Arnimal Poetry , Han Han Cham By Kailash Mehra

Song by :- Kailash Mehra




Arnimal -The Forgotten Poetess Of Yore - Arnimal the wife of Munshi Bhawani Das, an erudite Persian scholar in the court of Jumma Khan, who was the Afghan Governor of Kashmir from 1788 to 1792 AD, Arnimal was born some 200 years after the Habba Khatoon, in Palhalan Pattan, Arnimal followed in the wake of the tradition of her predecessor and made the love lyrics adopted by Habba Khatoon more of a plaintive wail. Arnimal's lyrics are masterpieces of Kashmiri language.
She was married at an early age, but soon her husband deserted her. 
This dealt a huge blow to sensitive and tender-hearted Arnimal. She loved her husband very much and tried hard to win his heart, but couldn’t succeed. All of her poetry is dedicated to her beloved husband.
Her soulful rendering of the pain she went through only added lyrical music to her poetry, perhaps fashioned by welling tears that had no succor, endlessly. Thus, she was able to compose the pain flowing out of her and shape it into a sepulcher of all the love, joy, and beauty that lived within her and that flowed for those that wanted to quench their thirst through time.
At last, she got frustrated and was left alone by her in-laws. She returned to her parental home Palhallan and came with these verses.

When will they touch my courtyard?

I will place them on my head ‘O’ com

For love, I left my home and hearth,

And tore the veil; ‘O’ come

I was famous beauty once and now

 I have faded in my teens, ‘O’ come!

She was dejected and depressed. On the other hand, reproached and reticulated by her relatives. She always said to her colleagues that her husband will come to see her.

My rivals are flying taunts at me

Since he has ceased to speak to me

Won’t he come for a short while and show me his face?

So that I would offer my arterial blood as a sacrifice for her safety

God grant happiness to my beloved.

She spent her life waiting for her beloved husband. When her husband came, it was too late by then. Arnimal was dead. Her body was on the pyre waiting to be cremated.