Madhushala

Madhushala (मधुशाला) (The Tavern/The House of Wine) is a book of 135 quatrains: verses of four lines (Rubai) by Hindi poet and writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan (1907–2003). The highly metaphorical work is still celebrated for its deeply Sufi incantations and philosophical undertones 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. However, it also met some initial criticism for its apparent praise of alcohol. However, as Bachchan noted in his autobiography, after listening to the poems Mahatma Gandhi stated that these criticisms were unwarranted.Madhushala was part of his trilogy inspired by Omar Khayyams Rubaiyat, which he had earlier translated into Hindi. The other titles in the trilogy were Madhubala (मधुबाला) (1936) and Madhukalash मधुकलश) (1937).

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