चेतक की वीरता ( Chetak Ki Veerta) - श्यामनारायण पाण्डेय (Shyamnarayan Pandey)

रणबीच चौकड़ी भर-भर कर 
चेतक बन गया निराला था
राणाप्रताप के घोड़े से
पड़ गया हवा का पाला था
Ranbeech chaukadi bhar-bhar kar
Chetak ban gaya nirala tha
Ranaprata ke ghode se
Pad gaya hawa ka pala tha

जो तनिक हवा से बाग हिली
लेकर सवार उड जाता था
राणा की पुतली फिरी नहीं
तब तक चेतक मुड जाता था
Jo tanik hawa se bagh hili
Lekar sawar ud jata tha
Rana ki putli phiri nahin
Tab tak Chetak mud jata tha

गिरता न कभी चेतक तन पर
राणाप्रताप का कोड़ा था
वह दौड़ रहा अरिमस्तक पर
वह आसमान का घोड़ा था
Girta na kabhi Chetak tan par
Ranapratap ka koda tha
Wah daud raha arimastak par
Wah aasmaan ka ghoda tha

था यहीं रहा अब यहाँ नहीं
वह वहीं रहा था यहाँ नहीं
थी जगह न कोई जहाँ नहीं
किस अरिमस्तक पर कहाँ नहीं
Tha yaheen raha ab yahan nahin
Wah waheen raha tha yahan nahin
Thi jagah na koi jahan nahin
Kis arimastak par kahan nahi

कौशल दिखलाया चालों में
उड़ गया भयानक भालों में
निर्भीक गया वह ढालों में
सरपट दौडा करबालों में
Kaushal dikhlaya chalon mein
Ud gaya bhayanak bhalon mein
Nirbheek gaya wah dhalon mein
Sarpat dauda karbalon mein

बढते नद सा वह लहर गया
फिर गया गया फिर ठहर गया
बिकराल बज्रमय बादल सा
अरि की सेना पर घहर गया
Badhte nad sa wah lahar gaya
Phir gaya gaya phir thahar gaya
Wikral wajramay baadal sa
Ari ki sena par ghahar gaya

भाला गिर गया गिरा निशंग
हय टापों से खन गया अंग
बैरी समाज रह गया दंग
घोड़े का ऐसा देख रंग
Bhala gir gaya gira nishang
Haye tapon se khan gaya ang
Bairi samaj rah gaya dang
Ghode ka aisa dekh rang

New Delhi 100 - Centenary of the Capital of India

A hundred years ago, the British monarch King George V chose a dusty field of Delhi to anoint himself the Emperor of India. Nobility from across India witnessed the colonial jamboree — and from a distance, the ‘natives’ — as the foundations of what is now known as New Delhi were laid...

Masjid Moth (Mosque of Moth), Delhi

Masjid Moth, one of the jewels of the Lodhi dynasty, is situated just behind the posh colony of New Delhi South Extension. Today this mosque is surrounded by the congested bylanes and the hustling population of this quartier of Delhi. Once inside, one feels in quite heaven, away from the noise of small shops mixed with dust of the streets.

Masjid Moth was constructed by Sikandar Lodhi in 1488. A big well was also constructed near to this mosque. This mosque is a nice example of the buildings of Lodhi period and the model for the mosque in the Old Fort of Shershah Suri and the Jamali Masjid in the Qutab. Main Gate of the Mosque and the arch in the Hindu style are very beautiful. Its platform is 6 feet ( ~2 mtrs ) high and length and width are 130 feet ( 39 mtrs ) and 30 ( 9 mts ) resp. Height of the top of the dome from the platform is 60 feet ( 18 mtrs). It has five main doors incuding two more doors with stairs.

Redstone alongwith white marble is used to construct this mosque. At the base, there are five arched rooms in one line. Around them, there is a small wall. The entry to this mosque is from the room in the east. The main part of the mosque is a rectangular hall with an arched entry gate. A similar arched gate is made to each of the five rooms. The verses of Quran are calligraphied on the top of the gate on the white marble. Greeen, red, black and yellow colours are used to decorate the inside and the outside of the gate. But the time has faded the beauty of these colours.

The prayer room is divided in five parts. There are three similar shaped domes in the center, right and left of this room. A mixture of stone and mud is used to make these domes which are decorated with a very attractive floral motif. Blue tiles are used very artistically to decorate the octagonal kiosks (chattris) in the frontside of the mosque.

There is a legend for the name of this mosque. Once Sikandar Lodhi gave some grains of moth (one kind of lentils) to his Prime Minister to keep. He seeded these grains in this area which gave a nice crop. He then used this money to finance the construction of this Mosque. As these were the grains of moth which were seeded on this land, the mosque took the name "Masjid Moth".