durga Poetry

Barsaat ki yaad – Hindi poem

barsaat ki yaad hindi poem

गीली मिट्टी की सोंधी खुशबू से

एक याद चली आती है 

भीगती थी जब पानी में 

वो बरसात याद आती है 

 

भूल जाती छत्री जानबूझकर

और भीगते घर आती थी

चाय की चुसकी लेते जो मुस्कान छुपाती

वो शरारत याद आती है

 

ज़माना था वो रेडियो का

गानों की भी बरसात होती थी

बारिश और गीत में जो होती जुगलबंदी

वो मधुर रात याद आती है

 

Transliteration:

Geeli mitti ki sondhi khushboo se

Ek yaad chali aati hai

Bheegti thi jab paani mein

Wo barsaat yaad aati hai

 

Bhool jaati chatri jaanboojhkar

Aur bheegte ghar aati thi

Chai ki chuski lete jo muskaan chupati

Wo shararat yaad aati hai

 

Zamana tha wo radio ka

Gaanon ki bhi barsaat hoti thi

Barish aur geet mein jo hoti jugalbandi

Wo madhur raat yaad aati hai

 

Translation: 

With the sweet fragrance of wet mud

A memory comes forth

When I used to get wet

Memory of that rain comes forth

 

Would forget the umbrella purposely

And would reach home drenched

Hiding the smile behind the sips of tea

Memory of that mischief comes forth

 

It was the era of radio

There would be a downpour of songs too

When rains and songs joined in a duet

Memory of that melodious night comes forth

 

* * *

You might also like a ramble on rains.. When It Rains..

DurgaS’s Index 



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12 Comments

  • Reply
    Archana popli
    July 23, 2016 at 10:00 am

    It back wonderful memories if summer afternoons sitting g in the porch and watching the puddles on the floor .and a book in my hands .and the radio on but I confess I never listened to Hindi but English music .when I was growing up but learnt to appreciate Indian music only after I came to the USA but I love the old songs in Hindi music .

    • Reply
      DurgaS
      July 25, 2016 at 5:03 pm

      Thanks for appreciating Archana. It was always old Hindi film songs for me. Those were the carefree days when we could enjoy music and rain for a longer duration. ☺

  • Reply
    Lalita Arya
    July 23, 2016 at 6:43 pm

    Baarish kay khubsoorat mausam may kyaa na kyaa yaadein aati hai – Durgaji, your poem evoked such lovely memories of monsoons in India. the summers have to be experienced for the rains to be truly appreciated. The genuine excuse for chai & pakoras that have a special appeal only in the rainy season. Ahhh..I love it. Thanks for bringing it all back while I sizzle in a summer heat in the Midwest USA.

    • Reply
      DurgaS
      July 25, 2016 at 5:11 pm

      Thanks Lalita. Monsoons have that special appeal and the excuse to pop in something hot and spicy is the utmost essential. And the memories of those joyous days are numerous. Quite unforgettable. ☺

  • Reply
    Ruchi
    July 24, 2016 at 7:21 pm

    Beautifully, evocative poem. I was in Mumbai during the monsoons after ages, and …

    Arson baad woh “Geeli mitti ki sondhi khushboo se” mulaqat phir huyi iss baar.
    Wahi bachpan ki khidki se haath nikalkar baarish ki boondon ko pakadne mein nakaam phir huyi iss baar.
    Lekin badalte samay ne dikhaya ki yaadon ke pitare ke saamne haqiqat feeki pad jaati hai.

    • Reply
      DurgaS
      July 25, 2016 at 5:16 pm

      Thanks Ruchi. Well said. Yaadon ke pitare ke saamne haqeeqat ki koi jagah nahin hai.
      I grew up in Mumbai and I am a deewani of Mumbai rains. It’s been decades since I visited, but those memories of rain-filled school and college days keep frolicking back every monsoon.

  • Reply
    rhea sinha
    July 25, 2016 at 11:11 am

    your poem brought such sweet memories Durga di.. haha chatri ghar pe chor dena.. kya zamaana tha wo.. In Seattle it rains often.. I love it.. but its usually cold and I don’t feel like getting wet.. but someday day when its warm and it rains.. will forget my chatri home..

    • Reply
      DurgaS
      July 25, 2016 at 5:21 pm

      Hi Rhea. Thanks. Ha ha. That chatri bhooljana would be a conscious decision because I knew I would fall sick soon after. But really what fun. I can’t afford to do that anymore but hope you do get to do it. ☺

  • Reply
    Dawn
    July 25, 2016 at 9:21 pm

    Durga di , I read the English version of the poem ( am sure the Hindi version is much better) . it did bring back a lot of memories .

    • Reply
      DurgaS
      July 26, 2016 at 1:24 pm

      Thanks Dawn. Glad you liked it in English. I try to keep the translations as close to the original as I can. Rain does bring many memories, including this Marathi rhyme. Yere yere pausa, tula deto paisa, paisa zhala khota, pavus ala motha, ?

  • Reply
    indrani robbins
    July 30, 2016 at 10:14 am

    barsaat… waited to read the poem when the mood was right and of course so enjoyed it. that rain, durga, the one you speak of, i hope it falls for someone somewhere. remembered getting drenched in the full, lush rains of assam, of delhi. my mother always said, after getting wet in the rain we must have a “proper” bath quickly, or else we’d fall sick. my father’s theory (i think) was, we had to be given something warm to drink. not chai… brandy. so tiny thimbles of brandy in hand, three of us siblings sitting in a bathtub in our underwear, a permanent image stuck in my head. beautiful poem. the rain, the songs, the sneakily getting soaked. i still like walking in a drizzle.

    • Reply
      DurgaS
      August 2, 2016 at 4:52 pm

      Thanks Indi. Very happy you enjoyed it. What a memory! Somehow memories with rain always so special. I do miss those rainy school days. Many many memories. Though I can’t risk getting drenched now, but yes, a little drizzle I enjoy too. 🙂

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