By Rahat Indori
na na kisi se
hamare ka hamin se
hamare ka hamin se
“It will come out neither through a fellow-traveller nor any companion — the thorn in our foot will only be drawn out by ourselves.”
Romanहिन्दीRahat Indori
न न किसी से निकलेगा
हमारे का हमीं से निकलेगा
हमारे का हमीं से निकलेगा
The verse in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Indori takes the small, sharp image of a thorn in the foot and makes it carry the whole weight of self-reliance. No companion, however loyal, can do this for you — the line of reasoning is plain and the conclusion inescapable. The pain and its cure are located in the same place: yourself.
For You, Today
Some struggles cannot be outsourced — the discomfort lodged in you is yours alone to work free.
The verse is pure Indori, taking a homely physical detail and hardening it into a creed of self-reliance.
Themes:The SelfAdversity
More from Rahat Indori
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →