"Madiralaya jane Ko Ghar se Chalta hai Peene wala.
Kis path se jaoon asmanjas main hai woh bholabhala.
Alag alag path batlate sab,par main yeh batlata hoon.
Raah pakad tu ek chalachal,Pa jayega Madhushala."

Finally got hold of my laptop.Its been long since I touched its pad.Luv it.Awz,my laptop being back,I was now able to again go through 'MADHUSHALA; by Late Sh Harivansha Rai Bachhan.An awesome book it is undoubtedly but the best attribute it carries with itself is its capability to connect the reader with fictitious things like-SAKI,MADHUSHALA,MADIRALAYA,HALA etc.Madhushala is not a book containing couplets with nice rhyming words,its an anthology of feelings,of true and touching emotions.As the reader starts going through its leaves,expecting gross use of literary manipulations of simple words,he is amazed to find the stages of life getting unfolded in front of him.The book covers all the stages of a person's life right from his birth till the moment when fatal gaze of YAMA-God of Death,falls upon him.

The birth of a child is penned down as;

"Bas aa pahunche door nahin ab chaar kadam bas chalna hai
Chahak uthe sab peene waale, chahak rahi hai madhushaala"

And arrival of death as;

"Yam aayega Saaqi bankar Saath liye Kaali Haala
Pee na hosh mein phir aayega Sura Visudh ye matwaala
Yeh antim behoshi, Antim Saaqi Antim Pyaala Hai
Pathik Pyaar se peena isko Phir na milegi madhushaala"

No,for those who think that such books are just another philosophical gimmic as an attempt to make their own mark,this book would be a big dissapointment.It contains couplets which carry realistic weights wid thm and have social contexts as well.Following lines are amngst my favs in the book

"Musalmaan aur hindu hain do Ek magar unka pyaala
Bair badhaate masjid-mandir Mel karaati madhushaala"

To end the post,I would just quote another of Bachhanji's prose,

"Kisi jagah ki mitti bheege Tripti mujhe mil jaayegi
Tarpan Arpan karna mera Padh Padh kar ke Madhushaala"

Hail thy poets...Hail thy poetry...