Subhadra Kumari Chauhan

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Indian stamp issued in honor of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
Indian stamp issued in honor of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904-1948) was an Indian poetess famous for her emotionally charged Hindi songs. She was born in a village called Nihalpur in Allahabad District. After her marriage to Thakur Laxman Singh of Khandwa in 1919, she moved to Jabalpur. She joined the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921 and was the first woman Satyagrahi to court arrest in Nagpur. She was jailed twice for her involvement in protests against the British rule. She has authored a number of popular works in Hindi poetry. Her most famous composition is Jhansi Ki Rani, an emotionally charged poem describing the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai. The poem is one of the most recited and sung poems in Hindi literature. This and her other poems, Veeron Ka Kaisa Ho Basant, Rakhi Ki Chunauti and Vida, openly talk about the freedom movement. They are said to have inspired great numbers of Indian youth to participate in the Indian Freedom Movement. Here is the opening stanza of Jhansi ki Rani:

Original Hindi text
सिंहासन हिल उठे राजवंशों ने भृकुटी तानी थी,
बूढ़े भारत में आई फिर से नयी जवानी थी,
गुमी हुई आज़ादी की कीमत सबने पहचानी थी,
दूर फिरंगी को करने की सबने मन में ठानी थी।
चमक उठी सन सत्तावन में, वह तलवार पुरानी थी,
बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी,
खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी।।

Roman transliteration
Sinhasan hil uthe rajvanshon ne bhrikuti tani thi,
Boodhe bharat mein aayi phir se nayi javaani thi,
Gumi hui azaadi ki kimat sabne pahachaani thi,
Door phirangi ko karane ki sabane man mein thaani thi.
Chamak uthi san sattaavan mein, vah talvaar puraani thi,
Bundele harbolon ke munh hamane suni kahaani thi,
Khoob ladi mardaani vah to jhansi vaali raani thi.

English translation
The thrones shook and royalties scowled
Old India was re-invigorated with new youth
People realised the value of lost freedom
Everybody was determined to throw the foreigners out
The sword that glistened in '57 was old
This story we heard from the mouths of Bundel bards
Like a man she fought, she was the Queen of Jhansi

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan writes in the Khariboli dialect of Hindi, in a simple, clear style. Apart from poems of heroism, she has also written poems for children. She also wrote some short stories based on the life of the middle class. She died in 1948 in a car accident. An Indian Coast Guard ship has been named after her. [1]

Contents

[edit] Works

[edit] Collections of poetry

  • Tridhara
  • Mukul
  • Yeh Kadamb Ka Ped

[edit] Collections of short stories

  • Bhikhre Moti
  • Unmadini
  • Seedhe-Saade Chitra

[edit] Famous poems

  • Jhansi ki Raani
  • Veeron Ka Kaisa Ho Basant
  • B BANGARU
  • Yeh Kadamb Ka Ped
  • Om Shanti Om

[edit] External links

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