Some of the most moving Hindi writing on The Poetic Land is about one person: Maa. This list brings together Hindi poems, short stories and two-line Heartlines about mothers: a ghazal about a mother who still thinks her greying son is ten, a letter home to Ija from a hotel kitchen in Dubai, haiku written from Austin, a handful of salt, a mother who never says she is tired, and stories about the quiet sacrifices nobody notices. Each pick has a few lines from the original and a short note in English, and every title opens the full piece, free.
1माँ ढाल रखती है (Mother Holds the Shield)
by Naved Alam 'Shafaq' Hindi Poem
वो मेरे हिस्से की हर धूप सँभाल रखती है,
मेरी हर बात का माँ ख़याल रखती है।
मैं बाल रँगने लगा हूँ, नज़र भी कम है मगर,
वो मेरी उम्र अभी तक दस साल रखती है।
She keeps every bit of sun meant for him, and though his hair is turning grey, to her he is still ten years old. A tender Hindi ghazal about a mother who reads your voice better than your words.
2इजा को चिट्ठी, दुबई से (A Letter to Mother, From Dubai)
by Mohan Lal Bisht Hindi Poem
इजा,
यहाँ सब ठीक है।
A cook in a giant hotel writes home: all is well here. But nobody asks for mandua roti.
3मुट्ठी भर नमक (A Fistful of Salt)
by Mohan Lal Bisht Hindi Poem
माँ के चूल्हे पर
नमक पहले पड़ता था,
अंदाज़े से,
मुट्ठी भर,
A hotel chef weighs his salt in grams, the way he was trained. But on the last night shift, when nobody is watching, he cooks a bowl of dal for himself and adds the salt by the fistful, just like his mother did.
4मलाई गिलौरी (Malai Gilauri)
by Kavyanjali Mehrotra Hindi Short Story
रिंकी ने आधी नींद में कहा, “अम्मा, अगर फ़ेल हो गई तो?”
“तो क्या, अगले साल फिर बैठना। दुनिया ख़तम नहीं हो जाएगी।”
Shanno cleans houses for a living. On result day her daughter comes first in her school, and the women Shanno works for rush to take the credit. A quiet, sharp Hindi short story about a mother's sacrifice and the people who never see it.
5अँगूठा भी लगा दिया है (I've Put My Thumbprint Too)
by Sanchali Dahiya Hindi Short Story
सोमवार सुबह मेरी मेज़ पर एक काग़ज़ रखा था, किसी बच्चे की कॉपी से फाड़ा हुआ, किनारों पर अब भी स्प्रिंग के छेद, ऊपर कोने में एक कार्टून हाथी।
A note torn from a child's notebook lands on a desk one Monday morning, A short, sharp story about mothers and work.
6माँ ने कभी नहीं कहा कि वो थक गई है (Ma Never Said She Was Tired)
by Pallavi Chaturvedi Hindi Heartline
माँ ने कभी नहीं कहा कि वो थक गई है,
पर उसकी घिसी हुई चप्पलें सब बता देती हैं।
Her worn-out slippers say what she never will. Two lines, and you will want to call your mother.
7माँ के हाथ की रोटी में नमक कम था (There Was Too Little Salt in Ma's Roti)
by Nidhi Raghuvanshi Hindi Heartline
माँ के हाथ की रोटी में नमक कम था,
पर वो ज़ायका आज तक किसी होटल में नहीं मिला।
Not perfect, and still better than anything a hotel has ever served. A Hindi Heartline about the taste only home has.
8ऑस्टिन के हाइकु (Haiku from Austin)
by Ishita Kanaujia Hindi Poem
स्क्रीन पर माँ
दिखाती है आँगन—
नम हैं आँखें
A young woman far away in Austin, Texas, writes tiny haiku about her new life, and her mother keeps walking into them: on a video call showing the courtyard back home, in a scorched tulsi pot. Short, modern and full of home.
Keep reading
Which line made you think of your own mother? Tell us in the comments, and send this list to someone who misses home. Want more? Read more Hindi poems on The Poetic Land, or see all our TPL Articles reading lists.
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