Poetry is an amazing medium unlike prose it can be interpreted at multiple levels.I was taught hindi,urdu,persian and sanskrit by my Parents.I didn't pay much attention to sanskrit and persian i wish i had learned these languages.Some of the greatest work of art is written in persian and sanskrit.

Thanks for telling us about this. On my next trip to India I will definitely pick it up. Since the last couple of years I've been going through this indigenous fervor of sorts. I've started studying Sanskrit and all of a sudden Hindi sounds so sweet.

Btw, my grandmother used to be an Urdu snob and this is how she used to describe hindi poetry -

Halul halul haathi mootay.

But I think Madhushala would probably have met with her approval.

Divya madhushala definitely would've met with her approval.If you are interested in hindi poetry i like Ramdharisingh Dinkar.He writes very sweet poetry. I am not able to recall the name of a poet but he wrote this famous poem arjun ka balidan i'm not sure if its arjun ka tyag on mahabharat.it went something like this "shama daya tap tayag manobal sabka liya sahara. Nar vyaghr suyodhan kaho kahan kab tumse hara...shama shobhti us bhujang ko jiskey pass garal ho ..uska kya jo vishheen vineet saral ho..." I am forgetting the couplet but it is most amazing poem i've ever read..
My abba loves hindi and sanskrit and extensively reads hindi writers.

Hi Rahul,

I have grown up with poetry and especially Madhushala. My father was a poet as a matter of choice and so we were lovingly fed large doses of urdu shairi as well.
It sure was touching to read about Madhushala from you though The core person can be known only through such blogs.

One of the favourite verses which my father used to recite to me during my rough days was "TUNDIYE BAADEY MUKHATIB SE NA GHABRA AYE AUKAAB, YEH TO CHALTI HAI TUJHE OONCHA UDANE KE LIYE' Roughly translated it would mean" Do not let adverse winds frighten you oh phoenix, because they blow only to carry you higher". I could weather all those storms only because of these couplets he explained and recited to me time and again.My Father passed away nine months ago.I only have these and other such words of wisdom to guide me now..I miss him terribly. I cant bless him enough for being such a wonderful father, friend, philosopher and guide.

subhanallah

hey Kavi,
thanx for that inspiring blog. My father too passed away recently and I miss terribly too.

love,
murali

I'm Cuban. Im sure there is spanish poetry, however my parents were to busy making a go of it in Brooklyn in the 50s, 60s and 70s to stop and smell the "poetic rose."

My father a man of few words taught me through "refranes" or proverbs. The Spanish language is rich with them.

Here are a few of my favorites.

As a little girl, I would look up to my dad and ask him how he knew so much. "EL DIABLO SABE MAS POR VIEJO QUE POR DIABLO." The devil knows more because of his age, than because he is the devil.

Another one of his favorites: "DIME CON QUIEN ANDAS Y TE DIRE QUIEN ERES." Tell me with whom you walk and I will tell you who you are.

A couple of other ones for good measure - "NO HAY MAL POR BIEN NO VENGA." There is not bad from which good doesn't come.

AND FROM HERE ON THERE IS NO SPANISH DICTIONARY.

When I wanted to do all and be everywhere my dad would say "No se puede estar en la misa y en la procesion." You can't be both in the mass and in the procession

My mother's favorite:

"Cada Hombre Es Un Mundo." Ever man is his own world.

INDEED!

Thanks Andaleeb for the suggestion. I will add Dinkar to my list.

What I find so interesting about the eastern traditions is that one can discern various levels of sophistication from the coarser languages to the more refined. Hindi sounds more refined than some of the languages, and Urdu is way more sophisticated than Hindi, and I have a feeling that Persian must be some sort of a culmination of this genre of languages. This is one aspect that is completely missing in the western culture where languages cannot be compared with each other in this sort of a way so I think this is something unique to our culture. Of course the simpler or coarser languages have their own charm, Bhojpuri - the village dialect spoken in the north is one of my favorite Indian languages.

Rahul - I just read a post that you'll be in Toronto around Diwali. I'd like to get some press on the blog etc with you. Let me know your dates and where you'll be staying...email me at mohit@filmi.org

Hi Rahul,

Thanks for posting "Madhushala". I studied it in school when I lived in Lucknow for a short time. It was always a favorite of mine and you have just reminded me of its beauty.

On a side note, I thoroughly enjoyed your acting in Hollywood/Bollywood and would love to see you in more movies.

-Neha

I dont know why I feel like saying a few lines from a Dylan's song:

I've heard newborn babies
Wailing like a morning dove
And old men with broken teeth
Stranded without love
Do I understand your question man?
Is it hopeless and forlorn?
Come in, she said, I'll give ya
Shelter From The Storm...

complete madhushala can be found here
http://www.anubhuti-hindi.org/gauravgranth/madhushala/madhushala1.htm

Nice to have this about poetry. Loved the Spanish stuff. A good break from the ruthlessly left-brained bloggers.

Muddy mind, stick stirred, worried with wildness and tasting the changes in the weather wind, I stare at the screen of life, bloggered by the amazing truth spitting forth from the heated hearts of all you strangers in your glowing spaces. Virtuality sparking, speaking to me, mostly alone, but in a throng tonight. Friends, my friends, good night.

Hi Rahul,
what a wonderful poem. Thank you for posting it. I don't recall reading any contemporary Hindi poems, this is the first and I like it very much. I only recently started appreciating poems. They are so powerful and passionate... Teenagers in NY (or even elsewhere these days) are not really exposed to them, (in whichever language they may be), I think some will agree with me on this one.

Thank you Rahul for the sampling of such profound words. In the United States, I was taught poetry by European philosophers who saw the world as one big hell hole. Yet, it is amazing how our teachers overlooked the purity in South Asian poetry and the philosophies of South Asian poets who find heaven on earth everywhere they go.

Very nice post. Reminds me of the a-ha feeling one gets after reading something profound which resonates with something in your mind. I have always wondered what is in poetry that brings a point across so succintly in a few lines, that prose needs a few pages to do so? How does the human mind interpret a few lines differently and gets moved by it?

Hi All,
Some of best lines....

Itni ghaharayee se na chahon humko,
ke hamne bhi dekhe hai saaye ko judaa hote hue

Hey Rahul,

I have Manna Dey's recital of Madhushala on DVD and lemme tell you, when am feeling not too happy with life, I just turn it on...am more at peace with myself after that...

On a side note, have seen all ur movies, have been a fan of urs since ur MTV days, would like to see more of u on screen...commercial cinema is not all that bad!

Rahul, I also want to share something from Madhushala I do not remember it exactly but here it is....please translate it if you would..I won't do justice to it.
Pranpriye, gar shrradh kro to,
Tum mera eysa karna,
Pinewalon to bulwa kar,
Khulwa dena Madhushala.

I have full em-pe-three version of Madhusahala rendered by Manna Dey, abt thirty meg.

I would love to share the same with all those who want it. I will try to upload somewhere.

Vikas

It was nice reading so many versions and interpretations of what poetry means...Madhushala, in this case.
I was also never into Literature - leave aside poetry. The only poetry that ever brushed past me was in school books.
And 'NO', I did not start with Madhushala as an introduction to the wonderful world of literature and poetry. It was long back. However, reading so many thoughts about Madhushala on this page (which I just happened to surf past, while listening to the same being recited by Manna Dey) just had me post something online as an addition/response.

When I first read Madhushala, the only thought that came to mind was, 'WOW'. Why? I didn't know. But, the more it's read and hear it-the more meaning it generates. Many people, from what I read on here, have taken to some paragraph(s) in that poetry as their favourite(s). As a personal comment, I could never imagine of this series being complete with even a single line missing.
It is not 'what' has been said. It is 'how' it has been said. It is a portrayal, a picture painted in various colours to bring life to a painting, an attempt to attain perfection, it's the simplicity.

I realize that you are not Christian but the books of Psalms and Proverbs you may find of interest. I can't remember exactly but I think Proverbs talks of wine and it's "intoxicating" effect(s)...

I realize that you are not Christian but the books of Psalms and Proverbs you may find of interest. I can't remember exactly but I think Proverbs talks of wine and it's "intoxicating" effect(s)...