Mahamana as a Poet

Rarely does it happen that a person is bestowed with multiple talents and excels in all of them. Mahamana was one such rare persona. Apart from being a lawyer, educationist, reformer and political leader, he was also a prodigious poet. Mahamana began penning his thoughts in verse since the age of 14. There was a spontaneous 'poetic-power' in him since childhood. At 14, he had written a couplet (doha) of 'shlesh alankaar'–

Mahamana began penning his thoughts in verse since the age of 14 years. There was a spontaneous 'poetic-power' in him since childhood. At 14, he had written a couplet (doha) of 'shlesh alankaar'–

"यह रस ऐसों बुरो है, मन को देत बिगारि।
याते पास न जाइए, जब लौं होइ अनारि।"

(This pleasure is so bad that, it ruins one's integrity
Do not go near it, until you are mature/ have a woman companion)

This was the father of the era of Bhartendu Harish Chandra, the modern Hindi literature. He used to organize a 'Sahitya Darbaar' (Literary court) for the promotion of the language. Many writers, whom we revere as the greatest writers of all times in the Hindi literary world today, used to participate in this 'Darbaar'. Once Bhartendu Harishchandra gave a line and asked his contemporary poets to write a poem resolving it (Samasya purti kavita). The line was-

"रीझि लट्टू भई राधिकारानी।"

(Radhika is mesmerized and swept off her feet.)

Poets were invited to write a poem resolving this by explaining why and how Radha was mesmerized by Krishna. Bhartendu Harishchandra received many poems and among the poems he received through post was a beautiful poem by some 'Makarand' from Prayag. Following is an excerpt from that poem-

"इन्दू सुधा बरस्यो नलिनीन पै,
वे न रवि के बिन हरसानी।
त्यों रवि तेज दिखाओ तऊ बिन,
इंदु कुमोदनि सह बिकसानी।
न्यारी कछू यह प्रीति की रीति,
नहीं 'मकरन्दजू' जाति बखानी।
सांवरे कामरी वाले गुपाल पै,
रीझि लट्टू भई राधिकारानी।"