reduced to just a few poems in this collection." Bewitched" is one such poem where the poet is enchanted by the fragrance and beauty of the jasmine. So much so that he personifies the creeper and its flowers. To quote the poet:
O the fair coloured!
O the glittering coloured!
O my companion,
Soft and delicate!
From where
You have snatched /stolen
Such bewitching beauty!
Similarly in the poem “Breeze”, the poet personifies the enlivening, redolent breeze for it has the puissance of exhilarating the poet. He solicits to have a life long companionship with the breeze that affords him such comfort and solace. The questions of life and death remain an enigma for the poet as he ponders over the evanescence of man’s existence. We flicker like a lamp and
All of a sudden on any day
The throbbing of the heart will stop.
But then one has to continue traversing thwarting the impediments of life’s journey. The same idea is contained in the poem 'A Moment'. It takes just one moment for the journey of life to come to an end, hence the sensitive poet utterly percipient of fleeting time sincerely exhorts mankind to make the best of the few moments that are at hand and to
live every moment to the fullest
Before
It crushes your existence.
'Willing to Live' spells out the resoluteness of the poet to live stoically in an acrid and afflictive world come what may. The world may be full of bitterness and poison, the path may be extremely long, difficult and solitary but these blazing flames signify the astute realities of life. It would be sheer cowardice to flee into the world of death. No doubt death too is a reality of life but as long as one is alive the battle ought to be fought courageously in the so to say, “I was ever a fighter, so one fight more” in the Browningian sense.
Humanism, infallibly, strikes the keynote of the poems in the collection. Being a thorough humanist poet Mahendra Bhatnagar time and again stresses on the importance of human relationships in this ephemeral universe. 'Initiative' is a long poem devoted to this subject.Mahendra Bhatnagar is mindful of the fact that to maintain human relationships
It is desirable
To have a softly
Flowing stream
Of patience and peace.
It is only then that the bonds of affection and fraternity are strengthened between man and man. Mutual understanding is the very basis of the 'single family' of mankind. In a country like India even one’s name has the potency of creating apprehension, mistrust suspicion and animosity for the name spells out one’s religion or one’s caste. The poet eagerly anticipates a time to come when names do not bear one’s clan or religion. After all at the root we are all human beings created by the same Divine Power.
In the contemporary scenario of uncertainty and suffering the emotion of love turns out to be a boon—'A gift, life-like!' Love reiterates words of comfort and solace having the inert potency to subdue the onslaughts of misfortune. Such feelings of oneness and brotherhood are to be treasured forever. Hence the poet states emphatically:
The feeling of love and affection
Alone
Is the best choice in the creation!
The above lines anticipate Matthew Arnold, who in spite of his cynical attitude to life believed in the creative power of love exhorting, “Ah! Love let us be true to one another”. .
Two poems in the collection bearing the same title, that is, 'Passion and Compassion' re-establish the fact that only passion and compassion for human beings can make the tempestuous journey of life endurable. Bonds of affection, according to the poet, are the strongest to keep humanity together. To quote the poet :
Let the waving wick of love
Go on burning
In both of our hearts!
Let the mutual emotion
And compassion
Of our living souls
Go on cherishing!
The positive emotion of love takes away 'the sting of loneliness' from human existence more so when one has become old and lost his so called utility in society. The poet’s heart reaches the suffering humanity simultaneously intensifying his desire to do something concrete and worthwhile for mankind.
While pondering upon the paucity of passion and compassion in this world Mahendra Bhatnagar is invariably compelled to take into account the existing selfishness, materialism and all round corruption in life. He is extremely agonized to note that political leaders, the representatives of the masses fail to be their well wishers and prefer to become usurpers. These leaders are not at all abashed to be enjoying the comforts and pleasures derived from ill begotten gains while
There are people,
Thirsty and starved, weak, dispossessed. .. .scared
Illiterate,
Oppressed, unorganized
Exploited/Deceived And suspicious!
The poem 'Distressed' is a dismal portraiture of a poor man’s plight during floods when everything has been washed away by heavy rains ironically enough the ministers and leaders fly over in aircrafts for an aerial view. The heartlessness of such leaders and their sycophants is further accentuated in 'Victory Celebration'.' Usurpers' records the poet’s utter sense of dismay at those who rejoice after looting and grabbing what does not really belong to them. Then they very arrogantly forge documents to make it all their own legal possessions .With a heavy heart the poet seeks a solution to this reality of contemporary life. He writes:
Is there any medicine
For this
Contagious social disease?
True enough to grab and to usurp what belongs to others is indeed an incurable contagious disease. Such people lose their 'human identity',
How much the man,
Has become selfish!
He is happy
Getting a little profit
By selling his integrity!
The poet reminds us of the fact that this deception has existed in every age; man is inextricably bound to the 'cruel wheel of exploitation!' Yet he steadfastly believes that those who uphold equality will never accept defeat. He anticipates a change in the offing. Mahendra Bhatnagar thereby emerges as an ardent patriot entreating the readers to share his concern for bleeding India, sanguinely envisioning a gradual change for the barriers of fortitude may give way any day.
Mahendra Bhatnagar’s painting a doleful picture of hypocrisy and corruption in no way brands him as a poet of pessimism. Inspite of these crude realities of life the poet advocates hope and optimism. In 'Change in Environment' he visualizes a new socioeconomic order in the future when
Those exploited and oppressed
Have awakened,
And have become the architect
Of a new age!
He is sure that the 'wheel of human progress' will always move forward, never backwards. An awakening is the need of the hour. He confidently exhorts the people
Let your heart
Be in high spirits
And your search for
Your goal should not stop!
Dejection and frustration lead to the ultimate doom of mankind. In the poem 'Enlightenment' the poet admits that the bitter experiences of life have taught him innumerable lessons. He has gained maturity and has realized “the meanness of men”, But then “men have to live/with mutual understanding” for the poet visualizes the world as “a single family”. The realities of life make one wiser and tougher. The artificially created barriers of caste and creed also have to be dismantled enabling joys and sorrows to be shared, completely annihilating the feelings of alienation. The poet’s optimism is based on passion and compassion for mankind.Mahendra Bhatnagar curtly suggests the solution to this enigma in something as elementary as the inculcation of humaneness in every citizen of India.
Mahendra Bhatnagar may well be termed as the poet of feelings as thematically his poems are steeped in feelings and emotions. Stylistically also the poet makes use of appropriate sensuous images to give deeper meaning to his thoughts. Several poems exhibit the warmth of the poet’s heart. The befitting application of imagery is noteworthy for it appends flavour and gusto to the poet’s expression. Nature imagery finds unforgettable and original metaphorical expressions such as “roar of clouds”, “cool water showers”, “rustling breeze”, etc. Personifications abound, while some poems are exquisitely pictorial, vivid and realistic. A fine juxtaposition of symbols, images and metaphors, successfully transports the reader into the poet’s world.
The appropriate use of words and phrases reveals Mahendra Bhatnagar’s ability to be a conscious artist and a meticulous craftsman. The subtle use of words not only enhances the emotional appeal of the poems but also gratifies the aesthetic sense of the readers. The poet unhesitatingly engages irony and satire while graphically exposing the hypocrisy of the national leaders of today.Mahendra Bhatnagar flagellates smarting criticism against time serving politicians, simultaneously acerbating his personal agony at the miserable plight of his fellow beings in poems like 'Distressed' and 'Usurpers'.
Thematically speaking, the poems of Bhatnagar are not at all skeptical and defeatist though they enumerate the seamy side of life. His is the minute observation of a realist backed by his rich personal experiences. Each poem in the collection is conclusive in itself and the overall message by the poet vacillates around the spirit of action, the expectation of progression and faith in oneself leading to optimism, stoicism and sanguinity. These poems are undoubtedly steeped in extreme signification for modem man who is, forever, contending, and disconcerted, perplexed tending to be a schizoid. The optimistic scholium of the poet will certainly provide the urgently necessitous men relaxation to the readers in general and an aurea mediocritus to the anomie coeval soci, for eventual endurance in particular.
Carlyle stated that “poetry is not merely a criticism of life; it is the very truth of life, very essence of man’s sublime quest for reaching the kingdom of eternal bliss.” This statement about poetry stands true for the poems of Mahendra Bhatnagar.His poems are not just a criticism of life around him but they culminate in the very essence of life, perennial quest for truth which would in turn lead to eternal bliss.Mahendra sBhatnagar’s poetry is spontaneous for it is indeed, the voice of his soul. His poetry leads one out of the shades of mystery into the light of knowledge of eternity. Good poetry reveals the poet’s attitude towards life. It is the transcript of the poet’s thought and feelings with regard to a particular aspect of human life. Critics by common consent hold that good poetry should deal with the experiences of life in such a way that it inspires man to subsist nobly, a dictum well applicable to the poems of Mahendra Bhatnagar.Through aphoristic phraseology and pithy metaphors, he has successfully painted his ideas and experiences of life so that others may benefit as well without any reservations because the pain and suffering about which the poet writes are universal in nature but are also surmountable.
(1) PASSION AND COMPASSION / 1
All things are forgotten ...
Except
Those moments of passion
Soaked in intimacy
And those experienced moments
Of the blazing flames of relationships!
The bonds of affection
Among men
Are the living commitments
Which bind them together
In their common path.
They are only remembered!
Forever.
Now and then
They shower upon
An awakened lonely moment of night
Caught in the grip of pain,
And in the sinking weary heart,
Heavy and detached,
Turning into tears
Divine.
(2) AFFECTION
They are neither rare
Nor precious
Not at all available
On earth or in heaven
Tears ... of unique love,
Of the soul
Of expanse unfathomable!
A dark cloud of tears surges
From the deep undiscovered
Pilgrimage of the heart,
And then ...
At that moment when
The splendour of holy feelings
Spreads on the face –
Both eyes filled with tears,
The edge of the sari1 wipes them away!
1 Length of cloth worn by Indian women.
(3) REALITY
No end
Of the path
We keep on walking!
Darkness
Spread out on far off lands
Never becomes less
Even a little!
Like a flickering lamp
Day and night
We keep on burning!
Only a few moments
Are left for me
All of a sudden on any day
The throbbing of the heart will stop!
Knowingly all
We keep on deceiving death!
At each and every step
How can one find his goals?
In life
There are only heaps of pebbles,
Where are pearls?
(4) A MOMENT
A moment
Only a moment
Snatches away
Life
All of a sudden!
Yes, only a moment!
Every moment
Has its own mysterious meaning,
It creates
Its own whole history.
Again and again.
That is why it is essential –
You live every moment to the fullest
Before
It crushes your existence!
Proclaiming its importance!
Every moment
Slips away silently
In a similar measured pace
Inscribing
Countless mishaps!
(5) CONTINUITY
Becoming indifferent ...
In seclusion,
On the experiences of my life
When I brood on peacefully –
I peep through
My inner past
Extinct –
Hazy pictures,
Relevant or irrelevant
Devoid of any harmony,
Order broken
Emerge disorderly!
Then all of a sudden
Taking a turn on my own accord
I return
To the present!
To the entanglements of earthly life!
(6) NAY
Well,
How one can be
A stranger
In a crowd!
Well,
How can one bear
The sting of loneliness
In a surging crowd!
Well,
How one can say
His word to anyone
In the noise
Of countless voices!
(7) EXPECTATION
Now and then at least
Someone shall love us!
In a life of loneliness
Absolutely desolate,
In a life
Thrown out forcibly
In a deep well,
In a life that suffered
Merciless blows and assaults,
At least
Someone shall like us,
Applaud us!
At least let us get
Good wishes
Or goodwill of someone!
In curse - scorched world
In sorrow spread all around
Someone should be sympathetic
Some time ever!
In an intense electrified
Suffocating atmosphere
When the unrest resounds
Heart rending
Shriek and scream,
Burning in flames
The ruined life
Confined in a prison!
In those disastrous moments
A desire springs up
That someone shall like us,
Well,
Now and then!
(8) EVER DEPRIVED
All my life
I was alone,
Unseen –
Ever neglected,
Totally ignored!
All my life,
On my own strength
I have borne
The raids of storms!
All my life
An imbroglio
Remained stationary
as before!
All my life
I bore unbearable
Agony and pain!
To anyone
Never I did say
Any word for help!
I burnt myself
In the fire of curse!
I could not find anyone
Who can soothe
My oozing wounds –
Even for a while
The rapid hailstorm
Never stopped!
Alone
I wandered
In the realm of dearth –
In home,
in cities and in villages!
Here and there
I don't know when and where!
(9) LIVELY
I stay on amassing pain!
O, I stay on
Amassing how much grief!
I stay on
Amassing pain and grief
Of many-manys years!
I was awake throughout nights
I was awake throughout days
I was awake throughout my life
I stay on
Wrapping up my body
With much dirt and brownish dust!
My feet got stuck in the mire.
Serpents coiled around
My neck and ankles,
I am bound by cobras
Black and venomous!
I stay on
Spreading fire on my bed!
Dhain-dhain
Shooting out flames of fire
Keeping it ablaze!
(10) VIOLATION
Faith in perpetual relations –
Yes, the faith of many a birth
Turns meaningless
All of a sudden!
O the sense of belonging
Piled up for many an year
Vanishes in a moment!
When the dam
Of ethical self-restriction
Breaks down
Like playing cards,
The charged electric wires,
That wind
The self imposed boundaries
Suddenly become lifeless!
Boundaries vanish,
The legs resting,
The legs trembling and faltering
Begin to leap forward!
Pure worship,
The hard acquired devotion
Is breached!
The virtuous actions
Turn shallow,
The so called truthful pledges
Get falsified,
All the pledges and promises
Become meaningless!
And –
Love becomes a synonym
For extreme selfishness!
Definitions of sin and virtue
Change
Their opinion,
Deception –
Of the union of souls
In its naked form,
In its real form
Descends!
Iron pillars of restraint
Break and tumble down,
The girders of discretion
Displaced
Are swept away
Like blades of grass!
When the seism of lust
Or of 'ardent love'
Makes whole body tremble,
Every strong pivot
Of the mind totters!
Then, the man forgets
His past, present and future!
(11) PREMONITIONS
We have left
Far behind
The half burnt corpses
Of love-relationships
and enmities!
Screaming
and rolling restlessly
For ages
The dying sound
has become silent.
By this time –
The dried up remnants
Might have been lost
In the air!
Swept away
In countless
rains!
I didn't return
Since my departure!
Then
Why the
ghostly shadow
Stares at me?
Perhaps,
It is
the ultimate end
Of my whole existence!
Every volcano
On one day
Has to cool down!
Has to disappear
Forever!
(12) ASCETIC
The people –
Are dejected so much that
They commit suicide
In the state of their restlessness!
Or
lose the balance
Of their body and mind!
And in their perturbed mood
They weep – without a reason!
They laugh – without a reason!
But
Until now you are
Steady, self centered, calm, alive
And balanced!
In fact
For him, who had lived asceticism
There is no difference
Between dying and living!
For him
There is no difference
Beween
Drinking poison or nectar!
(13) SUBSTANCE
O
Why you are wonder-struck
When you are of no use
To anyone
Why should anyone
Come to you?
Keep quiet,
Bear everything!
Lie down
Suffer patiently
Here or there!
Let someone listen to
Your experiences
Let someone listen to
Your tale
No time is there
For anyone!
Useless –
To expect it
From anyone!
It is better
If you write
On the walls of an empty room,
If you portray
Your heart
In different colours!
Perhaps, someone at some moment
May read or ponder over!
Or
You put
Your tragic tale
In any recording deck
In your own voice!
Perhaps, someone may listen
At sometime!
But
Be assured –
The stink
May not spread anywhere
Hence at once, be assured
Surely the people
Burying you in pit
Or entombing you
Or
giving you a pompous burning
Orderly
Turn you into ashes!
Orderly
They will complete
The last ritual
Certainly!
(14) CONCLUSION
Logical thinking
On pros and cons
Is essential
(As far as possible).
Discussion should be mature
Whatever time it may take.
For judging substance
Profound thinking,
Logic and investigation
Are essential
From every angle desired.
For whatever happened
In life –
Is stable forever
Not even a chance given
For the rectification of mistakes.
Impossible to change
The past deeds
Even a little.
It's true –
You yourself are
The doer and the judge
But not the controller
You are detached
From the outcome or result
(Helplessness)
Proved it is –
Life : a test difficult,
At every moment
A test, difficult.
Keep on observing
Count every breath
Accept and adopt
That lies before you!
(15) COMPARISON
Life
Is not a book
So that
It can be written / composed
In a planned way
After profound thinking!
Its contents –
May be divided into
Successive chapters
Carefully,
Heart touching contexts
May be sorted out!
By self-experience and practice
It may be moulded
Into beautiful and artistic form,
Making it radiant
In the glare of craftsmanship
Devoid of laxity
And burdensomeness!
The tale of life
By itself accomplished or gets spoiled
And never links the preceding !
Who knows
What is going to happen
What is going to be moulded
And mended
When everything
Gets spoiled with a jolt!
In the tale-flow of life
Nothing is pre-planned
Nothing is desirable or undesirable
No premonition,
No effort and no exertion!
Well thought over
Moves of chess
Begin to move
Like a defective computer,
And deceives
Even the controller,
Then the stake won almost
Turns into defeat!
Or at once
The vanished present
Descends from that very sequence
Once again
Like the result of an earthquake
Like its very form as before!
(16) EXPERIENCE
What have I done?
Throughout my life
Except doing
strange foolish things,
Except paying
The debt imposed
by society?
Mistakes done
Plenty of mistakes done,
I missed
I missed every time!
Let me say like this –
I lived;
But
Have I learnt
the way of living?
(Have I practiced the style of hypocrisy!)
And now
when everything happened
And perished –
I am wonder-struck,
Too much wonder-struck!
I am a destitute of wisdom!
I trusted
people,
Close to me
Blindly I trusted them!
And the rascals
Have looted
My entire home and hearth,
And destroyed
The beauty and embellishments
of life!
They were hypocrites, masks,
They were spurious
In the garb of truth,
Strange and wonderful!
At the fag end of my life,
At the stage of catastrophe,
Nearly at the end
of the play,
When I stood face to face
Before the truth
Hung on the cross –
I have experienced
Countless electric shocks
Dangerous sparks!
My body and mind
Crushed
By twisting pain!
All are amazing
Everything is peculiar!
Where is my existence?
Only is my statue
Dumb and lifeless!
Now
What is left out
except
Tasting the bitter juice of repentance?
The world
Does not possess
Even a little
shame and modesty
Either in the past
Or in the present.
(17) DELIGHT
Clouds have overcast
Clouds have overspread!
Lightning flashed
All around,
The earth
Emits sweet fragrance!
Since ages
The earth
Was alone
In separation dry
Bored and restless,
Became Suhagin1
Blessed with union
With her dear cloud,
And the empty sky
Reverberated
With the roar of clouds!
Rain has started
Rain has started!
The thick clouds
auspicious
Began to surge,
The bright blackish beauty
Spread all around!
A bride,
Swinging in joyful mood
Visited each and every house
And sung Kajli2 folk-song
In tunes melodious.
Clouds have spread
Rain has started!
1 Woman whose husband is alive.
2 A folk-song sung in an indigenous month of Bhadon by village-women of India.
(18) ATTACHMENT
As the day breaks –
Little and gentle birds
Wake and get rise me up
Flying, peeping curiously
And chirping melodiously
Through doors and windows!
When the night falls
Now and then
Crickets and frogs
Make me sleep
From ponds nearby,
By their incessant singing,
Make me wander
And take me to those
New realms of fancy!
Throughout the day
The blue sky, formless and infinite
Bewitches me
Through its colourful scenes!
Throughout the night –
How much
the moonlight
Sleeping on the bed of the sky
Covered by a bed sheet
Imprinted
with beautiful silvery-golden stars,
Charms me how much!
She invites me to sleep in her lap.
How I can run away
From such a beloved?
How can I leave the earth
So charming and captivating!
(19) BEWITCHED
You are a deep puzzle,
O, creeper – jasmine!
From where
you brought
Such fascinating fragrance
In your flowers / in your body!
O the fair coloured !
O the glittering coloured!
O my companion,
soft and delicate!
From where
you have snached / stolen
Such bewitching beauty!
Whenever
I experience
This fragrance,
Outer and inner
Of the body and soul –
I forget
Worldliness
And my own existence!
For some moments
I lose myself
in this world
I submit myself
Before you
With devotion utmost!
The fragrant one!
The beautiful one!
You the creeper – jasmine!
(20) BREEZE
O My dear Breeze,
Pleasant, fragrant
and intoxicated!
Flow towards me
Slowly and gently!
Sprinkle
Cool water showers
On my
body and mind!
O My dear Breeze,
Waving
and intoxicating!
Without any hesitation
You advance
And get a warm touch
of my body!
O rustling breeze,
Pouring forth
Sweet utterances and melodies!
Convey to my ears
An unheard secret
Of your mind
Calmly and silently!
Come!
Overwhelm me!
Now
Come to my embrace
Breaking the bonds of shyness,
And get attached to me
In a life-long bond!
(21) WILLING TO LIVE
Suddenly
Today, when I saw you –
I want to live further!
Passing through
The solitary path of life
Long and difficult,
Burning every moment,
In the realty of life
And in its blazing flames,
Suddenly
Today,
When I saw you –
I want to drink
A bit more of poison!
In this life
Brimming with bitterness
I want to live further!
Until now
O worldly delight!
Where were you?
O you the lotus -blue !
(22) PASSION AND COMPASSION / 2
You –
Create music [rhythm]
in heart,
I –
Will sing
The song of life!
In this way
Let our age go on
dwindling,
Let the throbbing breaths
In our hearts
Move on!
Let the waving wick of love
Go on burnig
In both of our hearts!
Let the mutual emotion
And compassion
Of our living souls
Go on cherishing!
You –
Tell a story
Of enchanting love,
Listening which
I –
Can sleep
Peacefully!
for a while!
And lose myself
In sweet and charming dreams
Forsaking my
Entire grief!
You –
Make your tears of love
Overflow towards me,
I –
Will make
The splendour of heaven
To stoop down
At your feet!
(23) BOON
Reminded I am
Of your love!
On one day
You, on your own accord
Bestowed upon me
A world of silvery beauty and charm!
Eye-catching festoons!
Were decorated
At each and every door!
Reminded I am
Of your love
A gift, life-like!
(24) REMEMBRANCE
Reminded I am
Of your words of solace!
Broken
By fatal blows of misfortune
I came to you
To get consolation
In your lap!
O My sweet maiden
Brimming with compassion
And with unbridled emotion
At once
On your own accord
You have fallen in love with me!
You have filled
My wounded and poisoned heart
With your sweet
sugar-candy lke words of peace!
Now you stand before me
And look at me
Opening the doors of your heart!
Beloved!
Reminded I am
Of your charming words of consolation!
(25) PRETEXT
I am remided of
Your fake sulkiness!
To feel the happiness
Of persuasion
To fill the boring moments
Burdened by monotony
With ever new
Matchless
Colours of life,
I am reminded
Of your fake sulkiness!
To behold
Again and again
The past love
Of many a birth,
And through this pretext
To keep the auspicious lamp
Of our spiritual union
On the threshold!
I am reminded
Of your fake sulkiness!
I like very much
Your fake sulkiness full of love
Of bygone days!
(26) TO A DISTANT PERSON
Your recollection
is enough
For spending the rest of my life
Happily!
Never
Diminish the feelings
Of your rememberance,
The pangs of your separation
Are enough!
Until today
I have kept with care
The trust-treasure of your feelings
In my mind.
For living long
It is enough
Only to render them
Into sweet songs!
(27) PERCEPTION
Forget that –
We met
Ever!
All the pictures painted
Were mere dreams!
Forget –
The colours,
The blooms,
The streams of desires
Experienced
Gushing through
The body and the mind!
Forget –
Every past moment,
And the music and the song
Sung and heard!
(28) THE GOOD
The feeling of love and affection
Alone
Is the best choice in the creation!
The feeling of love and affection
Of man
In the world of men
In the all human society!
Let the entire compassion
Of man remain
Amidst all living beings!
It alone
Is the great best worship!
Let every man
of the world
Indulge
Always / ceaselessly
In this pure best worship!
Let only this desire,
Simple, candid, innocent, guileless
Spring
In each and every man!
(29) SENSIBILITY
Alas, had I cleansed my face with tears,
Had I sown the seeds of love in my mind,
Had I lost my joy and wealth
For the wellbeing of the unfortunate humanity!
(30) TWO POLES
Human society
Is clearly divided into –
The competent / And the helpless!
On one side –
Are corrupt political parties
And their wicked followers,
Enriched by comfortable facilities
And they are happy
Amassing gold and riches.
They are easy going ,
And masters and sycophants!
They have bungalows, / Brothels,
Undergrounds and bunkers ;
They are enjoying
All sorts of rare gifts,
Amazement, astonishments!
On the other side –
There are people,
Thirsty and starved, weak, dispossessed ... scared
Illiterate,
Oppressed, unorganized
Busy in work
In the fields and villages, / On the roads and in cities,
Exploited / Deceived / And suspicious!
(31) DISTRESSED
The rain
Does not stop
Even for a while,
Never gives
Even a bit of relief
To those villages and localities
Submerged under water!
As a matter of fact,
A calamity
Has befallen this year,
Deva, stood aloof,
Calm and dumb-founded!
His mud-hut,
Thatched roof collapsed,
Only, his household goods
Turned upside down!
Flour and pulses
Were swept away,
Deva, remained hungry!
Firewood soaked,
Earthen hearth will not light up
In the kitchen
Other things remaining
Were floating..
Roaring aircrafts in the sky
Like flying vultures!
Perhaps
The leaders / ministers
Have arrived
To have a stroll!
Mourning spread all around
In the North and the South
And in the East and the West!
Grievous is that
The rain didn't stop!
(32) VICTORY CELEBRATION
The fondling leader of the party
Has arrived at the airport
on a special plane.
The favourite leader
Of the congress party
Has arrived at the railway station
By 'Shatabdy Express'1,
The victorious leader
Of the party
Has arrived by
'A-C Ambassador'
The crowds in thousands
Shouting
Hurrah-hurrah!
Have arrived
To take part in triumphal cheers
And to blow singa2,
to beat kettledrum, to play tom-tom
vigorously!
They are the herds
Of useless domestic 'goats',
Of the harmless stupid 'sheep'
draped in shawls,
Of stout wild 'boars',
And of scared and coward 'jackals'.
Uttering 'mae-mae' like goats,
Growling like pigs,
Crying like jackals!
They shout -
'loot'-'loot',
'Shoot'-'shoot'
.. the opponent!
They celebrate the victory
Of their 'Gabbar'3 leader!
1 Name of a train.
2 A musical instrument.
3 A dacoit in the Hindi flim 'Shole'.
(33) SURPRISE
How much the man
Has become selfish!
He is happy
Getting a little profit
By selling his integrity!
He has voted
For Satan
Taking a few bucks,
He didn't know
The meaning of 'self-respect' –
And happily swallows insult!
To please the ministers
He stands in front of them
Like a puppet lifeless,
Looks like an unfamiliar one –
He lost his
Human identity!
(34) THE DREAM OF EQUALITY
World history
is the witness –
In every age only those,
Who offered their lives
To the blazing flames
Of deficiencies,
Had burnt their youth
Since generations
In fighting injustice
And in changing the system,
Only they
Were deceived
In every age,
And were crushed
Continuously
In every age
Caught
In the cruel wheel of exploitation!
Inequality
Went on
Increasing
More and more,
The economic gap
Went on widening!
The rich became more resouceful,
The poor became poorer
Having no monetary importance
Losing more and more
Became nervous
And miserable!
But
The world history
Is the witness –
The sense of equality
Among men,
Will not be dormant,
And never admits defeat!
It never falters
Without reaching its goal
And the man,
Even for a moment
Will neither go astray nor move away
On the path of equality
Being hindered
And becoming helpless!
(35) USURPERS
Rascals –
They are ready
To deceive,
To cheat the weak
And the straight-forward!
Rascals they are –
They hide
In an ambush
nearby
To deliver deadly assaults!
Rascals they are –
Frauds, hypocrites,
vigilant
Ready to grab,
To loot, to steal,
To show cunningness
Or
to indulge
in direct fist-attacks!
Rascals they are –
They grab property
Legally inherited
from ancestors
And other belongings
Squander wealth
Squander wealth
Using their polluted mind,
Turning arrogant,
impudent,
And fearless!
And are preparing
Fake documents.
What a wonder!
What an amazing wonder!
(36) VISION
O you, the vanquished
In the bitter struggle of life!
O you, beaten by misfortune
At every step!
Don't mourn
helplessly,
Dense darkness spread all around.
Don't lose your spirit!
Treat your defeat
As a prior intimation to your victory,
Treat the darkness
As the background of sunrise!
Let this dam of faith
not crack!
Let this dream of new age
not break!
Let this thread of feeling
not be loosened!
(37) CHANGE IN ENVIRONMENT
How much
The season has changed!
New looks
All around!
The dream
Which was foreseen
Has become true,
We have our grip
On our life
And on our fortunes!
The measure of equality
We have adopted
Has flourished
And expanded beyond limits!
That laid the foundation
For a new socio-economic order!
Those exploited and oppressed
Have awakened,
And have become the architects
Of a new age!
The sky echoed by the slogans
Of the feelings of equality!
How much
The season has changed!
(38) TRANSITION
Now
The earth is ours,
The Sky is ours!
Look
The sun rose
And the light has spread
All around!
Have full confidence,
We will be free
Forever!
This wheel of human-progress
Never turns back
History is the witness!
This
Metaphysical knowledge,
Testified by experiment,
Is with us!
(39) PRAYER
O sun,
The blazing red sun!
Fill
My dejected heart
With the fire of life!
Give smartness to my body,
Inactive and tired,
And make it move forward!
Remove
The spread out
Snow and thick darkness
With your dazzling golden sunshine!
O sun,
The blazing red sun!
(40) AWAKENING
Neither I was disappointed / nor dejected!
It is true –
All my efforts were useless.
I could not succeed,
But I am
Not at all restless!
At every time
Let the blows of defeat
Become a source of your strength,
Let your mind, engaged in work,
Be filled always
With virility and vigour!
Let your heart
Be in high spirits
And your search for
Your goal not stop!
Let your search for
The object of your longing
Should not stop
At any time, at any cost!
Certainly , doomed you are
If you are dejected!
Ruined you are
If you are frustrated!
(41) PLEASURE GIVING
In lands far off and nearby
I have searched and found
My co-believers and co-workers.
And in a mysterious way
Every limb of my body
Is tied to them naturally
By unbreakable strings,
From all the four sides
By strong threads!
Now, am I alone?
Today, how big
My family has become
All of a sudden!
While departing
In what measure
This love, pure and intense,
Has showered on my soul
Giving it a splendid bath!
In abundance!
The empty lake of my heart
Is brimming full with ripples
From all the sides!
(42) CHANGE
Change the direction
Of the wind!
Blowing towards
towns and villages,
Carrying the stench
Of decaying carcasses!
Beware of it
And change the direction
Of the blowing wind,
Burdened
By poisonous alcoholic gases
And hangs around in the sky
Above the towns and villages!
(43) ESCAPE
What wind is blowing!
When everyone
Thinks only
of his own interest,
Usurps
the share of others,
Whatever they may
suffer agonies !
When everyone
Cuts off
the bones of others
And snatches them,
To enrich himself!
Is there any medicine
For this
Contagious social
disease?
What wind is blowing!
(44) INITIATIVE
If –
It is desirable
To have a softly
flowing stream
Of patience and peace
In the nervous,
Scared and tormented
Localities / Cities / All countries,
If –
It is desirable
To have bonds of affection and fraternity
Between man and man,
Then –
The man,
Caught and lost
In the caves
Of irrational blind beliefs,
Has to become a modern human being,
He has to create
A new sociology
Suited to his age!
He has to build
A new and lofty
Human civilization
On the ground of scientific thought
Forsaking
All irrelevant and hollow
Religious owls
And their ostentations.
He has to advance
In a new direction
With full dedication
In the new light!
He has to mould himself
In his natural form
Accepting the best
Human relations.
With utmost confidence
He has to move forward
Continuously and tirelessly
On the path
Of eternal peace!
He has to establish
'The eternal truth of humanity'
In the place of
Imagined divine power!
Men have to live
With mutual understanding
Knowing and accepting
That the entire universe
Is a single family!
Struggling with
The contemporary challenges
He has to opt for
The reality of life!
He has to brood over
The passionate feelings and thoughts
Of each and every man!
(45) MARVELOUS
Why a man –
With love
and affection
Never looks at a man
Belonging to other religion?
He considers him as an alien
And very often
Treats him as his foe!
Oh, finding an occasion
He never hesitates
To trouble him
And wants
To uproot him!
At his very sight
He feels
Tension,
A dense cloud of malice
Spreads
All around!
How it happens?
Why it happens?
What a sort of man is he?
O, a wonderful man
How is he?
Well, Ah! Miracle
He belongs to an unique religion!
Really
Like death,
He is dreadful and abhorrent!
He who believes
And thinks
The people of other religions
Merely
Insignifcant!
(46) DREAM
Some Bhatnagar,
Insane and crazy,
Has killed
The honourable Prime Minister .....
By shooting at him!!
When the news spread
Suddenly
People gathered around me ....
'He is Bhatnagar,
Kill ... kill this bloody fellow!
He is a murderer ... a murderer!'
I explained them very much,
I explained to them
In a screaming voice –
'Brothers, I am not 'The Bhatnagar'
Of that kind!
O it is my actual name,
But not my surname!
I am
'Mahendrabhatnagar' or 'Mahendra',
I am not 'Bhatnagar' or 'Vatnagar',
Brothers, never!
Just, you think
And understand me a little!
But, when the crowd thinks?
When it listens to truth or logic?
All the people pounced on me
And turned my house into ashes!!
Let history testify
Who
When and where
Has suffered this horror?
Has endured this tyranny?
When and where
In such a mood of beastliness
The human society
Losing its way
Has gone out of bounds ?
Why
Our dynasty, / Our religion
Is linked to names,
Pen names or nick names?
Let someone say in a natural way –
I am a Christian or a Muslim
Or a Hindu
[One of the 'karyasthas' 1
'a great fool – a shudra'2]
Let him say
That 'my name is - Mahendrabhatnagar',
In which is hidden
Neither my clan nor my religion!
[No secret whatsoever!]
So it is not right to say –
'What is there in a name!'
Or
'Don't ask the caste of a Sadhu3
O Kabir4!
Will someone will comply
With your word?
After all,
When someone will accept your word?
In an 'educated' society,
In a 'civilized and well cultured society'
How much secure is the man?
How much insecure is the man?
O all knowing Almighty,
Give the witness truthful!
(47) REALISM
Living life –
Is difficult, unbearable
And burdensome!
As if
It is a dreadful ride
On two boats!
There is a saw,
Poison smeared and double edged,
There is a sharpened dagger
Close to the throat!
There is a noose around the neck,
Bewildered at every time!
Running and fighting
All around!
The full-moon night
Has vanished,
And only the dense darkness
Has spread everywhere!
Living life –
Is a compulsion!
Too much burdensome!
(48) PLAYER
I am running
Without a pause,
I am running
Untired and constantly!
Day and night,
Night and day
Panting and bewildered,
Now and then
Falling
And rising,
Yet I keep on running
In quick succession!
[with a crash!]
It looks –
Keep on running ceaselessly
All my life
Is my fate only!
I am running constantly
Breaking the limitations
Of the time fixed!
Without competing with anyone
Absolutely alone!
Look –
How I am running
Fast
And faster!
I am swimming,
Swimming without a pause
Day and night
Night and day
Jerking and pushing
Both my hands and legs
Here and there
Without giving up,
I keep on swimming
Disgorging foam
Again and again!
It is not a cool
Olympic swimming pool,
But a boiling hot water tank
Emitting fumes!
On its chest
Look
How I am swimming
Disorderly
In utter disarray!
No other swimmer
Is there nearby,
I am swimming alone
In a wavy motion
Like a fish!
Now it looks –
It may not be safe,
My legs and hands
May turn stiff and and stiffer!
Yet
Still, surely
I keep on swimming!
Keep on swimming!
For
I have seen very well
Corpses were afloat
On the fleeting waves!
Jumping repeatedly
High and long,
I keep on leaping and jumping
Day in and day out,
Like a ball
I keep on rebounding
Again and again!
Like a blockhead
I keep on jumping and leaping
Returning
Again ana again!
I have broken
The earliar records.
It looks
The scales will be small!
I am lifting the weights
One after another,
Weighty and weightier
And taking them
Here and there
To far off places–
From one room to another room,
From one house to another house,
From one village to another village,
From one city to another city,
From the blazing deserts
To the icy lands
And from plains
To the high mountain terrains!
Yet
The realm of high heavens
Shudders by my roaring,
The world of the dead
Is scared to see my form!
Certain it is –
Every heart attack
Will be defeated
And every paralysis
Will be crippled
By the soul immortal!
Industrious am I
Will keep on living,
Will remain
Brim with life
Free and liberated!
(49) ATTRIBUTE
It is
The man -
Who can face
any disaster!
He plays fearlessly
With the strong blows
of hostile storms
And with dreadful reverse currents!
The fast moving
chariot of his life
Never stops,
Though got struck
Or caught somewhere!
He, at once,
With the power of his intellect
Or with the might of his arms
Pushes it aside
Without getting tired or defeated!
It is the man
Restrained,
Who can face
All calamities!
(50) ENLIGHTENMENT
Bitter experiences,
Have given me
Maturity!
The meanness of man
Has taught me
How to live rightly!
Ingratitude
Has revealed to me
The secret of life
Liberating me
From the spell of fascination!
Then alone
I could sing
The song of pain
When the age
Tormented me ruthlessly!
Then alone
I could know
The secret of life and of the world
When I was badly hurt
By my own-selves and by others!
Contact :
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar,
110, BalwantNagar, Gandhi Road,
GWALIOR — 474 002 (M.P.) INDIA
E-Mail : drmahendrabh@rediffmail.com
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, June 3, 2007
POEMS and POEMS
REGISTER — THIS DAY
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
You just register; this day —
That, in a short span of time
thousand years,
old and decayed
mansion of slavery
shall be seen broken
and scattered on the earth!
For thousand years —
An orchard
smeared with fresh blood
of the poor, farmers, labourers
and working class
shall be found
totally deserted!
New fire will emerge
from the smoke of suppression,
and will be seen
surging in the sky!
With that
the camps of plunderers
shall vanish
and in the morning
simultaneously
their ashes will be seen
diffusing in the air!
CHANGE — INEVITABLE
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
New Wind
which has been blown —
Will get momentum, tomorrow,
and will turn into
a roaring puff
of a ceaseless storm!
And the snow
which has just melted
by the rage of the age —
will tomorrow become
the strong force of currents,
and will certainly change
the face of the earth!
The light jostle
that is just stuck today —
The same
will stir and turn
upside down the earth,
and will give it
a new shape, decidedly!
THE PATH’S BEND
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
The bend of the path
is dear to me.
A rather too long way
makes me bored,
For no reason
I get plunged into the
sluggish weariness
without knowing anything.
When I fail to see
anything new on
the oft-beaten track
I'm unable to walk.
Therefore, a hearty
welcome to every
new bend, a welcome
overbrimmed with deep emotion!
What otherwise in this,
if the turn of the path is so
dear to me, so close
to my heart!
MOST WANTED
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
May there be
on the sweet lips
a smile like a
blossomed lotus flower!
Or there be a
lovely song full of
rapturous feelings!
A smile
A sweet song —
are rare to find
in this cursed age!
Hard to see them,
limitlessly hard to see them.
Only there is a
very deep layer of
snow on the quiet
blue-hued lips.
In every heart is a
rattling crop of pain,
The seeds of joy
do'nt exist, except
stupefied limbs.
The man,
looks lifeless —
like a portrait,
searching life
of rainbow colours!.
GOOD OMENS
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
What unknown does
make my heart
filled with delight today
Since morning!
All of a sudden
A melodious note,
the right eye throbs
intermittantly perforce!
At a far off height
there spreads a strange
deep golden glow,
A red rose has
bloomed for the first
time in the flower pot!
God knows to what
unknown self-good
this is a pretty prelude!
The body-jasmine
laden with flowers of thrills!
Possibly, we may meet today!
IN CHORUS
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Come, you sweet-throated
Songstress, sing out
the life’s thirst.
May the whole creation
resound with seven notes,
the lonely path may
become an orchestral board!
Bring various instruments
of melodious music,
play on them;
bring the solemn drum,
the lyre and, the divine surbahar1.
Sing, ye, O! Sweet-throated one!
Sing out the life’s thirst.
[1 A musical instrument like guitar.]
AT MIDDAY
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
At midday
despairing and crestfallen
I bemoan
I am not
by your side!
Lonely,
drowsy and dreamy
I peer constantly
at the path
through the door ajar!
The searing sun
blears the eyes more.
The sizzling, striding
wind herald
conveys your tidings.
Mute!
Perceiving your arrival
instantly springing up,
I enfold her in my arms
and clasp her
in a soothing, comfy embrace.
Alas!
With the waning noon
my agony
deepens more and more!
Phone : 0751-2341955
AN EVENING
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Life
denotes stillness!
Today too
nothing unusual came about
and the day slipped away.
The vagrant sunshine
did come.
I longed to spend
a few moments with her.
But alas
only gloom befriended me!
Migratory birds flew in
but completely perplexed
I simply stared at them!
No one lingered,
the usual monotony prevailed.
The doleful heart
kept forbearing!
Life
connotes dullness,
grimness!
MEMOIRS
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
[ 1 ]
Life was serene; turned into a groan.
Life was sacred; turned into a crime.
Always stood by justice and truth,
Life became a witness of fraud!
[ 2 ]
We swallowed bile throughout life,
and the skies always poured misfortunes
but the vicissitudes of times
made all harshnesses ineffectual!
UNWANTED
Sweet and sanguine
virgin, surging longings,
nestling in my heart
since ages
are now abandoned!
Naïve and innocuous
they seemed
warmly snuggling in my heart.
Affectionate, they lolled
throughout the day!
At night
luridly lurked
like rajnihasa
or rajnigandha.
Today they have
all evaporated!
O, Rajnihasa!
Extremely discontented I am!
The consummation of long cherished desires
the coveted festivities of golden future
are all facing fruitlessness.
The night of crystal dreams,
the honeyed talks
are all renounced and
mute!
My mind gathers wool,
my eyes blear!
The sweet spring has passed,
o, sweetheart,
the golden era is over!
WHO COULD FORESEE
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
The sunrays seemed suffusing
the pinnacles
and the nethermost limits
of the universe!
The life appeared clothed in
new enlightenment.
The earth seemed adorned
with rare golden grandeur
and all sides resounded
with the sweetest songs!
It could not be foreseen
that one day things would have
such a sudden turn for the worse
causing a great havoc,
leaving us stunned
in our tracks, directionless!
That destiny would snuff out
all splendour from our world
by decaying all fragranat flowers
to seethe us with virulence!
Ah, that
wretched submission
would devastate us
so ignominiously!
And that
crestfallen, with heavy hearts
we would consign our faith
to the flames of negativity
and trudge home alone
to sing dirges
throughout life!
PRAYER
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Bestow melancholy,
grant derision of defeat,
confer morbid hopelessness,
but
do not take away
the hope of triumph!
Do not smother the whiffs of dawn!
With the prop of newfangled aspirations
we shall drag on with the dismal life
the life of deficiencies!
Let there be betrayal,
let disloyalty haunt us
at every amorous step,
bequeath faithlessness, endless like the mirage,
but do not still the songs on lips!
Do not rub out the moving music
from the dulcet throat!
On this planet earth
imbued with the sensibility of faith,
indulging in fancies
we shall while away
our listless youth!
We shall live through every wet monsoon
and spend our dreary, lonely life!
SECOND BIRTH
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Initiation of life
once more
without any intuitive percipience
or the prenatal connectivity!
Is it necessary to link
'present' to the 'past'?
even when it is difficult to fathom
the depth of real life?
Life : not an enigma?
Its significance may be simple
its connotation profound
without any sub-plot
or predicamental queasy wounds!
Deeper the quest –
agonizing propensity,
closer search for relevance-link –
more bewilderment!
Is the present overborne
by distress and gloom?
Is the glossy citadel of faith
targeted by the missile of suspicion?
No, never!
SOLICITATION
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Like a carved cameo
you are
having well chiseled limbs
and feature glowing profusely
with youthful glamour!
When the golden rays of dawn
smooched the spasmodic heaves
of your voluptuous body
your entire epidermis
got rejuvenesced
and the pulsating heart
suffused you with love
from top to toe.
A soulful onyx you are
flush with spontaneous love
and douched with intense emotions!
Please bestow on me
my cherished wish
of minimal pleasure of your lavish love
and a brief hug of your body!
Kindly fill my eager heart
with your surging love!
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Throughout the night
snarling wind, like a drunkard,
kept rocking the thatched roof
and mud walls of the hut!
Morbid terror
surged round the hut.
Throughout the night
four eyes
could not have a wink of sleep.
Utter gloom poured copiously
Yet
hope for the bright dawn of future life
could not be cowered
for a single moment;
although the wind howled menacingly
throughout the night!
GOOD WISHES
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
To the nations fighting against
imperialist forces,
whose brave people have
resolved to martyrise themselves,
I send my good wishes.
May they be victorious!
I convey my conviction
o, dauntless!
Final victory will be yours!
The entrenched fortifications
of your tyrants will be shaken.
The selfish
and the expansionist empires
will crumble down!
The liberated and the fearless masses
from a position of power
will proclaim
the victory of their motherland!
We know
and you as well
that the most coveted aim
in the world is
the individual's freedom
in his own behoof.
On the earth
not a single soul
should deprived of
the foremost right
of individual freedom!
So the struggle you are waging,
infusing the youthful vigour
in the nation's arteries,
I too am partaking of the same
and am humming
the song of country's freedom!
ESSENTIAL
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Change this order
that a man be afraid of another,
Remove such a state
that a man has hatred for another.
That our elders give us counsel like this —
''Son, don't be afraid of snake
every snake is not poisonous,
listening to its hiss you can save yourself easily.
Don't be afraid of murderous lion too
every lion is not a man-eater,
listening to its roar you can save yourself easily.
Love without wiles animals and birds,
let them gather around you,
let them cling to your body.
Try, they are not afraid of you,
seeing you they do not run away,
fluttering their wings they do not fly away,
may it be a bird, a squirrel, a mongoose,
simply by your touch, the beerbahooti1
in self defence, does not show itself as lifeless,
hearing sound of your foot-steps
a rabbit does not gallop in vaulting motion.
But, remain aloof,
vigilant and cautious of this creature — man!
Who doesn't hiss or roar
but stings straight for its ends,
it attacks your hind,
at times it tears to pieces this or that —
may it be a man, an animal,
a bird, a flower, a leaf, a butterfly, a fire-fly!
To attain its, only its selfish motive
this man speaks very sweet,
tries to put down sugar-coated words in the hearers' ears!
But, keeps its poisonous hood suppressed!
Respectfully gives knock at your door,
pays homage, praises you
and then destroys all / breaks you from all sides
leaves you in turbulence to lament!
Be your own shield before this man,
Remain hungry and unclothed,
but don't fall in its trap!
If you perform like this —
you will survive a century and will pass time happily!''
We have to change this situation —
Why a man plunders a man
and makes him blood-stained,
Why the mighty commit an outrage with the weak,
cruely assault him unopposed and tyrannize him?
And afterwards
attend temple or mosque or church or gurudvara,
bowing before God sing a devotional song!
1 A typical small red insect which appears when first rains fall.
LIBERTY : SELF-RESTRAINED
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
The blue is omnipresent
— for every living being,
gives full opportunities to all!
Birds!
Fly,
fly with set-free wings!
Accomplish upwards flights,
flights high —
far out and away,
having maximum potency,
Birds! perform.
Uprise with confidence,
reach your destination,
reach upto your desired aim!
High, higher, still higher,
fly speedily —
like super-sonic sound-waves!
Fly fearlessly!
This blue is omnipresent
— for every living being!
In limitless empty space
take turns where ever / as you desire,
fly where ever / as you prefer!
Take turns like this; like that,
fly like this; like that,
fly with comfort, with convenience!
Attain your goal!
Self-willed, unobstructed;
rise above with head held high,
far off
touching the sky,
birds, perform flights!
No one
should come in any body's way,
should be an obstacle
in fulfillment
of any body's will!
Let all be free-willed,
self- disciplined-bound,
controlled and balanced
fellow-travellers!
110 BalwantNagar, Gandhi Road, Gwalior — 474002 [M.P.] INDIA
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
You just register; this day —
That, in a short span of time
thousand years,
old and decayed
mansion of slavery
shall be seen broken
and scattered on the earth!
For thousand years —
An orchard
smeared with fresh blood
of the poor, farmers, labourers
and working class
shall be found
totally deserted!
New fire will emerge
from the smoke of suppression,
and will be seen
surging in the sky!
With that
the camps of plunderers
shall vanish
and in the morning
simultaneously
their ashes will be seen
diffusing in the air!
CHANGE — INEVITABLE
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
New Wind
which has been blown —
Will get momentum, tomorrow,
and will turn into
a roaring puff
of a ceaseless storm!
And the snow
which has just melted
by the rage of the age —
will tomorrow become
the strong force of currents,
and will certainly change
the face of the earth!
The light jostle
that is just stuck today —
The same
will stir and turn
upside down the earth,
and will give it
a new shape, decidedly!
THE PATH’S BEND
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
The bend of the path
is dear to me.
A rather too long way
makes me bored,
For no reason
I get plunged into the
sluggish weariness
without knowing anything.
When I fail to see
anything new on
the oft-beaten track
I'm unable to walk.
Therefore, a hearty
welcome to every
new bend, a welcome
overbrimmed with deep emotion!
What otherwise in this,
if the turn of the path is so
dear to me, so close
to my heart!
MOST WANTED
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
May there be
on the sweet lips
a smile like a
blossomed lotus flower!
Or there be a
lovely song full of
rapturous feelings!
A smile
A sweet song —
are rare to find
in this cursed age!
Hard to see them,
limitlessly hard to see them.
Only there is a
very deep layer of
snow on the quiet
blue-hued lips.
In every heart is a
rattling crop of pain,
The seeds of joy
do'nt exist, except
stupefied limbs.
The man,
looks lifeless —
like a portrait,
searching life
of rainbow colours!.
GOOD OMENS
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
What unknown does
make my heart
filled with delight today
Since morning!
All of a sudden
A melodious note,
the right eye throbs
intermittantly perforce!
At a far off height
there spreads a strange
deep golden glow,
A red rose has
bloomed for the first
time in the flower pot!
God knows to what
unknown self-good
this is a pretty prelude!
The body-jasmine
laden with flowers of thrills!
Possibly, we may meet today!
IN CHORUS
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Come, you sweet-throated
Songstress, sing out
the life’s thirst.
May the whole creation
resound with seven notes,
the lonely path may
become an orchestral board!
Bring various instruments
of melodious music,
play on them;
bring the solemn drum,
the lyre and, the divine surbahar1.
Sing, ye, O! Sweet-throated one!
Sing out the life’s thirst.
[1 A musical instrument like guitar.]
AT MIDDAY
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
At midday
despairing and crestfallen
I bemoan
I am not
by your side!
Lonely,
drowsy and dreamy
I peer constantly
at the path
through the door ajar!
The searing sun
blears the eyes more.
The sizzling, striding
wind herald
conveys your tidings.
Mute!
Perceiving your arrival
instantly springing up,
I enfold her in my arms
and clasp her
in a soothing, comfy embrace.
Alas!
With the waning noon
my agony
deepens more and more!
Phone : 0751-2341955
AN EVENING
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Life
denotes stillness!
Today too
nothing unusual came about
and the day slipped away.
The vagrant sunshine
did come.
I longed to spend
a few moments with her.
But alas
only gloom befriended me!
Migratory birds flew in
but completely perplexed
I simply stared at them!
No one lingered,
the usual monotony prevailed.
The doleful heart
kept forbearing!
Life
connotes dullness,
grimness!
MEMOIRS
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
[ 1 ]
Life was serene; turned into a groan.
Life was sacred; turned into a crime.
Always stood by justice and truth,
Life became a witness of fraud!
[ 2 ]
We swallowed bile throughout life,
and the skies always poured misfortunes
but the vicissitudes of times
made all harshnesses ineffectual!
UNWANTED
Sweet and sanguine
virgin, surging longings,
nestling in my heart
since ages
are now abandoned!
Naïve and innocuous
they seemed
warmly snuggling in my heart.
Affectionate, they lolled
throughout the day!
At night
luridly lurked
like rajnihasa
or rajnigandha.
Today they have
all evaporated!
O, Rajnihasa!
Extremely discontented I am!
The consummation of long cherished desires
the coveted festivities of golden future
are all facing fruitlessness.
The night of crystal dreams,
the honeyed talks
are all renounced and
mute!
My mind gathers wool,
my eyes blear!
The sweet spring has passed,
o, sweetheart,
the golden era is over!
WHO COULD FORESEE
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
The sunrays seemed suffusing
the pinnacles
and the nethermost limits
of the universe!
The life appeared clothed in
new enlightenment.
The earth seemed adorned
with rare golden grandeur
and all sides resounded
with the sweetest songs!
It could not be foreseen
that one day things would have
such a sudden turn for the worse
causing a great havoc,
leaving us stunned
in our tracks, directionless!
That destiny would snuff out
all splendour from our world
by decaying all fragranat flowers
to seethe us with virulence!
Ah, that
wretched submission
would devastate us
so ignominiously!
And that
crestfallen, with heavy hearts
we would consign our faith
to the flames of negativity
and trudge home alone
to sing dirges
throughout life!
PRAYER
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Bestow melancholy,
grant derision of defeat,
confer morbid hopelessness,
but
do not take away
the hope of triumph!
Do not smother the whiffs of dawn!
With the prop of newfangled aspirations
we shall drag on with the dismal life
the life of deficiencies!
Let there be betrayal,
let disloyalty haunt us
at every amorous step,
bequeath faithlessness, endless like the mirage,
but do not still the songs on lips!
Do not rub out the moving music
from the dulcet throat!
On this planet earth
imbued with the sensibility of faith,
indulging in fancies
we shall while away
our listless youth!
We shall live through every wet monsoon
and spend our dreary, lonely life!
SECOND BIRTH
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Initiation of life
once more
without any intuitive percipience
or the prenatal connectivity!
Is it necessary to link
'present' to the 'past'?
even when it is difficult to fathom
the depth of real life?
Life : not an enigma?
Its significance may be simple
its connotation profound
without any sub-plot
or predicamental queasy wounds!
Deeper the quest –
agonizing propensity,
closer search for relevance-link –
more bewilderment!
Is the present overborne
by distress and gloom?
Is the glossy citadel of faith
targeted by the missile of suspicion?
No, never!
SOLICITATION
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Like a carved cameo
you are
having well chiseled limbs
and feature glowing profusely
with youthful glamour!
When the golden rays of dawn
smooched the spasmodic heaves
of your voluptuous body
your entire epidermis
got rejuvenesced
and the pulsating heart
suffused you with love
from top to toe.
A soulful onyx you are
flush with spontaneous love
and douched with intense emotions!
Please bestow on me
my cherished wish
of minimal pleasure of your lavish love
and a brief hug of your body!
Kindly fill my eager heart
with your surging love!
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Throughout the night
snarling wind, like a drunkard,
kept rocking the thatched roof
and mud walls of the hut!
Morbid terror
surged round the hut.
Throughout the night
four eyes
could not have a wink of sleep.
Utter gloom poured copiously
Yet
hope for the bright dawn of future life
could not be cowered
for a single moment;
although the wind howled menacingly
throughout the night!
GOOD WISHES
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
To the nations fighting against
imperialist forces,
whose brave people have
resolved to martyrise themselves,
I send my good wishes.
May they be victorious!
I convey my conviction
o, dauntless!
Final victory will be yours!
The entrenched fortifications
of your tyrants will be shaken.
The selfish
and the expansionist empires
will crumble down!
The liberated and the fearless masses
from a position of power
will proclaim
the victory of their motherland!
We know
and you as well
that the most coveted aim
in the world is
the individual's freedom
in his own behoof.
On the earth
not a single soul
should deprived of
the foremost right
of individual freedom!
So the struggle you are waging,
infusing the youthful vigour
in the nation's arteries,
I too am partaking of the same
and am humming
the song of country's freedom!
ESSENTIAL
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Change this order
that a man be afraid of another,
Remove such a state
that a man has hatred for another.
That our elders give us counsel like this —
''Son, don't be afraid of snake
every snake is not poisonous,
listening to its hiss you can save yourself easily.
Don't be afraid of murderous lion too
every lion is not a man-eater,
listening to its roar you can save yourself easily.
Love without wiles animals and birds,
let them gather around you,
let them cling to your body.
Try, they are not afraid of you,
seeing you they do not run away,
fluttering their wings they do not fly away,
may it be a bird, a squirrel, a mongoose,
simply by your touch, the beerbahooti1
in self defence, does not show itself as lifeless,
hearing sound of your foot-steps
a rabbit does not gallop in vaulting motion.
But, remain aloof,
vigilant and cautious of this creature — man!
Who doesn't hiss or roar
but stings straight for its ends,
it attacks your hind,
at times it tears to pieces this or that —
may it be a man, an animal,
a bird, a flower, a leaf, a butterfly, a fire-fly!
To attain its, only its selfish motive
this man speaks very sweet,
tries to put down sugar-coated words in the hearers' ears!
But, keeps its poisonous hood suppressed!
Respectfully gives knock at your door,
pays homage, praises you
and then destroys all / breaks you from all sides
leaves you in turbulence to lament!
Be your own shield before this man,
Remain hungry and unclothed,
but don't fall in its trap!
If you perform like this —
you will survive a century and will pass time happily!''
We have to change this situation —
Why a man plunders a man
and makes him blood-stained,
Why the mighty commit an outrage with the weak,
cruely assault him unopposed and tyrannize him?
And afterwards
attend temple or mosque or church or gurudvara,
bowing before God sing a devotional song!
1 A typical small red insect which appears when first rains fall.
LIBERTY : SELF-RESTRAINED
— Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
The blue is omnipresent
— for every living being,
gives full opportunities to all!
Birds!
Fly,
fly with set-free wings!
Accomplish upwards flights,
flights high —
far out and away,
having maximum potency,
Birds! perform.
Uprise with confidence,
reach your destination,
reach upto your desired aim!
High, higher, still higher,
fly speedily —
like super-sonic sound-waves!
Fly fearlessly!
This blue is omnipresent
— for every living being!
In limitless empty space
take turns where ever / as you desire,
fly where ever / as you prefer!
Take turns like this; like that,
fly like this; like that,
fly with comfort, with convenience!
Attain your goal!
Self-willed, unobstructed;
rise above with head held high,
far off
touching the sky,
birds, perform flights!
No one
should come in any body's way,
should be an obstacle
in fulfillment
of any body's will!
Let all be free-willed,
self- disciplined-bound,
controlled and balanced
fellow-travellers!
110 BalwantNagar, Gandhi Road, Gwalior — 474002 [M.P.] INDIA
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar & His Poems
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's is one of the significant post-independence voices in Hindi and Indian English Poetry, expressing the lyricism and pathos, aspirations and yearnings of the modern Indian intellect. Rooted deep into the Indian soil, his poems reflect not only the moods of a poet but of a complex age.
Born : 26 June 1926: Jhansi (U.P.), Edu. : M.A. (1948), Ph.D. (1957) from Nagpur University; Retd. Professor.
Several volumes of poetry in English and other languages are published, viz. In French 'A MODERN INDIAN POET : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : UN POÈTE INDIEN ET MODERNE; In English Forty Poems of Mahendra Bhatnagar After The Forty Poems Exuberance and other poems Dr.Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry Death Perception : Life Perception Passion and Compassion Poems : For A Better World A Handful of Light Lyric-Lute. etc. Poems are translated in most of the Indian languages.
Published research & critical studies :
(1) Living Through Challenges : A Study of Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry
(2) Poet Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : His Mind And Art.
Adviser — 'POETCRIT' (H.P.) & 'VICHAR-DRISHTI' (Delhi-Patna) At present — Reasearch Guide in many Indian Universities.
Contact : 110 BalwantNagar, Gandhi Road, Gwalior — 474 002 (M.P.) INDIA / Phone : 0751-4092908 / E-Mail : drmahendrabh@rediffmail.com
WITH FLAGS OF PEACE
Poet : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
No matter how vigorous
The drum-beat of war may be
We shall hold fast
The banner of peace aloft!
And the suppression of the voice of peace
We shall not allow!
From the dawn of history
We have faith in peace and humanity,
Gautam and Gandhi are dearest to our hearts!
Molesting anyone is sin for us,
We come not in any body's way
Quarrels we do not pick,
World friendship and mutual love
Is our message eternal,
Enough affection have we
For the tormented and destructed world!
Our hands will uplift the down-trodden,
And we shall save
Millions of down-cast mute molested
Fear-stricken injured sisters
From the cruel clutches of the devils!
We love smiles of children innocent;
Alluring are the folk-songs of the shepherds and farmers!
We shall never let these songs of mirth
Turn into painful sighs and groans!
Nor let the smiles be blood-stained!
We pledge we shall never let the lightning
Crash on the innocent dreams of Resurgent Man!
WOMAN REBORN
Poet : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
You aren't a purse-purchased commodity of man,
Nor are you the soulless slave girl,
The brainless hand-maid and the lifeless doll.
No longer are you the age-old
Down-trodden footwear of man,
Not a source of pleasure and pastime any more
Frailty is not thy name.
A bed of roses you desire not.
Nor are you caught in the whirl-pool any more
But banks distant you adorn now.
No longer shall injustice crush you,
New power and zeal of the time is with you;
Your hands are now free from chains;
Prison social or personal confines you not,
Nor does man dominate your mind and body
That you submit to his whims
And utter not a complaint even by chance.
On behalf of the youths millions of the world
I speak, not as your lord, but as a friend;
I simply wish to bind you
With bonds silken of eternal love!
(Dr. Bhatnagar’s Phone : 0751-2341955
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's is one of the significant post-independence voices in Hindi and Indian English Poetry, expressing the lyricism and pathos, aspirations and yearnings of the modern Indian intellect. Rooted deep into the Indian soil, his poems reflect not only the moods of a poet but of a complex age.
Born : 26 June 1926: Jhansi (U.P.), Edu. : M.A. (1948), Ph.D. (1957) from Nagpur University; Retd. Professor.
Several volumes of poetry in English and other languages are published, viz. In French 'A MODERN INDIAN POET : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : UN POÈTE INDIEN ET MODERNE; In English Forty Poems of Mahendra Bhatnagar After The Forty Poems Exuberance and other poems Dr.Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry Death Perception : Life Perception Passion and Compassion Poems : For A Better World A Handful of Light Lyric-Lute. etc. Poems are translated in most of the Indian languages.
Published research & critical studies :
(1) Living Through Challenges : A Study of Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar's Poetry
(2) Poet Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar : His Mind And Art.
Adviser — 'POETCRIT' (H.P.) & 'VICHAR-DRISHTI' (Delhi-Patna) At present — Reasearch Guide in many Indian Universities.
Contact : 110 BalwantNagar, Gandhi Road, Gwalior — 474 002 (M.P.) INDIA / Phone : 0751-4092908 / E-Mail : drmahendrabh@rediffmail.com
WITH FLAGS OF PEACE
Poet : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
No matter how vigorous
The drum-beat of war may be
We shall hold fast
The banner of peace aloft!
And the suppression of the voice of peace
We shall not allow!
From the dawn of history
We have faith in peace and humanity,
Gautam and Gandhi are dearest to our hearts!
Molesting anyone is sin for us,
We come not in any body's way
Quarrels we do not pick,
World friendship and mutual love
Is our message eternal,
Enough affection have we
For the tormented and destructed world!
Our hands will uplift the down-trodden,
And we shall save
Millions of down-cast mute molested
Fear-stricken injured sisters
From the cruel clutches of the devils!
We love smiles of children innocent;
Alluring are the folk-songs of the shepherds and farmers!
We shall never let these songs of mirth
Turn into painful sighs and groans!
Nor let the smiles be blood-stained!
We pledge we shall never let the lightning
Crash on the innocent dreams of Resurgent Man!
WOMAN REBORN
Poet : Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
You aren't a purse-purchased commodity of man,
Nor are you the soulless slave girl,
The brainless hand-maid and the lifeless doll.
No longer are you the age-old
Down-trodden footwear of man,
Not a source of pleasure and pastime any more
Frailty is not thy name.
A bed of roses you desire not.
Nor are you caught in the whirl-pool any more
But banks distant you adorn now.
No longer shall injustice crush you,
New power and zeal of the time is with you;
Your hands are now free from chains;
Prison social or personal confines you not,
Nor does man dominate your mind and body
That you submit to his whims
And utter not a complaint even by chance.
On behalf of the youths millions of the world
I speak, not as your lord, but as a friend;
I simply wish to bind you
With bonds silken of eternal love!
(Dr. Bhatnagar’s Phone : 0751-2341955
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