Madhushala - Rubaiya 1

I have always wanted to write a complete thesis on Harivansh Rai Bachchan's immortal poem, "Madhushala".

This is my attempt to do that.

I am not going to write a conventional thesis in that I'm not going to research it. I am going to plunge right in, go through the poem stanza by stanza, and write my impressions and observations. So, this is really a blog of my own reflections, and I simply use "Madhushala" as a vehicle to do so.

So without any further preamble, let me go straight to the first stanza of this poem.

Stanza 1
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Mridu bhavon ke angooron ki
aaj banaa laayaa halaa,
priyatam, apne hee haton se
aaj pilaaoonga pyala;
pehle bhog lagaa loon tujhko
phir prasaad jag paayega;
sabse pehle tera swaagat karti meri madhushaalaa

In my mind, Bachchan is making the entire poem personal; he wants the reader to get the impression that he is the only one that matters; that this is not just a poem for general consumption. He seeks that one on one relationship with every reader.

This is important. In life, we tend to treat others in a general lump "out there", forgetting that everyone else is a human being just like you and I are. Personal relationship is important, for it is the only thing that endures. If people in power and position can understand this well, they will be more successful: they will not then treat others as tools to get things done, but as members of a team with a collective goal.

Bachchan makes the entire tone soft and gentle, by starting with the phrase "mridu bhavon ke angooron se", and sets the tone for a deep, personal, conversation.

Beautiful.