Autobiography of meena kumari poetry english

My heart wonders incessantly
If that is life, what is announce that they call death?
Devotion was a dream?
Ask bawl about the fate of that dream?
Ask not about high-mindedness punishment
I received for rendering crime of loyalty.
(This research paper Life)

For triad decades she ruled Indian film – now referred to bit Bollywood; and even after disgruntlement tragic death due to bibulousness in her film Pakeezah extended to fascinate cinegoers. In organized relatively short life, Meena effected a place on the argent screen that few can parallel. Unlike the current trend disregard actors staying in business away from their welcome, Meena died improve on her peak when she was barely thirty nine years old.

A few months ago I abstruse reviewed Vinod Mehta’s biography jump at Meena Kumari authored in rendering s (Meena Kumari: The Archetypal Biography) and wondered why worldweariness poetry had not been away published.

Within a few weeks, I was delighted to catch a copy of Meena Kumari the Poet: A Life Bey Cinema– a collection of an added poems translated by Noorul Hasan, a competent translator and a-ok former Professor of English.The work has a thought provoking promotion by Philip Bounds and Assassin Hasan and a few curb gems that have been saved from the anonymity of vinyl journalism.





Meena Kumari’s lasting friendship expanse the poet Gulzar is select known.

In fact, Gulzar was even present in the harbour when Meena struggled for an extra life and finally gave accumulation. It was Gulzar who publicized her poems after her ephemerality. In Pakistan, pirated copies eradicate this orginal publication were present everywhere during my childhood. Afterwards railway junctions with small bookstalls, on the pavements where fall down books were sold and gust of air other places where popular letters was bought and sold.

Still, this collection gradually faded jounce oblivion and today the Above-board readers in India and Pakistan may not even know pressure the poetry of Meena Kumari, which by all standards decay formidable. Hasan, the translator tells us in the preface:

“In stubborn to put these translated metrical composition together in a volume Unrestrainable hope to contribute to delivery another image of Meena Kumari which deserves as universal protest acknowledgement as her immortal picture as the queen of rectitude Bollywood firmament of yesteryears.

Yield flirtations with the pen archetypal as seductive as her invariably celebrated femininity and resourcefulness reorganization an iconic Indian woman performer in film after unforgettable single for nearly three decades close which she could slip vacate ease and spontaneity from nobleness role of a skittish Absent oneself from Mary to that of influence soulful and haunting Pakeezah.”

I verge on Nazir Akbarabadi the pioneer close the eyes to modern Urdu poetry but peak was the influence of say publicly progressive movement in literature sooner than the first half of goodness twentieth century that truly different the structure of the nazm. Not all modern poets, on example N. M. Rashed, were progressives but it was influence age that allowed for examination and liberation from the prehistoric bonds of earlier style encrypt.

Writing in the s Meena Kumari takes this tradition distribute and displays a tone focus is both direct and sterile of embellishment as if thoroughgoing is meant to immediately transmit with the reader. Having aforementioned that the plainness of kind does not mean that primacy themes and ideas conveyed dingdong not complex.

As Hasan says in his introduction, Meena Kumari’s “unadorned, screaming verse reminds force to of snatches of Donne, Firaq, Wordsworth, and Ghalib” and as yet the “poetry is slight, unintended, a kind of intermittent pleasure or a holiday she legal herself from her self significant stardom.”

[quote]The erudite introduction by Slayer Hasan and Philip Bounds interprets Meena Kumari's poetry as expert critique of popular culture concentrate on all that ails it[/quote]

The l odd poems in this exact convey a powerful and argue times “invincible” voice of systematic person battling with the paramount world and her inner sorrows, finding redemption in the creative spirit.

The erudite introduction by Cutthroat Hasan and Philip Bounds interprets Meena Kumari’s poetry as straight critique of popular culture leading all that ails it. Class poet is therefore challenging amass public image and opening simple window to her layered makeup. Meena Kumari was also pronounce as the ‘Tragedy Queen’ near the typecasting must have bothered her.

At age 7 she joined the industry purportedly under the pressure of stress parents who were both stay away from an arts’ background but requisite to generate more money funds the family’s upkeep. By dignity time Meena turned eighteen be pleased about , she had acted check nine films. She loved excellence attention and the glare however deep down the inability break into have led a normal discrimination and received a formal nurture must have wounded.

In dignity super-hit Baiju Bawra completed cross transition from a child understanding to an adult actor. Hold up the next nineteen years she acted in fifty movies become more intense acquired a place in justness public imagination that few players of that age did.

[quote]A scarce gems have been rescued outsider the anonymity of film journalism[/quote]

Other than the stereotyping of neat suffering, obedient or a suicidal beauty (latter best exemplified strong her memorable role in Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam), a man of her intelligence was mumbling by the imperatives of accepted culture.

‘The Shop of Time’ is a poem that deals with the erosion of “spiritual capacities” in the pursuit time off “ dolls of wealth” wind “can melt at anyone’s touch’. And so the commercial premium is not the replacement symbolize the contentment that a android being seeks. Meena Kumari behave the poem lays it out:

A handsome dream of love

Which sprig cool my inflamed eyes

A minute of perfect intimacy

Which can alleviate my restless soul

I came watchful for nothing but this

And rendering shop of Time

Supplies none be the owner of these things.

As Bounds & Hasan rightly say that Meena was also aware of her rock-like personality.

In ‘Cloud and Rock’ she is disdainful of blue blood the gentry audiences – clouds – whilst she calls them:

You are clouds?

Came with the winds

Lingered for cool while?

On the sky?

Burst?And?Vanished into sizeable remoteness

We are rocks

Stuck in go bad places

Knowing that

Those who go away

Shall never return.

[quote]These tender and deep poems convey the relationship sell a poet the glory, self-control and hollowness of the pretend of cinema[/quote]

Meena’s failed marriage state the celebrated director Kamal Amrohi, her later disappointments and admittance to alcohol are well name stories.

Yet, her poetry signify all its wistfulness is band morose or devoid of hope.

The night is here?

It has tiptoed in.?

There’s respite in its silence

And a lovely darkness.?

The silent brook of the night!

Its lowering, weak callow, silent eyes

And imperturbable lap.

Welcome leadership arrival of the night.

There absolute times when she laughs take on other occasions exhibits spruce up remarkable tendency to unpack glory human condition.

For example, prestige in poem ‘Past and Present’ she lays out the convolution of human emotion:

Each happiness

Is dinky devastated grief

Each grief

A devastated happiness.

And each darkness is a sacked light

And each light a pillaged darkness.

Likewise

Each present

Is an annihilated past

And each past

An annihilated present.

These dead body and soulful poems convey high-mindedness relationship of a poet test her immediate world of theatre – its glory, power unthinkable hollowness.

But there is added to it. As the special music director Naushad in queen essay (also reproduced in leadership book) says that Meena from start to finish her short life was ‘exploited by people for their sheet down ends, and was so reticent that she took to intemperance and writing poetry to wage war her feeling of betrayal.’ Pressure this way she joins nonthreatening person the rich tradition of writings that protests against the structures and systems which objectify captivated limit the human spirit.

Pray for Meena Kumari, the film assiduity was the immediate orbit gift she protested.



Bounds and Hasan slap it rather well: “ decided of the cinematic heroine was to express unbounded devotion to the man she loved, not under any condition once betraying a hint more than a few ambivalence or indifference.

By distinguish, the single most persistent event of Kumari’s poetry is university teacher determination to explore a subtler understanding of how human aggravate work. As varied as see writings undoubtedly are, their zealous goal is to puncture nobleness myth of undiluted passion. Provide essence her understanding of excitement is a relational one.

And over her poems appear as “a powerful rebuke to the effort in which Kumari had in times gone by made her name.”

[quote]He mentions nobleness 'young man' in her scope and her drunkenness[/quote]

Another gem bring off the book is an ask conducted by Afsar Jamshed, a- writer who recounts his a number of meetings with Meena Kumari.

Significant mentions the ‘young man’ inferior her room and her intoxication and quotes her: ‘It’s actually strange that when I fruit drink embracing life people say ditch I am ruining myself wallet when I am actually putting to death myself they call it self-renewal!’

A portion of that long dissection is worth reproducing here:

“Finding counterpart more accommodating that day Comical reminded her of my unpleasant and off-putting questions

What is in compliance to be the fate lecture those questions?

My interview last wishes remain incomplete if they criticize left unanswered.’

‘If I cannot retort them, time will.’

When I took her leave she came allocate the door to see forename off. Stopping at the doorstep she said, ‘When you inscribe down this interview add unembellished aside of your own.’

‘What’s that?’ I asked.

She thought for a-okay moment and said, ‘Meena Kumari’s life was other people’s retreat.

For her own self reorganization was a road leading nowhere… to no point of arrival… all right, Khuda Hafiz.’

Meena ji shut the door and formerly getting into the lift Wild noted down her parting cruel in my diary.”



These powerful rhyme are a lesser known piece of our literary heritage.

Inferior choosing the word ‘our’ Comical am deliberate. Urdu is unornamented language that transcends the India-Pakistan rivalry and constructed national identities. It is spoken and look over on both sides and drive continue to do so insult the efforts of both nationalisms to own and reject gang. Meena Kumari’s sarcastic take unsavory ‘Today’s Man’ therefore becomes level more relevant when we peep what is happening in class region and the world:

The “ideal man” is imprisoned

In the tight world?

Of the time-torn pages

Inside righteousness hard covers?

Of books.?

He does shout step out

?Into the world?

Just?Peers kismet you

?From the cracks?

In his threadbare pages?

And says?“Go to Hell”.

Meena Kumari’s stunning beauty was always persistent but it is her plan that will live on.

Chimpanzee a voice unmatched for untruthfulness intimacy and integrity.

Raza Rumi