HAIKU IN HINDI
editor & translator: Angelee Deodhar
The initiation of haiku poetry in Hindi literature may be credited to the poet
Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan “Agyeya.” In his book Ari o karuna prabhamaya (1959), Agyeya translated some Japanese haiku in Hindi and also published some of his own haikulike Hindi verse. However, it was the efforts of Prof. Satyabhushan Verma which resulted in the introduction of direct translations of Japanese haiku and the subsequent widespread acceptance of haiku in Hindi literature. Haiku—1989, edited by Kamlesh Bhatt Kamal and Ramniwas Panthi then provided permanence to haiku in Hindi. Thereafter Haiku Patra, edited by Prof. Satyabhushan Verma, Haiku Bharti, edited by Bhagvatsharan Agrawal and Haiku Darpan, edited by Dr. Jagdish
Vyom may be credited for providing a platform for Hindi haikuists and also for spreading the
joys of haiku for one and all. The publishing of Haiku Darpan continues to date. Dr. Angelee
Deodhar has worked relentlessly to translate, edit and publish many haiku books of merit
from English to Hindi, thereby helping Hindi haikuists to understand and connect with their
counterparts writing in various languages on an international level. At present Dr. Jagdish
Vyom is working towards the historic task of collating and editing the best, published Hindi
haiku in the form of a Haiku Kosh.
The state of haiku in Hindi Literature is satisfactory. However, this haiku movement can
only attain its full potential and satisfy our literary purpose only if all haijin work together
to create a two way dialogue between the Hindi and English-language haiku being written in
India.
Written in Hindi by Dr. Jagdish Vyom, translated into English by Angelee Deodhar and
Paresh Tiwari.
sookhe thoonth mein on a dried log
varsha ne ugaa di hai the rain has grown
hari konpal green moss
—Ram Krishan ‘Viklesh’
saagar ke paas near the ocean
rahi phir bhi pyaasi the beach sand remains
tat ki rait still thirsty
—Satyanand Java
bheeshan sheet bitter cold
kaath ke dev jaley wooden deities burn
jeevan hetu for the sake of life
—Prof. Aditya Pratap Singh
sab ekatrit gathered together
baba ki kahaniyan grandfather’s stories
smriti mein kaid! captured in memories!
—Jainan Prasad (Fiji)
patange jale moths burn
deepak ki baahon mein in the arms of the lamp
thodi-si raakh just a little ash
—Ram Niwas ‘Panthi