Andheri Madhushala - I

It generally is considered somewhat poor form for a poet to express satisfaction and joy at one of his creations, the ideal being one of stern service to one's muse and proferment of the fruits of one's toil to society in a detached and brooding manner. I must confess, though, that its been a long time (more than four years) since I have felt so pleased at having expressed my innermost feelings in such a facile and fluent manner.

Unfortunately, it might not mean much to audiences unfamiliar with the original `Madhushala' and the allegorical story it weaves of existential dilemmas and their resolution. The construction is also inspired , in a large part, by the beautiful `Dark Night of the Soul' by St John on the Cross.

At any rate, I am delighted to read and reread it, and I offer to the world the first part of `Andheri Madhushala' with a caper and a flourish. The cadence is the same as that in the recitation of the original by Bachchan.

Path the bahut visham par akhir aa madiralay hum baithe
`Saki, pila ek jaam, bahut hai pyaas', hum aise hee ainthe
Par na dikhe saki ki soorat, na laute goonj deewaron se
Madiralay me to hain, ab kya? poochein hum bicchadi rahon se

Hum madiralay mein baithe, soche the bas ab kya karna
Pahunch gaye madhu-dwar, to bheeshan dhoop se akhir kya darna
Khush the hum akhir dhoomil hoangie avsadit yaadein bhi
Madhu ke pyaalon mein tar hoange saare farz-o-vaade bhi

Rahe madiralay me kuchh din, par dikhi nahin saki humko
Hone lage hatash, ki madira mile nahin hum jaison ko
Saki ka deedar to chhorein, boond mili na madira ki
Hala nahin to pani pee, kahein baki peenewale bhi

Ha, pyale! Tu kya jaane, madira kya khel khilati hai
Tarpa jitna vihval kartee, utna hi pyaas badhaati hai
Mit gayein hain ab sab khwab, hoor si saki hala layegi
Baithein hain mala japte bas, kabhi to madhushala aayegi

Update (Sep 04, 2008)
To my deep satisfaction, I found a neat little applet that allows one to write in Devanagari on the screen. Transliterations are always sad ; they seem to lack an indefinable sense of vigor, as a plant would when transplanted from its native land. Here is the piece, the way it should be

अँधेरी मधुशाला

पथ थे बहुत विषम पर आखिर आ मदिरालय हम बैठे
`साकी! पिला एक जाम बहुत है प्यास', हम ऐसे ही ऐंठे
पर न दिखे साकी की सूरत, न लौटे गूँज दीवारों से
`मदिरालय में तो हैं, अब क्या?',पूछें हम बिछड़ी राहों से

हम मदिरालय में बैठे, सोचे थे बस अब क्या करना
पहुँच गये मधु-द्वार तो भीषण धूप से आखिर क्या डरना
खुश थे हम आखिर धूमिल होंगी अवसादित यादें भी
मधु के प्यालों में तर होंगे सारे फ़र्ज़-अो-वादे भी

रहे मदिरालय में कुछ दिन पर दिखी नहीं साकी हमको
होने लगे हताश कि मदिरा मिले नहीं हम जैसों को
साकी का दीदार तो छोड़ें, बूँद मिली न मदिरा की
हाला नहीं तो पानी पी, कहते सब पीनेवाले भी

हा प्याले! तू क्या जाने, मदिरा क्या खेल खिलाती है
तड़पा जितना विह्वल करती, उतना ही प्यास बढ़ाती है
मिट गये हैं अब सब ख़्वाब, हूर सी साकी हाला लायेगी
बैठे हैं माला जपते बस, कभी तो मधुशाला आयेगी