Madhushala by Dr.Harivansh Rai Bachchan

This opening stanza of the album is in the sonorous voice of Harivansh Rai Bachchan himself.

Madiralay jaane ko ghar sey

Chalta hai peene waala,

Kis path sey jaaoon asmanjas

Mein hai who bhola-bhala.

Alag-alag path bataletey sab,

Par mein yah batalata hoon,

Raah pakad tu ek chalachal,

Paa jayegaa Madhishala.

I am told Bachchans recitation of Madhushala was a rage in the kavi sammelans he participated in! Such is the poetry and such was his voice, he was catapulted to popularity among the masses which thronged to listen to him. My father, who is 84 years old now, recounts the time when he walked all the way to a program a few miles away from his village to hear Bachchan who was rumored to recite Madhushala there. My father still regrets the poet did not turn up for the program and the fact that he could never hear him live. And this was sometime in the early 1940s.

After this stanza by the poet himself, Manna Dey takes over. The magic web gets thrown on the listener!

Sun kal-kal, chhal-chhal

Over the next few stanzas you are taken through the gamut of emotions felt by the protagonist. His reflections on life conveyed through the emotions he expresses via the interplay of liquor, goblet, barmaid and the bar. The mysteries of life, relationships, societal norms, organized religion, death, after-life are all expressed via these symbols. Side A of the cassette is joyous while the side B turns introspective, somber really. But what is not lost is the ode to that elixir which gives life its joy, its meaning.

I do not intent to transcribe/translate the entire text, however much I am tempted. I would still like to highlight a couple of portions:

(Pardon these rather awkard translations, I have only tried to give some flavor of the poetry, albeit crudely)

Adharon par ho koi bhi ras

Jihwa par lagti haala,

Bhaajan ho koi haathon mein

Lagta rakha hai pyaala,




Har soorat saaqi ki surat,

Mein parivartit ho jaati,




Aankhon ke aagey ho kuchh bhi,

Aankhon mein hai Madhushala.




Whatever life has to offer me, I take it as sheer ecstacy.

I greet the server as a barmaid,

Such is the joy which life has to offer to me.

Never mind what I see in front of me,

To my inner eye, the world is a large tavern.




Dharm-granth sab jala chuki hai

Jiskey antar ki jwaala,

Mandir, masjid, girjey-sabko

Tod chula matwala.




Pandit, momin, paadariyon ke

Phandon ko jo kaat sakaa,




Kar sakti hai aaj usi ka

Sawagat meri Madhushala.




The fire of the tavern has extinguished

The passions of religions

The fire has destroyed temples, mosques, churches

Breaking them asunder




The tavern welcomes all those

Who are rid of the trappings of all faiths.




And when the protagonist would be no more, he exhorts his near ones:




Aur chita par jaaye undela

Patra na ghrit ka par pyaala,

Ghant bandhein angoor lataa mein

Madhya na jal ho par haala,




Praan priye, yadi shraddhar karo tum

Mera, toh aisey karma,




Peenewaalon ko bulwaa kar

Khulwa dena Madhushala.




Pour not pure ghee on my pyre

But this elixir,

Tie the ceremonial pots with grape vines

And fill them with more elixir




And for my last rites, my love,

Do it thus.




Invite all the imbibers,

And have a tavern indulge them.




And the album ends thus:




Tarpan-arpan karma mujhko,

Padh-padh karke Madhushala




I shall not try to translate this one! By now you can guess how the protagonist wishes to be appeased once he is dead!




If you have heard Madhushala or read it before, you have been as lucky as I have been.

And if you have not, please do get hold of a copy of the album. CDs and cassettes are available freely. And if you want to read the text as well (the full text), Hind Pocket Books has a nice edition available even at a good A.H. Wheeler bookstall. The level of Hindi is slightly higher than Std X levels as you would have guessed by now. But do give yourself up to the joys of this work, the meaning will follow itself!

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[sanam441]

the best ever heard poem.....................a tribute to sri sri harivansh rai bachchan

[meetchiranshu]

awesome music



[yjk9c]

98

[anupamaharibrata]

Manna Dey was rightly chosen over Rafi, Mukesh by Bachchan

[oldoxan]

Thank you very much for

this great actor for this post.

It is a comfort to my heart, I am a great admirer of his.

Once again thank you!

[savitaredij]

 this clip is the best one .... amazing thanx ya

[savitaredij]

@ifthyder this clip is the best one thanx ya

[sgajwa]

it is most beauti full lirics that i have not ever listen.

[ifthyder]

first rhythmic couplets till "Pa jayega Madhushala" done by Harivanshrai saheb.

[ifthyder]

This opening stanza of the album is in the sonorous voice of Harivansh Rai Bachchan himself. After first stanza by the poet himself, Manna Dey takes over.