 | |
| Author | Harivansh Rai Bachchan |
|---|---|
| Language | Hindi |
| Genre | Hindi Poem |
| Publisher | Hind Pocket Books |
Publication date | 1935 |
| Publication place | India |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 81-216-0125-8 |
| Followed by | Madhubala |
Madhushala (Hindi: मधुशाला) (The Tavern/The House of Wine) is a book of 135 "quatrains": verses of four lines (Ruba'i) by Hindi poet and writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan (1907–2003). The highly metaphorical work is still celebrated for its deeply Vedantic and Sufi incantations and philosophical undertones[1] and is an important work in the Chhayavaad (Neo-romanticism) literary movement of early 20th century Hindi literature.
All the rubaaiaa (the plural for rubaai) end in the word madhushala. The poet tries to explain the complexity of life with his four instruments, which appear in almost every verse: madhu, madira or haala (wine), saaki (server), pyaala (cup or glass) and of course madhushala, madiralaya (pub/bar).
The publication of the work in 1935 brought Harivanshrai Bachchan instant fame, and his own recitation of the poems became a "craze" at poetry symposiums.[2]
Madhushala was part of his trilogy inspired by Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat, which he had earlier translated into Hindi. The other titles in the trilogy were Madhubala (मधुबाला) (1936) and Madhukalash मधुकलश) (1937).[2]
- ^ Madhushala (The Tavern) Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine www.cs.rice.edu.
- ^ a b Sharma, Rajendra (February 1, 2003). "The romantic rebel. Harivansh Rai Bachchan, 1907-2003 (Obituary)". Frontline. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
Harivanshrai Bachchan must have published some 30 collections of his poetry. Yet he is known mostly for his poetic trilogy of Madhushaala, Madhubaala and Madhukalash, and more so for the first of these. Published in 1935, Madhushaala did not just bring Bachchan instant fame. Rendered by the poet at various kavi sammelans, it literally became a craze. The poet's cinema-star son Amitabh Bachchan was not very far off the mark when he said that the kind of stardom he enjoyed today, had come his father's way a long time back.