May Day with Ashwani Kumar

This poem has been written and shared by Bipin Dhane.Bipin Dhane is an IIT Kharagpur graduate from Maharashtra. He left a high-paying job in Singapore to establish The Hummingbird School in Majuli, Assam, in 2017. The school provides quality education to children from the Mising tribal community by blending academics with life skills, arts and local knowledge. The school has grown from 70 students to hundreds, and now mentors government schools across the region.See more details about the school on their website: https://www.ayang.org.in/You can also donate and support the education of these children via this link: https://ayang-trust.danamojo.org/

Annapurna or Anna is a very special guest. She has been a source of inspiration for me and is always a call away for many of us who are part of the South Delhi Film and Reading Club.The poem is available here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147275/a-litany-for-survival

Kubla KhanOr, a vision in a dream. A Fragment.By Samuel Taylor Coleridge In Xanadu did Kubla KhanA stately pleasure-dome decree:Where Alph, the sacred river, ranThrough caverns measureless to manDown to a sunless sea.So twice five miles of fertile groundWith walls and towers were girdled round;And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;And here were forests ancient as the hills,Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slantedDown the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!A savage place! as holy and enchantedAs e’er beneath a waning moon was hauntedBy woman wailing for her demon-lover!And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,A mighty fountain momently was forced:Amid whose swift half-intermitted burstHuge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:And mid these dancing rocks at once and everIt flung up momently the sacred river.Five miles meandering with a mazy motionThrough wood and dale the sacred river ran,Then reached the caverns measureless to man,And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean;And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from farAncestral voices prophesying war!   The shadow of the dome of pleasure   Floated midway on the waves;   Where was heard the mingled measure   From the fountain and the caves.It was a miracle of rare device,A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!   A damsel with a dulcimer   In a vision once I saw:   It was an Abyssinian maid   And on her dulcimer she played,   Singing of Mount Abora.   Could I revive within me   Her symphony and song,   To such a deep delight ’twould win me,That with music loud and long,I would build that dome in air,That sunny dome! Those caves of ice!And all who heard should see them there,And all should cry, Beware! Beware!His flashing eyes, his floating hair!Weave a circle round him thrice,And close your eyes with holy dreadFor he on honey-dew hath fed,And drunk the milk of Paradise.Please feel free to leave your comments.If you feel like supporting my podcast, I have included links in the description below. You can donate in INR and internationally also through Buy me a Coffee. Buy Me a Coffee ($): ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaamInstamojo (₹): ⁠ ⁠https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffeeFollow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aamDon't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems.Write to us at [email protected] to feature on our podcast.

Parakhna mat, Parakhne mein koi apna nahi rehtaIn this episode, our guest, Amy Singh, has shared Bashir Badr's ghazal.

Our latest episode has two new poems by our esteemed guest, Alif Sifar. The poet has penned his reflections on his city and village. Please feel free to leave your comments.If you feel like supporting my podcast, I have included links in the description below. You can donate in INR and internationally also through Buy me a Coffee. Buy Me a Coffee ($): ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaamInstamojo (₹): ⁠ ⁠https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffeeFollow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aamDon't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems.Write to us at [email protected] to feature on our podcast.

Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poems are timeless. In this episode, our guest, Charandeep Singh sings Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poem Sikhar Dupher. In this poem, the poet discusses the inevitability of death. All the stanzas end with 'Kabraan udeek diyan mainu, jivein putraan nu maavaan'.In the last stanza, the poet enters an existential crisis, questioning his identity as a poet. Tune in to listen to the poem. Other episodes on Shiv Kumar Batalvihttps://open.spotify.com/episode/3dkbtV3S9JRZGGZNYHeALWPlease feel free to leave your comments. If you feel like supporting my podcast, I have included links in the description below. You can donate in INR and internationally also through Buy me a Coffee. Buy Me a Coffee ($): ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaam⁠Instamojo (₹): ⁠ https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffee⁠Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aam⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems. Write to us at [email protected] to feature on our podcast.

Today's podcast is very different from what I have shared here before. The story today is a walk-along journey towards creativity, flow, and emotional depth. It will help you unwind your day and reflect upon your beliefs and the various facets of your life. Our guest for today is Sonya Kassam. She lives in Nairobi, Kenya, where she runs an online health shop and enjoys writing, music, meditation, and seva. Writing poetry has been part of her journey since 2010, a way of giving a voice to quiet reflections and inner spaces. Her poetry blog is https://poetrybysonya.me/

Zabaan-e-aam brings you Alif Sifar's poem on May Day in Urdu. This poem presents the state of labourers who work hard through the day in the scorching heat. This is our second May Day episode this year, but after reading this poem, I really wanted it to be shared on our podcast. Thanks a lot to the poet Alif Sifar. Alif Sifar, as he likes to call himself, is an amateur poet, loves urdu like his second mehbooba. He is based out of Bambai, and spends most of his time doomscrolling on X, formerly Twitter. As he likes to describe him self-बड़ी मुश्किल से हुआ हूँ सिफ़रमुझ में कुछ जोड़ घटाया ना करBackground music is by Music by andrii g. from Pixabay

In this episode, Zabaan-e-aam brings you a Sindhi poem on love and surrender. The poet talks about surrendering ourselves in love and how even if one turns into ashes, the lover can mould him into a statue of their liking. Poet: Aadarsh Ayazhttps://www.instagram.com/aadarsh_ayaz?igsh=dHkxZWhvc2FsbnFl Background music by MusicForPeople from Pixabay Please feel free to leave your comments. You can donate in INR and internationally also through Buy me a Coffee.  If you would like to support our podcast, please click on the links below: Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaam⁠Instamojo: ⁠ https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffee⁠Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aam⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems. Comment andshare your feedback with us. Or write to us at [email protected]

Zabaan-e-aam is back with a new episode. Our first in 2026. :)This year's May Day episode is by our young comrade Ashwani, who has shared his observations in the form of poetry. The poem looks at how the city invisibilizes labour. As we go about our busy lives, the workers and labourers who complete the circle of the economy get replaced and some of us hardly notice the difference. It is important to remember those who help us through our day and when they are away, their absence makes a difference. The recent Noida protests by the factory workers are a reminder that the basic need of an 8-hour workday and dignity of labour are still missing. The workers toil tirelessly in the factories and are humiliated by the managers even when they take a washroom break. If they are late, they are sent back. An increase from 11,000 to 13,000 hardly makes a difference in an economy where the cost of essentials has gone up so much. It is important for more voices to speak out for these workers and the workers across the country so that they get decent wages and are treated fairly, as humans.Ashwani is your comrade, who's exhausted striving through the same world as yours. they hold on to kindness as their tool for revolution, and work to inform narratives with evidence. If they are not processing their rage through poems or revelling in sadness, they can be found in the kitchen cooking.More of my thoughts can be found on @ashwanirdeshak on instagram.The Urdu poem I have shared is by Asrarul Haq Majaz ~ 'Mazduron ka Geet'. You can read it here on the Rekhta website: https://www.rekhta.org/nazms/mazduuron-kaa-giit-mehnat-se-ye-maanaa-chuur-hain-ham-asrarul-haq-majaz-nazmsPlease feel free to leave your comments. You can donate in INR and internationally also through Buy me a Coffee.  If you would like to support our podcast, please click on the links below: Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zabaaneaam⁠Instamojo: ⁠ https://knotty1.myinstamojo.com/product/buy-me-a-coffee⁠Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/zabaan_e_aam⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for exciting stories and poems. Comment andshare your feedback with us. Or write to us at [email protected]