Mahadevi Verma: Google Dedicates Doodle to Legendary Hindi Poetess, Educationist and Social Activist

Google has dedicated a creative doodle to the legendary Hindi poet, writer and social activist Mahadevi Verma. The Hindi poetess known as 'modern Meera', was born on March 26, 1907, in Farukhabad into an orthodox family. She went on to become a leading educationist and was a major figure of the Chhayavaad literary movement in Hindi literature. She was also a prominent personality in the Hindi Kavi Sammelans or symposiums which usually used to be dominated by the male poets. 

Though Mahadevi was married at an early age of nine in 1916, she remained at her parental home and continued her education at Crossthwaite Girls' School in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. On this date (27th April), in 1982, Varma received the Jnanpith Award for her outstanding contributions to Indian literature. Google celebrated this occasion with the doodle made by guest artist Sonali Zohra, which shows the transformative Mahadevi, busy penning her thoughts into beautiful poems and verses.

As per the Google blog, "While both parents encouraged their daughter to pursue her education, it was Varma's mother who inspired her daughter to write in Sanskrit and Hindi."

Mahadevi Verma became the principal of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth after completing her M.A. in Sanskrit from Prayag university and remained in that post till she was alive. She was awarded with numerous prizes such as the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship considered to be the biggest literature award or honor in India. She was also the recipient of the Gyanpith Award for her famous poetry collection titled “Yama”. The following are the top three poems of Mahadevi Verma.

1. The first poem is titled “Dukh” which means sorrow or suffering. It's a poem from her collection called "Rashmi"

रजतरश्मियों की छाया में धूमिल घन सा वह आता;

इस निदाघ के मानस में करुणा के स्रोत बहा जाता।

उसमें मर्म छिपा जीवन का,

एक तार अगणित कम्पन का,

एक सूत्र सबके बन्धन का,

संसृति के सूने पृष्ठों में करुणकाव्य वह लिख जाता।

वह उर में आता बन पाहुन,

कहता मन से, अब न कृपण बन,

मानस की निधियां लेता गिन,

दृग-द्वारों को खोल विश्वभिक्षुक पर, हँस बरसा आता।

यह जग है विस्मय से निर्मित,

मूक पथिक आते जाते नित,

नहीं प्राण प्राणों से परिचित,

यह उनका संकेत नहीं जिसके बिन विनिमय हो पाता।

मृगमरीचिका के चिर पथ पर,

सुख आता प्यासों के पग धर,

रुद्ध हृदय के पट लेता कर,

गर्वित कहता ’मैं मधु हूँ मुझसे क्या पतझर का नाता’।

दुख के पद छू बहते झर झर,

कण कण से आँसू के निर्झर,

हो उठता जीवन मृदु उर्वर,

लघु मानस में वह असीम जग को आमन्त्रित कर लाता।

2. The second poem is titled "If I could tie you in my dreams" and is from her poetry collection "Neerja"

तुम्हें बाँध पाती सपने में!

तो चिरजीवन-प्यास बुझा

लेती उस छोटे क्षण अपने में!

पावस-घन सी उमड़ बिखरती,

शरद-दिशा सी नीरव घिरती,

धो लेती जग का विषाद

ढुलते लघु आँसू-कण अपने में!

मधुर राग बन विश्व सुलाती

सौरभ बन कण कण बस जाती,

भरती मैं संसृति का क्रन्दन

हँस जर्जर जीवन अपने में!

सब की सीमा बन सागर सी,

हो असीम आलोक-लहर सी,

तारोंमय आकाश छिपा

रखती चंचल तारक अपने में!

शाप मुझे बन जाता वर सा,

पतझर मधु का मास अजर सा,

रचती कितने स्वर्ग एक

लघु प्राणों के स्पन्दन अपने में!

साँसें कहती अमर कहानी,

पल पल बनता अमिट निशानी,

प्रिय! मैं लेती बाँध मुक्ति

सौ सौ, लघुपत बन्धन अपने में!

तुम्हें बाँध पाती सपने में!

3. The third poem is titled "If you were to come once"

जो तुम आ जाते एक बार

कितनी करूणा कितने संदेश

पथ में बिछ जाते बन पराग

गाता प्राणों का तार तार

अनुराग भरा उन्माद राग

आँसू लेते वे पथ पखार

जो तुम आ जाते एक बार

हँस उठते पल में आर्द्र नयन

धुल जाता होठों से विषाद

छा जाता जीवन में बसंत

लुट जाता चिर संचित विराग

आँखें देतीं सर्वस्व वार

जो तुम आ जाते एक बार

As the poems prove, Mahadevi Verma was a poet of love, sorrow, pathos, suffering, longing and all the emotions that a human goes through life irrespective of his or her social status in life. Not for nothing is she known as the modern Meera or the queen of poets. She was decorated with state honors such as the Padma Bhusan in 1956 and the Padma Vibhusan in the year 1988. Her poetry completely justifies all the respect and honors.  (With ANI inputs.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2018 06:57 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).