Summer of 1942, there is a group of soldiers marching from their college to the railway station. One of them is Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan. But, what was a poet doing among these soldiers? As his idol WB Yeats once said –

“the fascination of what is difficult”, the poet in him was looking for something to challenge, fight and conquer. It’s also said that there is a woman in every man, and vice versa. Maybe it was an attempt let the man in him be in the driving seat, as visible in these lines -

“ओ नवचेतन – तू अपने मन की नारी को – अस्वाभाविक बीमारी को – उठ दूर हटा – तू अपने मन का, पुरुष जगा” (Not to be misunderstood with degrading a woman)

Then we also talk English poets PB Shelley and John Keats, known for their romantic poetry. While they were born three years apart, they died one year apart and had their tomb in the same vicinity. We talk about them while reading these lines from Madhushala –

“स्वर्ग, नरक या जहाँ कहीं भी तेरा जी हो लेकर चल, ठौर सभी हैं एक तरह के साथ रहे यदि मधुशाला”

Welcome to the 10th episode of stories from Madhushala (मधुशाला), Harivansh Rai Bachchan's epic poetry, written in 1935 and part of the trilogy of Madhubala and Madhukalash. This is a podcast of Hindi Poems, Poets, their Stories and a bit of History of India.

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Credits:

1. Madhushala poetry book written by Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan

2. Autobiographies of Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan – Kya Bhulun Kya Yaad Karun, Need Ka Nirman Phir, Basere se Door, Dashdwar se Sopan Tak.

3. Various YouTube Videos and information from Internet