पुस्तक विमर्श – स्त्रियां घर लौटती हैं
श्री विवेक चतुर्वेदी
( हाल ही में संस्कारधानी जबलपुर के युवा कवि श्री विवेक चतुर्वेदी जी का कालजयी काव्य संग्रह “स्त्रियां घर लौटती हैं ” का लोकार्पण विश्व पुस्तक मेला, नई दिल्ली में संपन्न हुआ। यह काव्य संग्रह लोकार्पित होते ही चर्चित हो गया और वरिष्ठ साहित्यकारों के आशीर्वचन से लेकर पाठकों के स्नेह का सिलसिला प्रारम्भ हो गया। काव्य जगत श्री विवेक जी में अनंत संभावनाओं को पल्लवित होते देख रहा है। ई-अभिव्यक्ति की ओर से यह श्री विवेक जी को प्राप्त स्नेह /प्रतिसाद को श्रृंखलाबद्ध कर अपने पाठकों से साझा करने का प्रयास है। इस श्रृंखला की चौथी कड़ी के रूप में प्रस्तुत हैं श्री अर्चित ओझा जी के अंग्रेजी भाषा में विचार “There exists books like this that make you halt and observe” ।)
अमेज़न लिंक >>> स्त्रियां घर लौटती हैं
☆ पुस्तक विमर्श #9 – स्त्रियां घर लौटती हैं – “There exists books like this that make you halt and observe” – Shri Archit Ojha ☆
When I was in school, I remember waiting for Wednesdays because I would get to read poetry in Hindi newspapers. I would sit patiently, devouring the content and take delight in the unique arrangement of words. It used to wonder me how the simple play of some letters can bring euphoria on someone’s face. How captivating! Such power they had on people seeking peace and pleasure in literature.
Years passed by and I forgot what it was like to be that person again. The rush we feel today to keep on moving forward, without pausing to be attentive towards every day things, without smiling at them and when it’s time to get old, lamenting “If only, I had stopped a bit.”
Thankfully there exists books like this that make you halt and observe.
Reading Vivek Chaturvedi’s book felt like being transported to the fields of sunflowers, oleander, mangoes, berries, guavas, basal leaves and marigolds, being surrounded by the fragrances these little things create, unknowingly, unapologetically being themselves; soaking in the aroma of Earth after the first rain, running back to home from school, celebrating festivals, resting in the sun during Summer, flying kites, racing with friends, waiting for the rainy days and when the rainy season came, then craving for the winters and those warm blankets, seeing a father’s tears when his daughter is leaving her home to make another one her own, conversing with mothers who never seem to get tired of nurturing their kids, waking up early to see the sunrise, gardening, chit-chatting with the neighbors, visiting fairs, persisting to buy toys that will be played only for a few days, laughing with friends without any reason, believing in funny superstitions, sitting under a tree, mourning when it was taken down in the name of development, sending letters without stamping them, appreciating the calmness of the moon on a peaceful night, caring for pets and weeping in the corner, lest somebody sees; when they leave us saying goodbyes.
Reading this book felt like living the childhood, the life once again and that there is no place for regrets.
There were a number of instances which took me by surprise with their lucidity and easy-going manner. All the 56 poems have their own distinctive charisma. It was difficult for me to select my favorites but following lines in these poems would stay with me. I’m providing English translation for the titles, so the readers can adore the magnificence of the author’s creativity. Here are a few lines, I hope they don’t get lost in translation:
- Women Return their Homes: A home too, is a child for a woman, that grows a little more, every day.
- The domestic/household women have been treated like pencils: Thrown with anger and boredom, dropped down from the desk and mentality, a bit of nib got saved, but the lead inside is broken, still they were picked up and employed for selfish purposes again and again.
- Where are you: The kids who were locked inside their homes are now playing in the mud, rolling and laughing, a tuft of grass has started growing through a crack in the concrete, where are you?
- Typist: I said “Courage”, and she wrote it once, I said “courage” again, and the whole page got filled with that one word!
- Dad: All your life, many icy storms went through you, and you did not let any of them touch us. Dad, you were Himalayan.
I believe that of all the literature in the world, Hindi poetry is a genre that you cannot get enough of. They take time to build upon you. They sing a song that means multiple things to different people, according to the life they have seen. Some years back, I read a poem by a Russian Poetess about how much she loved Hindi and reading this book, kept reminding me of why I also love Hindi so much.
I admired how nature was the core and strength of this book. Finding similarities between the nature and human activities, it warms the heart and develops imagination. More than that, I’m grateful for it brought the observer in me back again. It made me notice things around me, every day, mundane, normal things that nobody pays attention to.
Though the title says Women Return their Homes, the book carries insightful and smart observations, poems about environment, seasons, motherhood, parenting, friendship, love, home, children, elders, mythology, women empowerment and the society. You read a few lines and realize the richness of experiences these poems posses. I will turn back to this book again and again for its brevity, clarity and the wisdom it contains.
I wish that English translation of these poems would also be published some day, so that English speakers can take delight in the beauty that the author has fabricated.
If, like me, you haven’t been around Hindi poetry for a while, this book will remind you to go back to your roots, appreciate and feel the charm again in observing the effortless joy our surroundings carry.
If you have been around Hindi poetry for a while, this book will solidify the faith that Hindi Literature’s future is in gifted hands.
– Archit Ojha
© विवेक चतुर्वेदी, जबलपुर ( म प्र )
ई-अभिव्यक्ति की ओर से युवा कवि श्री विवेक चतुर्वेदी जी को इस प्रतिसाद के लिए हार्दिक शुभकामनायें एवं बधाई।
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