A question of identity
Oct 12th, 2007 by lekhni
One of my favorite poems is “Parichay”(Identity) by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. I still remember parts of the poem:
It starts off as :
“Salil kann hoon ya paravaar hoon main?
Swayam chaya, swayam aadhar hoon main;
bandha hoon, swapna hoon, laghu vrut hoon main;
nahin to vyom ka vistaar hoon main.”
(Am I a dew drop or an ocean?
I am both the shadow and the origin (of the shadow);
I am tied down, a dream, enclosed in a small area,
or else, I am the expanse of the sky.)
The poem ends with the lines
“Bandha toofan hun, chalna mana hai,
bandhi uddaam nirjhar-dhaar hoon main;
kahoon kya kaun hoon, kya aag meri?
Bandhi hai lekhni, laachaar hoon main.”
(I am a captive storm whose movement is forbidden,
I am a captive waterfall,
Shall I tell you who I am, what the fire in me is ?
My pen is constrained, I am helpless.)
It’s a beautiful poem, and I think of it often now, it seems so appropriate. I am still exploring my new identity as an aspiring writer. My mind is full of stories, waiting to come out into the open. They stand like first-time skydivers at the door of the aircraft, afraid to look down, postponing the moment when they will leap out into the unknown.
Yes, I would like to tell you a lot more, but like the poet, I cannot find the words. My thoughts move in an awkward, erratic dance and my fingers refuse to give form to my rambling thoughts. I hope the words will flow smoother in days to come. I would like to watch the stories unfurl their parachutes and begin their colorful descent. I think you will like them too…
Rajesh Kumar 
Mys Lyke Meeh 
Shrinidhi Hande 
wsw 
Amit 
km 
nits 
Billigflug 
Reema 
??! 
Meira 
purplesque 
tabula rasa 
How cute
can’t wait to read more about you
Thanks for the visit & comment. I’ve blogrolled and Bloglined you
My Hindi is rusty at best, what exactly is ‘Lekhni’ - is it the quill or is it the feminine for author?
Thanks, Vijay. Lekhni is just the quill, or the pen. In Hindi, a pen/ quill is feminine.
The pen or quill is feminine!! Hmmm.. that sounds discriminatory
I have always been amused by the pen names the poets keep, ‘Dinkar’ was the first one I read from my hindi textbook. Btw you can read Rashtrakavi’s other compositions(devnagari script) at the link on my comment handle.
Its a beautiful poem. Loved the translation too..
For some reason, everytime I read your name in other blogs, I thought of:
Lekhni batlaa ki ab phir
kaun Tulsi aa raha hai…
I do not remember who it is by, which poem it is from but it is in my head amongst a random melee of Hindi poems, including Woh todti patthar and Ma kan ek kahani..
Shefaly, I have not heard about the poem you mention, but maa kah ek kahani brings back memories. It’s also an unsolved mystery - I never understood what “guni” is in the last line “Nyaya daya ka dani - tune guni kahani”.
Lekhni:
The word ‘gunanaa’ in Hindi means to internalise or comprehend or otherwise adopt the essence of something.
So if you remember the poem, in the end, the child summarises the gist of that story.
Koi nirapraadh ko maare
Nyaya kyonkar use ubaare?
Rakshak par bhakshak ko vaare,
Nyaya daya ka daani.
Nyaya daya ka daani,
Tu ne guni kahani…
Shefaly: Thanks, that explains it