Archana Verma Writer & Poet Translations from Hindi
Archana Sinha Verma was a poet and writer, writing in Hindi. An MA in Hindi from Allahabad University, Archana taught Hindi at Miranda College (Delhi University). She was also associated with different TV programmes related to Hindi literature on Indian national TV channel, Doordarshan.
Over a long period she was also associated with the famous Hindi literary magazine called Hans, as its Associate Editor. Over past few years, she is also associated with another Hindi magazine called Kathadesh.
Some of Archana's poems (translated from Hindi to English by Sunil Deepak) are presented below.
Some Poems of Archana Varma
Alternative
Standing in the middle of the bridge
I had seen the velocity of the current
not the edges
that the bridge had ostensibly linked
Fast-running water continuously
was cutting the edges
wideness was expanding
>bridge was a joke of its attempt
or maybe an insult to the running water
Before going across
she had burnt her boats
but stopping on the bridge
was not an alternative.
It is not necessary that
journey is from this to that side,
it can be from
this end of the current to that end
It was not necessary
that to save myself from the water I needed
a boat
with the flow my own body
could have been
a boat.
Fear
To
keep the storm outside
after shutting windows and doors
saw
that I am
closed inside.
Free
With mother’s image on the face
in thoughts
father’s shadow
and on shoulders
burden of
both their combined dreams
he went down the stairs.
In front was sky.
When, how, whichever he wished
to choose
he was free.
Love
It was a net
and I
was not water
that I could escape.
It was a deception
that for escaping from myself
together with
many other sculptures
inside myself
I had sculpted.