BIO
Mahendra Bhatnagar is one of the many Indian poets whose literary careers were shaped by poetry in the post-independence of India in the 20th century. His poetic career spans over 75 years, demonstrating his humanistic vision from beginning to end. Rooted deep into the Indian soil, his poems reflect not only the moods of a poet but of a complex age. In his works, the thread of his humanistic vision can be seen vividly and he wrote poems to bring about a change in the world
BIO
Anuradha Bhattacharyya is an award winning Indian poet and fiction writer in English. Her contribution to poetry has spread over several countries. Her poems are philosophical, creative and thoughtful. They open to more than one reading, often to an alternate voice. Many poems sound like riddles and some are deceptively simple. She is also a professor, critic and reviewer.
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The Festival of Lights
Little clay lamps brighten up each home
With twinkling light!
Though the earth falls dark
At the feet of floating bright streams of lamps,
They burn to the limit of
Blinding the sky,
Star-less, moon-less.
Its smoke draws a dull screen
Over the earth but
That screen is an ocean of love.
In this world bereft of feelings, desert-like,
They ignite endless compassion.
Though storms rage and break
Many an institution, new ones
Are built alongside;
When chaos breaks all barriers,
It will bring with it
The footfall of new creation.
Thus there is so much noise,
Just so the slumbering dreams may break free,
And then in the symphony
Of new life,
Many a dead habit will be lost.
ज्योति-पर्व
मिट्टी के लघु-लघु दीपों से
जगमग हर एक भवन !
अँधियारे की लहरों से भूमि भरी,
पर, उस पर तिरती झलमल ज्योति-तरी,
जलना है, चाहे हो जाये
तारक-शशि हीन गगन !
जग पर छायी धूमिल वाष्प असुन्दर,
पर, बहता है अविरल स्नेह-समुन्दर,
युग के मन-मरुथल में तुमको
रहना है भाव-प्रवण !
विशृंखल तेज़ प्रभंजन से संसृति,
पर, मुसकाती संग नयी बन आकृति,
टूटेगा बाँध प्रलय का जब
हर नूतन सृष्टि चरण !
कोलाहल हर कोने से फूट रहा,
अब तो सपनों का बंधन टूट रहा,
खो जाएगा नव-जीवन की
हलचल में क्षीण मरण !
*****
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The Socialist
We do no injustice and
We bear no injustice!
Hey power driven,
Authority cravers!
Here’s the end
To your successful
Trickery.
Here’s the end
To your hypocrisy
In the name of heaven
Or public good.
Man
No more will burn
In the hell of malpractices.
Decidedly
No more autocrats
Will survive in this world.
जनवादी
अनुचित करेंगे नहीं,
अनुचित सहेंगे नहीं!
अधिकार-मद-मत्त
सत्ता-विशिष्टो !
तुम्हारी सफल धूर्तता
और चलने न देंगे।
परलोक
या
लोक-कल्याण के नाम पर
व्यक्ति को
और छलने न देंगे।
मानव
अनाचार-नरकाग्नि में
अब दहेंगे नहीं।
स्वैरवर्ती
निरंकुश
नये विश्व में
शेष
निश्चित रहेंगे नहीं।
*****
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