Madhushala

Madhushala (Hindi: मधुशाला, lit. 'tavern/bar, house of wine') is a book of 135 quatrains: verses of four lines (Ruba'i) by Hindi poet and writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan (1907–2003). The highly metaphorical work is still celebrated for its deeply Vedantic and Sufi incantations and philosophical undertones and is an important work in the Chhayavad (Neo-romanticism) literary movement of early 20th century Hindi literature.

All the ruba'ia (the plural for ruba'i) end in the word madhushala. The poet tries to explain the complexity of life with his four instruments, which appear in almost every verse: madhu, madira or hala (wine), saki (server), pyala (cup or glass) and of course madhushala, madiralaya (pub or bar).

The publication of the work in 1935 brought Harivansh Rai Bachchan instant fame, and his own recitation of the poems became a craze at poetry symposiums.

Madhushala was part of his trilogy inspired by Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat, which he had earlier translated into Hindi. The other titles in the trilogy were Madhubala (Hindi: मधुबाला, lit. 'sweet girl, honey bee') (1936) and Madhukalash (Hindi: मधुकलश, lit. 'wine decanter, honey pot/flask') (1937).