काव्य: रंजना शरण सिन्हा

रंजना शरण सिन्हा

1. डूबती आवाजे़ं

अन्याय की अंधेरी काली रातों में

न जाने कितने साये

हैमलेट के भूत की तरह

इशारे करते हैं

शायद कुछ कहना चाहते हैं

पृथ्वी उनके लिए कुछ नहीं

एक अर्थहीन घूमता ग्रह मात्र है!

बेचैन मर्दों की तस्वीरें

जो बाप-दादों के नाम

और उनकी नस्ल ढो रहे हैं

आधे-अधूरे इंसान-

अपवित्र, नापाक!

सामंती इतिहास के पन्नों ने

उन्हें जकड़ लिया है!

आहत औरतें

आघातों से धूमिल

टूटती-बिखरतीं!

बोझिल साँसें, डूबती आवाज़ें

शून्य में विलीन होती हुई!

भार से चिपटती पृथ्वी

टूटे पंखों से भरा आकाश

शीत का बेज़ार मौसम

कहीं क्षितिज पर

कोई उम्मीद की रोशनी है क्या?

***

2. टर्मिनल-1 के बाहर मैना

(1)

टर्मिनल वन के बाहर

विशाल कैनोपी के नीचे

चलती-फुदकती

सरसों-जैसे पीले पैरों वाली

सात मैना

शहरी वातावरण में ढल चुकीं

ये ठुमक-ठुमक कर दुकानों के सामने

खाने की चीज खोज रही है

          

(2)

बसंती चोंच वाली

भूरी-भूरी मैना

कैडबरीज़ जैसे तुम्हारे पंख

काला सिर और आँखों के चारों ओर

अंडे की ज़र्दी की तरह

पिघलता पीलापन

मेरे बचपन का खुशियों-भरा कौतूहल!

आज मैं तुम्हें देखकर कितनी खुश हूँ

भगवान का शुक्र है कि तुम

विलुप्त हो जाने वाली प्रजाति नहीं हो!

                

(3)

ज़मीन पर तुम्हारे विषम कोण

और रहस्यमयी आकृतियाँ बनाती

दोपहर की चमकती धूप और छाँव

एयरपोर्ट के शोर-शराबे के बीच

यात्रियों का अनवरत आना-जाना

अनेक चेहरे अनेक भाव-

कुछ लोग उदास आँखों के साथ

अकेले यात्रा कर रहे हैं

कुछ लोग मुस्कुराहटों और

आलिंगनों की प्रतीक्षा में खुश हैं

कुछ भावशून्य चेहरों के पीछे

पता नहीं कौन-सी सोच है

        

(4)

उतरती हुई उड़ान

एयरप्लेन की खिड़की से देखती हूँ

गुड्डे गुड़ियों के घरों-सी कतारें

शहरों को उजागर करती हुई

चमकती लकीरों-सी नदियाँ

सपनों की शांत दुनिया में

मेरे दिल दिमाग में

तुम छा जाती हो

    

(5)

बचपन की यादों के डिब्बे

खुल जाते हैं और तुम

मेरी कविता में कैद हो जाती हो!

बिंब और प्रतीकों की भरमार--

वर्ड्सवर्थ का थ्रश

शेली का स्काईलार्क

डिकिंसन का वर्म ईटर-

और इन चिड़ियों के बहुरूपों में व्याप्त

टर्मिनल के बाहर तुम सभी!

(6)

बचपन के भोले-भाले भाव से जुड़ी

स्कूल के समय की कविता

होठों पर आ जाती है-

ये सात मैना!

वन फॉर सौरो टू फार ज्वाय

थ्री फॉर ए गर्ल फोर फॉर ए बॉय

फाइव फॉर सिल्वर

सिक्स फॉर गोल्ड

सेवेन फॉर सीक्रेट

नेवर टू बी टोल्ड

सच इन मैना में

उत्तरजीविता के न जाने

कितने रहस्य छिपे हैं!

---

सेतु, अगस्त 2025

Special Edition: Ranjana Sharan

Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Accented Syllables

The woman looks out of the window

while on public transit--

Tall buildings, bustling streets,

the flow of traffic and much more...

The window itself reflects

the interior of the vehicle

adding another layer of perspective. 

The cityscape and the images continue 

and she wishes to escape the boredom.

Overwhelming thoughts

come and create corrosion.

Despite being surrounded by people

she feels disconnected--

No friendly immersion!

The relentless demands of a busy life,

the struggle to balance

career and relationships, and

her daily commute to work,

have made her life a sorry saga

full of dull and hectic happenings.

Emotional depletion--

The whispers of her own desires

have drowned in the bustle.

Amid a thousand tasks,

a millions demands,

she seems to have lost touch

with her own identity and passion.

A withered flower

in a concrete vase,

she yearns for a patch of earth

to call her own!

***

---

Setu, July 2025

Special Edition: Ranjana Sharan

Ranjana Sharan Sinha

The So-Called Deadness

Stripped of their verdant attire,

leafless trees and bare branches

spread and stretch

skeletal fingers with nails stiletto:

The landscape whispers

a tale of solitude

wrapped in gloom.

Lost shapes and colours

have become metaphors of the past,

but even in seemingly lifeless state

secrets of renewal are buried

deep inside the trees:

Dreams of beauty and blossom,

echoes of verdure!

The cyclical nature

with changing seasons

create light and darkness--

Butterflies of happiness

and shadows of sorrow.

Stark trees endure and

wait with hope for

the return of spring:

Rejuvenation and rebirth!

Tanka-1

in a silent trance

stand the stoic trees in peace

deep stories to tell

mid a sea of yellow grey

complexness of existence

Tanka-2

the withered brown trees

silhouettes against the sky

life's fragility

the inevitable end

I muse on mortality. 

---

Setu, May 2025

Poetry: Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Ranjana Sharan Sinha

1. Roses Left Behind 

Displaced by a war,

Maher is sitting quietly alone

not knowing he would

never return to his old town

where he left his friends, relatives,

books, toys and roses behind.

He is like a baby Robin

fallen out of the nest!

He remembers how bombardments

targeted the people from every corner,

the skies were on fire

and the town seemed 

on the brink of annihilation.

Amid the horror and chaos

they evacuated their home.

In the horizon of his mind

so many silhouettes appear

and beckon to him!

The bewildered boy tries

to recognise the hazy shadows.

The deep emotional scars are the

devastating consequences of displacement.

Maybe he doesn't know that

there are still more miseries to come!

What next?

***

2. The Silk Road

  

In the dim candlelight some pages of history

flutter and open recreating things,

resurrecting bygone images:

I visualise Marco Polo on horseback

and try to get familiar

with the fascinating account

of his travels and migration 

from Venice to China!

Traversing thousands of miles

through uncharted deserts,

over steep mountain passes

and on the Silk Road,

he made an incredible voyage

and brought a wealth of knowledge,

Stimulated people and fired imaginations.

The landscapes, climate, customs,

flora, fauna, ways of life

and the festivities in the court

of Emperor Kublai Khan and

his opulent palace at Shangdo--

Have enthralled millions and millions.

Marco's records inspired Columbus

to begin his own adventure.

Coleridge, after waking from

an opium- induced nap,

wrote his poem ' Kubla Khan' about

the miraculous 'stately- pleasure dome',

but Polo's enchanting tale was somewhere

behind the poet's hypnotic creation!

Over millennia, epistemic curiosity 

and the human desire to explore

have led to a limitless expansion --

New lands have been discovered,

cultural boundaries have been pushed

and new frontiers have been sought!

True, the legacy of the voyages

is enriching and captivating!

***

3. Tanka

leaves fall from the tree

displaced they touch the terrain

a happening sad

or a recycling for growth

and a new start in the spring

***

---

Setu, July 2024

Ranjana Sharan Sinha (Women and Spring)

Ranjana Sharan Sinha

SPRING IN WOODLANDS

(1)

A pleasant, placid day in March!

Awakened from their winter slumber

the woodlands and the little valleys

have come alive in spring --

Growth, greenery and colour

offering a reprieve from frost and fire!

(2)

I soak up the vernal beauty

on the road through woodlands:

The rolling hills extend 

a long way into distance

under the vast infinite blue -- 

Clear and cloudless.

The Narmada nearby 

beckons me closer 

amid a lush landscape!

(3)

An epic view of wild flowers

untamed with surreal beauty!

Bunches of white silky blossoms

are hanging from tree branches.

Although they are at a distance,

I can smell the balmy fragrance!

Small zephyr lilies-- pink, yellow and white

have started peeking out from 

the grass-like thin leaves.

The symmetry of man- made garden

pale in comparison to this chaotic array!

(4)

The colour of spring becomes intense:

Palash-- flame of the forest-- blaze

and burst into orange-red flowers

on rocky slopes and near the riverbank.

The enticing abundance and the splendid hue

create a stunning splendour--

Words can't capture the mesmerizing beauty!

(5)

The images of Palash-- rubies of spring--

have become memories for a lifetime!

Even today they linger deep within 

the corners of my mind and

brighten the inner corridors of my being!

I remember Wordsworth 

and the profusion of golden daffodils!

***

BIO: Recipient of a number of national and international awards for her contribution to poetry, Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha is an eminent bilingual poet, author, academic and retd. professor of English. She is a well- known voice in Indian Poetry in English with international recognition.She received a commendation from the former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for her poem 'Mother Nature' contained in her collection SPRING ZONE. Two poems from her collection SCENTS AND SHADOWS are included in the Postgraduate Syllabus of Purnea University.Her poems, short stories, articles and research papers have been widely published in reputed dailies, magazines, e-zines, archives and journals including Sahitya Akademi's Indian Literature in print and online. Her poems have been translated into Greek, German, Albanian, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Persian and Nepali languages.She has authored and published 09 books in different genres and 50 research papers. She is one of the members of the Editorial Board of Our Poetry Archive (OPA).

---

Setu, March 2024

रंजना शरण की कविताएँ

रंजना शरण सिन्हा

(1) पौपी: लाल, काली और सफेद

मेरे दिमाग के धूसर स्लेट पर

सोच और चिंताएँ

घसीट लिपि की तरह 

उलझती हुई बढ़ती जाती हैं

ध्वस्त शहर और इमारतें

लहलहाती फसलों की बर्बादी

अस्पताल और मंदिरों का नाश

यतीमों की चीख

विधवाओं का मौन -

शायद यह मुर्दों की बस्ती है

ओह! दिल बैठ जाता है -

चांद की चांदी

सूरज का सोना

अपनी चमक खो देते हैं

अंधेरा उतर आता है

नींद कम आती है

और सपने ज्यादा!

सपने में मैं 

पौपी के फूल देखती हूँ

लाल, काले और सफेद

लाल पौपियों के चेहरे 

उन योद्धाओं की याद दिलाते हैं 

जो युद्ध में शहीद हो गए

काली पॉपियाँ उन सबकी

प्रतीक बन जाती हैं

जो साम्राज्यवादी युद्ध के

शिकार हुए थे

सौम्य और सफेद पौपियाँ

सुख और शांति के लिए प्रतिबद्ध हैं -

वे युद्ध को चुनौती देती हैं -

युद्ध को कभी भी महिमामंडित मत करना

यह जश्न मनाने की चीज नहीं है

***

(2) मन के अंदर धरती और आकाश

मन की वह अदृश्य उड़ान 

धरती धीरे-धीरे छूटने लगी थी

सड़कें, मकान ओझल हो रहे थे

बढ़ती उम्र की गठरी

पता नहीं क्यों हल्की हो गई थी

वायुयान के वातायन से झांका

कपासी बादल रंगों का

पुलिंदा खोल रहा था

केसरिया, गुलाबी, फिरोजी, बैंगनी...

इंद्रधनुष से भी परे एक रंग था शायद

उस आठवें रंग का नाम

पता नहीं मुझे

रंगो के ब्रह्मांड में

मैं और मेरा मन

मन - धरती और आकाश के बीच

बँटा हुआ अस्तित्व

चमकते चांद-सितारों का मौन आमंत्रण

मन दौड़ पड़ता है आकाश की ओर

चंचल, चपल विद्युत गति से भागते पैर

पर वहाँ टिक नहीं पाता

कोई डोर है धरती पर

जो इस पतंग को खींच लेती है

पन्ने की तरह हरे पेड़ों की सघन छाया

बारिश की बूंदों की बौछार

नमी से भरी ठंडी हवा

और धरती का गहरा नील सागर

आसमान की आभा समेटे हुए

वापस बुला लेते हैं

सुरमई शाम के ढलते ही

मन एक परिंदे की तरह घोंसले में बैठ जाता है

***

रंजना शरण सिन्हा

नागपुर (महाराष्ट्र), भारत; ईमेल: ranjanasharansinha@ymail.com

---

सेतु, जनवरी 2023

Three Ghazals: Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Ghazal-1

For me the happy drizzling rain in June,

For you the heavy hoards of pain in June.

Romantic thoughts are forced to flee the mind,

Like  refugees on  rough  terrain in  June.

The leafy green umbrella can't protect

The homeless lot with labour vain in June.

A downpour douses many cooking hearths,

The  starving  people can't sustain in June.

It's raining, Ranjana, and deep I think:

Tell me today I lose or gain in June.

***

Ghazal-2

The swelling tides of sea tonight,

The moon is bright and full tonight.

The restless waves towards the orb,

This  riddle crosses me  tonight.

A longing flows unseen, unknown:

The flower falls from  tree  tonight.

Some faces linger grey and sad,

Untouched by any glee  tonight.

A flood of visions,  Ranjana--

The verdant grassy lea tonight.

***

Ghazal-3

The moon wanes, the stars seem like dead moths-- the wings lost!

The pain melts and pours out as tears salt-- the strings lost!

The dark wisps of night snatches dreams from their eyes,

A blank stare without food in bleak hours-- the springs lost!

A long trudge on life's stony road hard-- misused, used,

Some stray dogs become friends to play with-- things lost!

I see life that doesn't stop and goes by like fast trains,

The sun sinks and shades captured can't stay-- the slings lost!

The poor-rich divide kills and they move without hope,

In these mines of stark dearth there's bright gold-- the bling lost!

***

---

Setu, June 2022

Anjana Verma's Hindi Poetry: Translated by Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Translation by: Ranjana Sharan Sinha

1. Voice of a Female Foetus

After all

why do you wish 

to kill me, my father?

Let me take birth

and then

even if you will give me

Iess food

I will survive on

half-stomach meal

I will never complain

You know

it happens with daughters

And they don't feel bad

If you don't want

to educate me

I will remain uneducated

and never claim

the right to education

If you don't like

to get me married

I'll become a spinster

serving you in every possible way

without casting aspersions!

Tell me

why do you desire

to eliminate me

inside the womb?

You have an option

of throwing me on a rubbish heap

and you'll get rid of me!

So why do you want

to kill me in the womb itself?

I am listening to your negotiations

that you are planning to

nip me in the bud!

I wish to say

let me see the light of the world

After that you'll have

thousands of ways

to get rid of me

Give me a chance to survive;

after my birth

dispose of my body like a litter

somewhere on a garhage dump

but do let me come on the earth

Some childless may

pick me up and adopt

Please, please my father

do me the favour!

If you'd accept me

as your daughter

I'd have proved my worth

better than a son!

***

Anjana Verma

2. Roots, Branches, and Leaves

The roots never get a chance

to look up at the sky

and flourish with a smile

in the azure space,

but those dependent on them

bloom in an open

and airy terrain!

Flowers receive praise

and get recognition

Fruits and crops are noticed

while roots remain in oblivion

Roots are the base

that bless the branches

with life and light

They breathe in darkness, though!

Unseen and unknown

they struggle for the nutrition

erasing their existence--

Unnamed creators 

of sweetness and delight,

colours and contours!

There are so many names:

Our jawans and  kisans

cleaners and mazdoors 

and many many more names

who are ignored and forgotten!

Names drenched in sweat and blood

that go  on providing us

a sky of joy and

brightness of fame!

3. Call of the Soil

The earth

that's neither a living being

nor a human

nor some other creature

The blue planet

that tolerates the

tramplings of feet

The soil

that accepts our

prayers and worships

and our dirt and garbage, too

with the same spirit

The pure innocent dust

that lies under our feet

is prodded and walked over

The same dust

has immense power

It calls an emigrant

settled a thousand miles away

without a voice!

And the man

living in a faraway land

listens to her silent call

again and again

and yearns to meet her

longs for her companionship

Terra firma! You

embrace without arms

You call without a mouth

You never forget them

who play in your lap

You fill their bodies and souls

with your motherly scent

Considered to be 

an inanimate object

all the time

You are more than

an animate being--

A kindred soul

giving love!

So much

that the person

who left you

continues to pine for you

The magnetic attraction

of a mother

Keeps on pulling him forever!

***

---

Setu, June 2021

काव्य: रंजना शरण सिन्हा (नागपुर)

रंजना शरण सिन्हा

वह चली गई
जीवन की यात्रा में
एक अनजाना -सा प्रदेश
लाल दहकते गुलमोहर
जमीन पर बिखर जाते हैं -
शरत का मौन एहसास

पृथ्वी के बदलते
साल और महीने
मुझे क्षुब्ध कर देते हैं
बीते दिनों की यादें
तेज हवा के झोंके बन
मन में सागर की
शांत पड़ी लहरों को
उद्वेलित कर देती हैं:
एक गहरा विषाद
जन्म ले लेता है

निरंतर बदलते
चेहरे और शरीर के पीछे
 दूर होता हुआ
अपना वजूद तलाशती हूँ --
एक सुंदर और जीवंत काया
मेरे सामने खड़ी हो जाती है

उसकी बाँहों में बाँहें डाल
कुछ दूर और चलना चाहती हूँ
पर वह रुकती ही नहीं-
तेज़ कदमों से चलती हुई
आँखों से ओझल हो जाती है
मैं कल की बारिश में भींगे
पत्थरों के ढेर की तरह
महसूस करती हूँ --
आह! वह सोंधी-सी खुशबू
अभी भी बनी हुई है

मेरे बीते हुए दिन
पीले-भूरे चमकदार शैम्पेन की तरह
बढ़ती उम्र के प्याले में
जादुई बुलबुलों से
फुसफुसाकर कुछ कहते हैं
     ************

मौन समुद्र-तट

जीवन के अंतहीन जुलूस के बीच
कभी-कभी दिल के किसी कोने में
एक गुनगुनाहट का एहसास होता है
सुंदर लहज़ा
बारिश में भीगे पत्तों से होकर
गुजरती हुई सुहानी हवा की
सरसराहटों की तरह
मुझे छू जाता है
भीगे, अधूरे शब्द
कस्तूरी-गंध की तरह
ठहर जाते हैं

कौतूहल और सम्मोहन से वशीभूत होकर
यादों के जंगलों को काटती हूँ
दुनिया-भर के चेहरे और आकृतियाँ
मुझे घेर लेती हैं
ओह! इन जाने-अनजाने
चेहरों के समुद्र से मैं
बाहर आना चाहती हूँ

अचानक एक अनजान चेहरा
पहचाना-सा लगता है--
गहन, असाधारण!
भावनाओं के उतार -चढा़व के बीच
समय के ज़िद्दी पैर रुक जाते हैं

विचारों में लीन
शांतचित्त सुनती हूँ
सागर-तट से टकराती
लहरों की आवाज़ --
नीलम सा पानी
लगातार हिलोरें मारता है

लहरों का कोमल स्पर्श
अभिभूत कर देता है
आकाश की ओर देखती हूँ
गोधूलि का थका सूरज
क्षितिज की ओर
कदम बढ़ा रहा है--
लहरों के नीलेपन में सहसा
शाम का साँवलापन
छलकने लगता है

एक पल को ठहरा समय
उड़ान भरता है
खुशबू की परिधि में
सुख-दु:ख, आशा-निराशा
सभी,
प्रेम और पश्चाताप के
गहरे गोदने बन
हृदय के सागर -तट पर
अमिट हो जाते हैं
        *******

सेतु, सितम्बर 2019

Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha, INDIA

MANGATA

A riddle in

two syllables--

WOMAN:

Infinite, magical,

fierce, diverse

and so much more!

I walk on the

melted silver of

the magical moon

that creates a shiny road

on the argent-blue water--

Aha, my steps on Mangata!

The sun scorches sometimes,

I bloom into ache,

The bruises and the scars

rebel amid screaming silence,

I take up arms against

stubborn sorrows.

Between the shores of

glory and misery,

Starlit dreams and

bitter truths, I remain

alive, indestructible.

Like Phoenix I know

how to resurrect:

I spread my wings

amid flames

and soar up to

fiery new heights!

A TRIBUTE TO STRI SHAKTI*

Feminism --

An awareness of patriarchal control

The concept as a whole

Originated in the West

Thanks to Mary Wollstonecraft.

But we must remember

Today and forever:

Our glorious heritage of strong women

Before the waves of feminism began.

Let us hark back to how feminism in its rebellion,

And subtler shades in comprehension,

Is found in Indian mythology;

Let us sing a eulogy--

Shakti incorporated in each of the goddesses:

Adi Shakti Durga with her aggressive images,

Striding on the lion of misogyny patriarchy,

Unmatched in the whole hierarchy!

Sita not surviving her disgrace

Went inside the womb of mother earth without a trace.

Kali, the true badass,

Breaking infinity's walls,

Rocking the earth and the sky

Beyond how and why,

With long mane of hair

And a scary glare,

The bloodied sword and the necklace

Making her victims headless;

Parvati creating a child of her own:

A will and confidence to many unknown!

Why to forget Gargi, the philosopher,

Her name evergreen like conifer--

Stumping men in a court filled with philosophers,

A strong opponent of Yagnavalkya, we've known for years.

It's high time we dredged up the silt of doubt and fear

To make the inner channels clear.

Recognize, rise and fly

High into the sky;

Remove the tag of weak and vulnerable,

Start a journey that's invincible!

     

*Stri Shakti = Woman Power

Adi Shakti, Durga, Kali, Sita and Parvati are all Indian Goddesses representing Strength, Courage and Perseverance

THE INAUGURAL SESSION

In the sublit dawn,

She gets up

and strides out

for the bungalows

to do the chores.

Like thep:

Mauve and bright yellow

rooted in the dry

rocky stretch of soul--

A span full of forked and

twiggy stuff of bushes,

brown with dried leaves,

She survives!

Silent secrets deep within,

stick out their tongues

much against her wishes

and retreat into

the closet of mouth.

A descent of the primitive race,

A statue of black marble

with a pair of full round breasts,

she was created and destructed

in the dim interiors:

Corridors with undefined rooms,

kitchens with pungent smells

of garlic and fish fry,

and air-conditioned halls

where status frothed in tall glasses.

Hours, days, and years

fled like flamingos

migrating to alien lands

during her arduous journey

through life-- A pain-dense track:

No merciful break

from the heat waves that

baked her twenty precious springs!

On many hot days

and stormy nights,

she became a polythene bag

stuck to a tree branch--

Got inflated like a balloon,

and deflated swinging in the wind.

Now the woman wants

to stop her oscillation

between frost and fire:

She looks up above her world

and finds the tangerines sky--

She hears the footsteps of morning

Who crushes the dim

chandeliers of starlit sky

to become the chairperson

of an inaugural session!

Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha, a well- known voice in Indian poetry in English, is a former professor of English at S. B. City college, Nagpur (MH), India. She is also an author and literary critic.  Her poems, short stories, articles and research papers have been extensively published in dailies, magazines, e-zines, archives, journals etc. at the national and international levels. She has authored and published 07 books in different genres and 50 research papers. Her poems have appeared in Sahitya Akademi' s journal "Indian Literature". Conferred with a number of awards for her contribution to literature, she has received accolades from the former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for her poem "Mother Nature".  She has completed and published UGC-sponsored MRP on comparative literature. Associated with many literary organisations and poetry groups, she is currently a Research Supervisor, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur.

201903E, Editorial, English, Women Power & Creativity,

---

Women, Power & Creativity :: Setu, March 2019

कविताएँ: रंजना शरण सिन्हा

रंजना शरण सिन्हा

जादू जुगनुओं का

मुझे लगा था तुम लुप्त हो गये
परंतु आज सहसा रात के अँधेरे में
कहीं दूर तुम्हारी भुक्-भुक्
मुझे याद दिला जाती है
बचपन के दिनों की

तुमसे निकलती हुई
हरी-सफेद-चमकीली रोशनी
सड़क की तेज बत्तियों के बीच
विलीन हो जाती है
सूरज की रोशनी में फीके चांद की तरह

बचपन में आश्चर्यचकित हो
मैं अपलक निहारती थी
तारों भरे आकाश को
सफेद पत्थरों से भरा झरना भी
भाता था मुझे

तब चंद्रमा एक रहस्य था
फूलगोभी - जैसे बादल
निरंतर बदलती आकृतियों - से
मुझमें कौतूहल भर देते थे

रात के घने अँधेरे में जब
आम के बगीचे से आती हुई
झींगुरों की तेज़ आवाज़
निस्तब्धता को चीरती थी
तुमने अपनी टिमटिमाती रोशनी से
एक सितारों - भरे आकाश का निर्माण किया

ऐसा लगा मानो उतर पड़ी हो
आकाशगंगा धरती पर
पहने हुए
मुकेश- भरी काली साड़ी

परंतु दशकों बाद एक बार फिर
तुम दिख जाते हो
तुम्हारा जलना- बुझना
अब जादुई नहीं रहा
लगता है रोशनी की चकाचौंध में
तुम प्रकाश फैलाने का
असफल प्रयत्न कर रहे हो

बचपन की तरह
जादू और सम्मोहन भी
कहीं दूर भाग गया है
काश! वह कौतुहल- भरा आनंद
सदा टिक पाता!
     *********

कुहरे की चादर

दिसंबर की ठंडी और स्लेटी सुबह
सूरज की मौत का
मातम मना रही है
खिड़की से बाहर झाँकती हूँ
सामने बगीचे में
कुहासा बादलों की तरह
फैल गया है
ठंडी सफेद चादरों में लिपटे
लंबे हरे पेड़
धुंधली आकृतियों में
तब्दील हो गये हैं
शान्त, घने कुहासे का एहसास
तन-मन में समा जाता है
कुहासे के आलिंगन में
समाहित हो जाना चाहती हूँ
कुहासे की गंध
बेचैन कर देती है
उसका आर्द्र स्पर्श
विगत स्मृतियों को जगा देता है
यादों के गलियारे में
खिंचती चली जाती हूँ
मेरा बचपन, मेरा यौवन!
एक कसक लौटने की!

सेतु, मार्च 2019

Voices Within: Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Former professor in English at S. B. City college, Nagpur (Maharashtra), Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha is a well-known voice in lndian Poetry in English and has received accolade from the former President of lndia, A. P. J.Abdul Kalam for her poem 'Mother Nature'. Poems, short stories, articles and research papers published in reputed dailies,magazines, e-zines, journals and archives at national and international levels. Authored and published six books and fifty research papers .Honoured with many prestigious awards for her outstanding contribution to literature: Best Poet Award, Poets lnternational, Bangalore; Rashtriya Pratibha Samman ( Kavya Kalanidhi), Udaipur; Best Citizens of lndia, lnternational Publishing House, New Delhi; Best Teacher Award, Nagpur Shikshan Mandal, Nagpur, and many more. Research Supervisor, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur.She writes in Hindi, too.

She is Gone Forever!

In my journey through life,

I reach an alien territory--

The scarlet gulmohars

with their flamboyant flames

fall on the ground:

A sense of fall silently comes!

Saddened by 

' the touch of earthly years'

I feel inner rumblings--

A boundless ocean forced along

by the winds of halcyon days

surges up within me,

provoking nostalgia!

Behind the morphing 

face and body,

I look for my lost self:

A woman without 

lines or signs of aging--

Vibrant and agile

appears before me.

I try to loop my arms through hers

but she flies and goes forever

making me feel like 

a mass of rocks after recent rainfall:

Oh, the pleasant petrichor persists!

My bygone days like

pale effervescent champagne

hiss on the flute of

my advancing years,

whispering with the

mesmerising bubbles!

Cliffs of Time

The rainy season

has waned,

Virescent hues

no longer in sight;

In amber and bronzes

sleep autumnal leaves

stirred by soft

susurration of breeze!

The leaves and I are old;

wish to borrow wings

and fly fast reaching

the cliffs of time

where histories of life are etched:

Obscure and bright!

In the bronze distance,

I find effigies of grief and

animated dolls of happiness:

The two of them meet

and shake hands

in the quietest space--

I become a stoic

amid a kaleidoscope of seasons!

Dead Moments

The day progresses

In an endless sequence

of dead moments:

The beauty of sunrise

no more a benediction,

the white splendour of moonshine

painting the world in silver,

slithers like silver snakes:

Life doesn't leap into my pulse,

your continual calls on the horizon!!

Horizon--an optical illusion,

The earth and the sky

pace separate dimensions!

Voices Within - Complete List of Poets :: Setu, January 2019

Poetry: Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha

Meridian Sun

The russet moon with eclipsed face--
Wonky and weird,
writes the history of silver moon
amid silent turmoils;
the world etched in charcoal
claims him body and soul.

The dazzling array of jewel tones,
the vibrations of dewy looks--
Moist and radiant,
have sunk into nothingness
with every passing hour:
Mortality descends on heart.

During the long-drive of life
on the roads with many bends,
ups and down, nothing stays but memories:
Sometimes, tufts of animating flowers,
Sometimes, nagging waves
gnawing away at the heart!

Wrapped up in meditative solitude,
I hear the bleating sound of the car stereo
on life's twisty black roads,
as my distant past puts his arm
around my shoulder
changing the contours of change!

Carpenters' " It's yesterday once more...".
Oh, it can't be yesterday again!
The nostalgic power pulls me--
Diagonal rain of memories:
Siblings in the living room,sun at meridian,
gramophone record being played!

I wake startled--
Crocus and nerine bloom on and smile:
A consuming desire for colours bursting in wild explosion!
But, I see fog with my foggy eyes!
I try to read the contents of spring
archived in a folder on my mind's hard drive!

The Olive Tree

Your love --
A curved question mark
in the Mediterranean of time,
floats unanswered:
The vast expanse of sea
sends a sinking feeling,
but soon, thalassophobia
vanishes into the depths,
and l dive for swimming!

The lily of the Nile
in shades of blue and white,
stand tall and full of charm;
gorgeous oleander with
pink, red, white blooms,
cianothus with clusters
of blue blossom,
come and stay in my thoughts--
Ah, Mediterranean flowers!

The strong gust of wind,
responsible for transforming
my beating rhythm into
a wayward heartbeat,
blows over the sea --
unwished tears come to my eyes!

The question mark, sometimes,
A nanoscopic snake
with extended hood,
Sometimes, a nanoscopic palm of hands
with fingers bending forward,
becomes an obsession!

I scare the snake
into slithering away
and reach out to hold the hand--
A wondrous subtle feeling
without words!

I become the Olive tree:
Emerald grey, silver green
with unique foliage
full of love and peace
in the Mediterranean landscape!

Silent Silhouettes

Unbeknownst to me--
My childhood disappeared
from my life: now my responses
are filtered through scepticism;
I try to trace the effervescence & optimism
                Today!

Unbeknownst to me--
The vibrant spring flew on its wings
with all the magic, splendour and beauty,
I couldn't pick the flowers-- fresh & fragrant:
A deep yearning to feel the rainbow colours
                Today!

Unbeknownst to me--
Descended the autumn; my
transition to sombre space: l found
the trees stark and sad without leaves;
I fight dark clouds scudding across the sky
                Today!

Unbeknownst to me--
Time often runs like quicksilver
with unsolved mysteries;  when  I
realise, I  try to defeat him  by  my
quicksilver wit and intelligence, but fail
                Always!

Bio
Former professor in English at S.B.City College, Nagpur (India), Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha is a well- known voice in lndian Poetry in English. Honoured with a number of prestigious awards for her contributions to literature, she received accolade from the former President of lndian, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for her poem Mother Nature. A poet, author and literary critic, she has authored and Published 06 books and 50 research papers. The books are:1.Spring zone (Collection of Poems)2.Midnight Sun (Collection of Short Stories) 3. Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Sumitra Nandan Pant (Criticism) 4. Feminism: Times and Tides 5. Different Dimensions (Compilation of research papers) 6. Scents and Shadows (Collection of poems).Completed and Published UGC-sponsored MRP on comparative literature.Poems, short stories, articles and research papers published in many dailies, magazines, journals, e-zines,archives etc. at national and international levels. Lives in Nagpur.

Setu, December 2018