{"id":5491,"date":"2016-12-06T03:36:47","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T03:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/?p=5491"},"modified":"2018-07-31T13:22:31","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T13:22:31","slug":"the-strange-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/the-strange-one\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strange One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following on last week\u2019s blog<\/a> about the famous Hindi writer Mahadevi Varma<\/strong> (\u092e\u0939\u093e\u0926\u0947\u0935\u0940 \u0935\u0930\u094d\u092e\u093e<\/strong>), I\u2019d like to discuss another important Hindi literary figure this week: Nirala<\/strong> (\u0928\u093f\u0930\u093e\u0932\u093e<\/strong>) (1896\/99-1961). This writer, whose date of birth is not definitively known, was born Suraj Kumar Tevari<\/strong> (\u0938\u0942\u0930\u091c \u0915\u0941\u092e\u093e\u0930 \u0924\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0930\u0940<\/strong>) (later known as Suryakant Tripathi, \u0938\u0942\u0930\u094d\u092f\u0915\u093e\u0928\u094d\u0924 \u0924\u094d\u0930\u093f\u092a\u093e\u0920\u0940<\/strong>) into a Brahmin family in Midnapore district, present-day West Bengal. However, his family was originally from a village in central Uttar Pradesh.<\/p>\n

The place of Nirala\u2019s (a pen name meaning \u201cthe strange or unique one,\u201d which he adopted in 1923) birth as well as his familial heritage almost ensured that he would possess knowledge of numerous languages that most Hindi writers of the day did not have access to. In addition to Bengali, Hindi and Baiswari, the language in which he and his family members spoke, Nirala also became proficient in Sanskrit and English. While reading his work in the original Hindi, one can easily observe the depth of Nirala\u2019s genius and his extensive knowledge of other languages and literary traditions (including contemporary Bengali literature, such as the work of the famous, Nobel prize-winning writer and artist Rabindranath Tagore).<\/p>\n

Like Mahadevi Varma, Nirala was part of the \u201cChhayavad\u201d<\/strong> (\u091b\u093e\u092f\u093e\u0935\u093e\u0926<\/strong>) or “Neo-Romanticism” movement of Hindi literature; yet, unlike other Chhayavadi<\/strong> (\u091b\u093e\u092f\u093e\u0935\u093e\u0926\u0940<\/strong>) writers, who primarily concerned themselves with emphasizing the individual and the interior world of emotions and experiences, Nirala expressed his passion about current social issues and adamant stance against any type of exploitation in his poetry, novels, essays and stories.<\/p>\n

Nirala\u2019s own life was a series of trials, beginning when his mother died when he was only two. Two years after marrying a girl named Manohradevi, who was from a village near his ancestral home in Uttar Pradesh, Nirala failed his high school matriculation examinations. To punish his errant son, Nirala\u2019s father cast him out of the house and sold all of his wife\u2019s jewelry. Without many options at this point, Nirala and wife made the unusual decision to return to his wife\u2019s home, where Nirala\u2019s two children were born (this was unusual in that a newly married couple usually goes to live with the husband’s family after marriage). Interestingly, it was Manohradevi who introduced Nirala to the wonders of Hindi literature through the Awadhi<\/strong> (\u0905\u0935\u0927\u0940<\/strong>, a dialect of Hindi) version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayan<\/em><\/strong> (\u0930\u093e\u092e\u093e\u092f\u0923<\/em><\/strong>), known as the Ramcharitmanas<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(\u0930\u093e\u092e\u091a\u0930\u093f\u0924\u092e\u093e\u0928\u0938<\/em><\/strong>) by the poet Tulsidas<\/strong> (\u0924\u0941\u0932\u0938\u0940\u0926\u093e\u0938<\/strong>); afterward, Nirala became fascinated with Khari Boli\/\u0916\u0921\u093c\u0940 \u092c\u094b\u0932\u0940<\/strong> or Modern Standard Hindi<\/strong> and began to learn about it more by reading Hindi literary magazines.<\/p>\n

Nirala\u2019s father died in 1917 and, a year after that, Nirala endured a further spate of tragedies due to the influenza epidemic of 1918: his wife, brother and sister-in-law all died in the span of that year. Subsequently, Nirala was the sole provider for not only his own two children, but also his brother\u2019s four children who had somehow survived the epidemic. With Nirala\u2019s strong convictions about social justice and an irrepressible need to express his creativity and genius, he turned to the less than lucrative career of writing. In 1935, Nirala\u2019s only and beloved daughter, Saroj, passed away soon after she was married at the age of 19; one of Nirala\u2019s most emotive and masterful poems, \u201cRemembering Saroj<\/strong>,\u201d (\u0938\u0930\u094b\u091c \u0938\u094d\u092e\u0943\u0924\u093f<\/strong>) is a tribute to her life, his love for her and his perceived failure as a father to give her everything in life. Yet, despite all of these tragedies, Nirala and his life are lessons in the indomitability of the human spirit. Nirala worked tirelessly as a distinguished editor on the board of several literary journals and wrote prolifically until his death on the beauties and injustices of this world with startling passion, insight and creativity.<\/p>\n

In the words of David Rubin, a scholar of Nirala and a skillful translator of his poetry (published in a volume called\u00a0A Season on the Earth<\/em><\/strong>):<\/p>\n

Nirala\u2019s \u201cwork was too startling in its originality, his language too difficult, his satire too bitter, his break with the past too offensive to the orthodox, and the depth of his feeling either too troubling or too far beyond the common ken to assure wide popularity.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

I hope you enjoy reading my translation of Nirala’s poem, \u201cBeggar<\/strong>\u201d (\u092d\u093f\u0915\u094d\u0937\u0941\u0915\/Bhikshuk<\/strong>) (1921) below:<\/p>\n

\u0935\u0939 \u0906\u0924\u093e\u2013<\/strong>
\n \u0926\u094b \u091f\u0942\u0915 \u0915\u0932\u0947\u091c\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0915\u0930\u0924\u093e \u092a\u091b\u0924\u093e\u0924\u093e\u00a0<\/strong>
\n \u092a\u0925 \u092a\u0930 \u0906\u0924\u093e\u0964<\/strong><\/p>\n

Voh aataa\u2013<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Do tuuk kaleje ke kartaa pachtaataa<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Path par aataa.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

He comes\u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

His heart broken in two,<\/span><\/p>\n

He walks on the path, regretting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u092a\u0947\u091f \u092a\u0940\u0920 \u0926\u094b\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u092e\u093f\u0932\u0915\u0930 \u0939\u0948\u0902 \u090f\u0915,<\/strong>
\n \u091a\u0932 \u0930\u0939\u093e \u0932\u0915\u0941\u091f\u093f\u092f\u093e \u091f\u0947\u0915,<\/strong>
\n \u092e\u0941\u091f\u094d\u0920\u0940 \u092d\u0930 \u0926\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u094b\u2013 \u092d\u0942\u0916 \u092e\u093f\u091f\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u094b<\/strong>
\n \u092e\u0941\u0901\u0939 \u092b\u091f\u0940 \u092a\u0941\u0930\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u091d\u094b\u0932\u0940 \u0915\u093e \u092b\u0948\u0932\u093e\u0924\u093e\u2013<\/strong>
\n \u0926\u094b \u091f\u0942\u0915 \u0915\u0932\u0947\u091c\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0915\u0930\u0924\u093e \u092a\u091b\u0924\u093e\u0924\u093e \u092a\u0925 \u092a\u0930 \u0906\u0924\u093e\u0964<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pet pith dono milkar hain ek,\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Chal rahaa lakutiyaa tek,\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Mutthi bhar daane ko\u2013bhuuk mitaane ko<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Munh phati puraani jholi ka failaataa\u2013<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Do tuk kaleje ke kartaa pachtaataa path par aataa.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

His stomach, his back, both are one,<\/span><\/p>\n

He goes about with a small cane for support,<\/span><\/p>\n

To fill his fist with grain\u2014to extinguish his hunger<\/span><\/p>\n

The mouth of an old, worn bag spreads open\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

His heart broken in two, he walks on the path, regretting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0938\u093e\u0925 \u0926\u094b \u092c\u091a\u094d\u091a\u0947 \u092d\u0940 \u0939\u0948\u0902 \u0938\u0926\u093e \u0939\u093e\u0925 \u092b\u0948\u0932\u093e\u092f\u0947,<\/strong>
\n \u092c\u093e\u092f\u0947\u0902 \u0938\u0947 \u0935\u0947 \u092e\u0932\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0941\u090f \u092a\u0947\u091f \u0915\u094b \u091a\u0932\u0924\u0947,<\/strong>
\n \u0914\u0930 \u0926\u093e\u0939\u093f\u0928\u093e \u0926\u092f\u093e \u0926\u0943\u0937\u094d\u091f\u093f-\u092a\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0940 \u0913\u0930 \u092c\u0922\u093c\u093e\u092f\u0947\u0964<\/strong>
\n \u092d\u0942\u0916 \u0938\u0947 \u0938\u0942\u0916 \u0913\u0902\u0920 \u091c\u092c \u091c\u093e\u0924\u0947<\/strong>
\n \u0926\u093e\u0924\u093e-\u092d\u093e\u0917\u094d\u092f \u0935\u093f\u0927\u093e\u0924\u093e \u0938\u0947 \u0915\u094d\u092f\u093e \u092a\u093e\u0924\u0947?\u2013<\/strong>
\n \u0918\u0942\u0901\u091f \u0906\u0901\u0938\u0941\u0913\u0902 \u0915\u0947 \u092a\u0940\u0915\u0930 \u0930\u0939 \u091c\u093e\u0924\u0947\u0964<\/strong>
\n \u091a\u093e\u091f \u0930\u0939\u0947 \u091c\u0942\u0920\u0940 \u092a\u0924\u094d\u0924\u0932 \u0935\u0947 \u0938\u092d\u0940 \u0938\u0921\u093c\u0915 \u092a\u0930 \u0916\u0921\u093c\u0947 \u0939\u0941\u090f,<\/strong>
\n \u0914\u0930 \u091d\u092a\u091f \u0932\u0947\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u094b \u0909\u0928\u0938\u0947 \u0915\u0941\u0924\u094d\u0924\u0947 \u092d\u0940 \u0939\u0948\u0902 \u0905\u0921\u093c\u0947 \u0939\u0941\u090f!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saath do bacche bhi hain sadaa haath failaaye,\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Bayen se ve malte hue pet ko chalte,\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Aur daahinaa dayaa drishti-paane ki or barhaaye.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Bhuuk se suukh onth jab jaate\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Daataa-bhaagya vidhaataa se kyaa paate?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Ghuunth aasuuon ke pikar reh jaate.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Chaat rahe jhuuthi pattal ve sabhi sarak par khare hue,\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Aur jhapat lene ko unse kutte bhi hain are hue!\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

With him are two children as well, their hands forever outstretched,<\/span><\/p>\n

With the left hand, they rub their stomachs as they walk,<\/span><\/p>\n

And the right reaching out to get a pitying gaze.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the lips dry up from hunger<\/span><\/p>\n

What will they get from the giver of destinies, the creator?<\/span><\/p>\n

They will remain drinking their own tears.<\/span><\/p>\n

They all stand on the street, lapping plates of leftover food,<\/span><\/p>\n

And dogs jostle against them, ready to pounce!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0920\u0939\u0930\u094b, \u0905\u0939\u094b \u092e\u0947\u0930\u0947 \u0939\u094d\u0930\u0926\u092f \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0939\u0948 \u0905\u092e\u0943\u0924,<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0938\u0940\u0902\u091a \u0926\u0942\u0901\u0917\u093e \u0964<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0905\u092d\u093f\u092e\u0928\u094d\u092f\u0941 \u091c\u0948\u0938\u0947 \u0939\u094b \u0938\u0915\u094b\u0917\u0947 \u0924\u0941\u092e<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0924\u0941\u092e\u094d\u0939\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u0926\u0941:\u0916 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0905\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u0939\u094d\u0930\u0926\u092f \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0916\u0940\u0902\u091a \u0932\u0942\u0901\u0917\u093e \u0964\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thehro, aho mere hriday me hai amrit,\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Main siinch duunga.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Abhimanyu jaise ho sakoge tum\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Tumhare dukh main apne hriday me khiinch luunga.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Wait, there is nectar in my heart,<\/span><\/p>\n

I will replenish (you with it).<\/span><\/p>\n

You will become like Abhimanyu*,<\/span><\/p>\n

I will draw your sadness into my own heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

*According to David Rubin, “Abhimanyu was the heroic son of Arjuna [another hero] who died young in the battle of the Kauravas and Pandavas” in the Hindu epic the Mahabharat<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(\u092e\u0939\u093e\u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924<\/em><\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\u0936\u092c\u094d\u0926\u093e\u0935\u0932\u0940 \u0915\u0940 \u0938\u0942\u091a\u0940 (Shabdaavali ki Soochi\/<\/h2>\n

Vocabulary List):<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. \u0915\u0932\u0947\u091c\u093e\/Kalejaa (masc. noun): in a literary and figurative context this word means “heart.” Literally, it means “liver” and\/or vital organs. A more common word for heart is “\u0926\u093f\u0932\/Dil” (masc. noun).<\/li>\n
  2. \u092d\u093f\u0915\u094d\u0937\u0941\u0915\/Bhikshuk (masc. noun): beggar. A more common word for this is “\u092d\u093f\u0916\u093e\u0930\u0940” (Bhikaari, masc. noun).<\/li>\n
  3. \u092a\u0925\/path (masc. noun): path or road.<\/li>\n
  4. \u092e\u0941\u091f\u094d\u0920\u0940\/Mutthi (fem. noun): fist.<\/li>\n
  5. \u092d\u0942\u0916\/Bhuukh (fem. noun): hunger.<\/li>\n
  6. \u092e\u093f\u091f\u093e\u0928\u093e\/Mithaanaa (verb): to extinguish, assuage, mitigate.<\/li>\n
  7. \u091d\u094b\u0932\u0940\/Jholi (fem. noun): a small bag.<\/li>\n
  8. \u092b\u0948\u0932\u093e\u0928\u093e\/Failaanaa (verb): to spread (something), stretch out, extend. Usually pronounced with a “F” sound although it is spelled with an initial “Ph.”<\/li>\n
  9. \u0938\u0926\u093e\/Sadaa (adverb): always. A more common word for this is “\u0939\u092e\u0947\u0936\u093e\/Hamesha.”<\/li>\n
  10. \u092e\u0932\u0928\u093e\/Malnaa (verb): to rub.<\/li>\n
  11. \u0926\u092f\u093e\/Dayaa (fem. noun): compassion, pity.<\/li>\n
  12. \u0926\u0943\u0937\u094d\u091f\u0940\/Drishti (fem. noun): gaze, glance, sight (as in “a beautiful sight”).<\/li>\n
  13. \u0938\u0942\u0916\u0928\u093e or \u0938\u0942\u0916 \u091c\u093e\u0928\u093e\/Sookhnaa or Sookh jaanaa (verb): to dry up.<\/li>\n
  14. \u0905\u094b\u0902\u0920 or \u0939\u094b\u0902\u0920\/Onth or Honth (masc. noun): lip(s).<\/li>\n
  15. \u0918\u0942\u0901\u091f\/Ghoonth (masc. noun): a drink or sip.<\/li>\n
  16. \u0906\u0901\u0938\u0942\/Aansoo (masc. noun): tear.<\/li>\n
  17. \u0939\u094d\u0930\u0926\u092f\/Hriday (masc. noun, formal): heart. See the note on “\u0915\u0932\u0947\u091c\u093e” above.<\/li>\n
  18. \u0905\u092e\u0943\u0924\/Amrit (masc. noun, formal): nectar, ambrosia. Has the connotation of godly and divine as, in Hindu mythology, it is known as “the nectar of the gods,” which usually confers immortality.<\/li>\n
  19. \u0926\u0941:\u0916 or \u0926\u0941\u0916\/Duhkh or Dukh (masc. noun): sadness<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Following on last week\u2019s blog about the famous Hindi writer Mahadevi Varma (\u092e\u0939\u093e\u0926\u0947\u0935\u0940 \u0935\u0930\u094d\u092e\u093e), I\u2019d like to discuss another important Hindi literary figure this week: Nirala (\u0928\u093f\u0930\u093e\u0932\u093e) (1896\/99-1961). This writer, whose date of birth is not definitively known, was born Suraj Kumar Tevari (\u0938\u0942\u0930\u091c \u0915\u0941\u092e\u093e\u0930 \u0924\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0930\u0940) (later known as Suryakant Tripathi, \u0938\u0942\u0930\u094d\u092f\u0915\u093e\u0928\u094d\u0924 \u0924\u094d\u0930\u093f\u092a\u093e\u0920\u0940) into a…<\/p>\n

    Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3792,1],"tags":[475529,309353,9410,475526,475520,475525,475527,475528],"class_list":["post-5491","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-hindi-language","category-uncategorized","tag-chhayavad","tag-hindi-language","tag-hindi-literature","tag-hindi-poetry","tag-hindi-words-and-phrases","tag-mahadevi-varma","tag-nirala","tag-suryakant-tripathi-nirala"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5491"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7897,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491\/revisions\/7897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}