A Journal of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

He had no desires and he was fearless.
He did not want any favour from politicians.
He wanted social reforms, and
placed his hopes in the younger generation.
His poem ‘mein tumhe apna chumban
dunga’ became very popular among the
students, where he says—
“Mein tumhara hi pata lagaane
ke liye,
Ghumta phir raha hoon,
Saara-saara din, saari-saari raat,
Agaami yugon ke mukti sainik,
Mein tumhari jutiyan chamkaunga,
Dil behlaunga tumhara
Kuch bhi karunga tumhare liye…
Mein tumhe apna chumban
dunga.”
Through these lines he wants to convey
that although he cannot be a part of
processions or make posters, he can serve
those who make posters and those who
rebel against oppression, because his desire
for freedom is very strong.
Later on, we came to know that Baba
went to jail a number of times. Once,
when he wrote a poem on the man who
killed Gandhi ji, he went to jail. He was
a mixture of Rahul Sankrityayan and Nirala.
He inculcated the roving tendencies from
Rahulji and the satiric language from Nirala.
He did not live with his wife for many
years, having left home in 1934 and coming
back in 1941. But, this poem ‘sindoor tilkit
bhal’ (vermillion smeared forehead) touches
our heart deeply and stirs deep emotions.
It appears to be an autobiographical poem.
His poem ‘danturit muskaan’ shows his
deep attachment to his children. In spite
of this, he renounced the happiness and
comforts of a family life in order to adopt
a larger family, i.e. the common man.
His love did not remain confined to the
four walls of his home, but extended far
beyond. He went out in search of those
people whose contribution and dedication
would bring about the much needed social
changes. Later in life he gave up his itinerary
habits and settled down in Sadatpur. One
reason was his detereorating health. The
last time that I met him was in Sadatpur.
He had become so thin that I could hardly
recognize him.
He was a person who interpreted
ideologies on the basis of his experience.
He wanted to eradicate poverty and misery
from the lives of people.
(Courtesy : Samavartan)
Bageshri Chakradhar, is asstt. professor of Hindi at a college in Delhi
University. She also has a postgraduate degree in music. She writes
poems, literary criticism and essays. She has also written for children.
She is involved with film and documentary production and is a semi
classical singer for Akashwani and doordarshan. Bageshri has attended
conferences and seminars at USA, UK, Canada, Trinidad, Tobago, Thailand,
Indonesia, Nepal and Australia. She has been honoured with a number
of awards. She lives in New Delhi.
128 :: January-March 2012