MeraPahad Community Of Uttarakhand Lovers

Girish Sundriyal : A Modern Garhwali Geet  Creator
(A Review of Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature)
                         Bhishma Kukreti
       Madan Duklan  the editor of Hamari Chitthi says that Girish Sundriyal is the strong pillar of contemporary Garhwali poetry and representative of new generation. Girish Sundriyal deals with various subjects in his poetries and does many experiments in poetic form and style. Girish is called the expert of using ornamental Garhwali poetry and marvelously  uses metaphors, simile and onomatopoeia in his poetic version.
     Girish Sundriyal was born in May, 1968 in Churedgaun, Ringwadsyun Patti of Pauri Garhwal, Himalaya. Sundriyal is M.A in English, Hindi and Sanskrit . Sundriyal is lecturer in Garhwal, Himalaya.
   Girish Sundriyal started publishing his poems from his early youth and published his Garhwali poems in periodicals as Hilans, Dhad, Chitthi Patri, Hamari Chitthi, Sahara, Nav Bharat Times, Samy Saxi,  Though, Girish has written essays and stories in Garhwali but he is identified and respected for his  Garhwali Geet. Girish is also appreciated to pull the crowds in Garhwali Kavi Sammelan across all cities of India.
   So far, Girish Sundriyal published two volumes of collections of Garhwali language poetries - Anwar (2006) and Maulyar ( 2008). Both collections of Garhwali language poetries are marvelous pieces of world literature . There are seventy two poems in Anwar and fifty two poems in Maulyar .All poems are of different subjects of rural Garhwal  and different moods of society and the poet too. The Garhwali language critics as Madan Duklan and Bhishma Kukreti positions Girish Sundriyal among Andrei Codrescu , Russell Edson and Maxine Chernoff for surrealism, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou e,Detric Hughes, Lyn Hejilinian , Ron Silliman , Bob Perelman, Adrianne Rich, Jean Valentine, L Ephemere , Andre du Bauchet, Jaques Duplin,Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams,  George Oppen, Tahnasis Athanasious, Dimitris Lyacos, Alaxis Stamatis, Antonis Fostieris , Cesare Pavese, Giuseppe Ungaretti , Eric Mottram, Simon Armitage , Kathleen, Jamie , Jacob Polly, Perdika Press in terms of bringing modernity, doing experiments, multicultural poetries etc.
   The poems of Girish Sundriyal are also translated in English . The specialty of poems of Girish are that they are melodious and with simple, understandable wordings . Girish Sundriyal never hesitates in doing experiments with Garhwali poetry creation but never leaves melody. Sundriyal wrote Gazals in Garhwali too and he is effective making much bigger picture by few words.
   Madan Duklan surmises about poetries of Girish Sundriyal, “ the songs of Shri Girish are adorned with metaphor, simile and onomatopoeias etc. His love songs are the matchlessly creative, .it can rightly be said that Girish Sundriyal is the master of the love song maker of this century . The folk colour and lure of Garhwal, Himalaya are preserved in his heart, that is why he is able to create such marvelous and wonderful songs--
She has tolen my youth
By squeezing it out of life
Now stricken by love she hums within…”
Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2009

Critical History of Garhwali , Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature
Mahesh Tiwadi : A Poet , Singer, and a Composer
                              Bhishma Kukreti
   Mahesh Tiwadi had been a prominent figure of composing music for Garhwali plays staged between eighties and twenties in Delhi . However, Mahesh Tiwadi was also a poet and his poems are emotional, melodious, with realism and many poems are so provocative that the readers feel restlessness.  Most of his poems are in tune of Geet style . Mahesh used pure Garhwali words and avoided to use Hindi words in his poems.
  Mahesh Tiwadi was born in a Himalayan village Pokhari, Patti Sitounsyun of British Garhwal (Pauri Garhwal) in 1943. Mahesh Tiwadi got music and lyric training from Dharni Dhar Chandola  the famous Garhwali music director, innovator of music instrument -Vichitra Bela and a painter.
The people never forget the services of  Mahesh Tiwadi for providing music to tens of Garhwali dramas and cultural programs as Ardhgrameshwar , Lati ko Byau, Dyur Bhauj staged in Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur Mumbai etc. Akashvani relayed many musical programs and poems of Mahesh Tiwadi . Mahesh worked with Akashvani till his death on 14th December 1997. Mahesh tiwadi had been a very famous poet of Garhwali Kvisammelans too .
   Mahesh Tiwadi created many Garhwali Geet for cultural programs and Garhwali plays. Mahesh wrote more than hundred poems but he could never publish his geet and poems in his life time . However, Garhwali Sahitya Parishad Kanpur published fiftee three poems of Mahesh Tiwadi by the name ‘Vedi Ma ka Vachan’.
    Mahesh Tiwadi created poems of varied subjects as ruining of villages due to migration,  fast declining of the cultural values and idealism in he society, destruction of natural environment ,geographical beauty of Garhwal , inspiriting poems, Uttarakhand separate state movement, relationship -importance and reality of breaking the old culture about relationship. Mahesh always, tried to be near realism and avoided unnecessary intellectual fantasy creation his poems.
 His poem about Ganga is an example of his innovative thinking and creating provocation through realism in life. Most of Garhwali and even Hindi/Sanskrit  poets of Garhwal or elsewhere praised reverend rive Ganga but Mahesh revealed a new aspect of Ganga for Garhwalis
aryaun ku lagai hola tin amrit ki dhara ssss
Bhag ma hamari aini tera dhunga ar gara sssss
Tu che bal s matami kilai boli hola badon
Kya kam aun hamari , bol tera ganglwadan sssss
 The poet says that though Ganga have been eternal river for Aryans , Ganga have been a reverend river , Ganga have been a source of water for half of Northern and eastern India but for Garhwal, Ganga is worthless and provide stones and stones.
  Mahesh also took clue from exclusive style and subject of Garhwali folk song Baramsa and wrote poems on those lines too.
baudi aigen chait ki chaitwali, dalyun uli gen general
Bhiti bhorin fyunli ka fulun, dandi mauli gen bugyal
   His style is limited to Geet and melody has been the  primary objective of Mahesh Tiwadi. In a couple of case, Mahesh seems be influenced by Expressionism but most of his poems are influenced by realism . Mahesh Tiwadi never avoided hum  in his poetry to make them melodious.
  Mahesh is the master of creating emotions , pathos, love in the reader’s mind and narrating geographical beauty of Garhwal.
Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai , India, 2009

Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Folk Songs
 Garhwali Bal LokGeet : A Collection of Garhwali Folk Songs for  Children
(Collected and edited by Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and Dr Manorama Dhoundiyal )
                                           Review By Bhishma Kukreti
     Garhwali language is unique language in the sense that Garhwali language has the  highest most proverbs and sayings among all current languages . This fact of proverbs and sayings suggest that Garhwalis have been proactive in teaching management to their children through poetic and other simple media. Creating poetries for children is also a part of teaching management to the children in any society.  Garhwalis have been expert in creating folk songs for children.
 Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna  was first literate person who collected and edited Garhwali folk songs meant for children in the book ‘Ankh-Pankh” . There are twenty Garhwali  folk  poems for children in the book ‘Ankh-Pankh’
 Garhwali society will always remember Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and  Manorama Dhoundiyal for their book ‘Garhwali Bal-LokGeet’ published in 2009 by Dhad Prakashan . Though, this author totally condemns the statement of Dhoundiyal and Dhoundiyal in this book that there would not be more than hundred folk songs in Garhwal in Garhwal meant for children because they did forget that each mother creates songs for her child and that song does not come on the  surface as millions of Bajuband Garhwali poems do not come out of the village. This author and his fellows of Jaspur Dhangu had created many folk songs in their childhood in home, in jungle or in traveling. But these songs were of short lived and limited to them only for one day.  However, this author appreciates the step of Nand Kishor and Manorama for their efforts in collecting and editing the folk poems which are dying from Garhwal due to fast changes in the society.
    Dhoundiyal due first explain the process of child coming in contact of different kinds of poetries in his life span from the birth to marriage. They also classified Garhwali folk songs for children into following categories:
1-Lullby Folk Songs: Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and Manorama Dhoundiyal provided only three examples of such poems
One poem is as :
Inda binda ravan jholi gheeya kamoli
Yeka kapal par ghyu dhudha ko patak binda
2-Indistinct and meaningless Songs:  The child creates such types of  songs and such songs are neither collected by parents or learned persons as Dhoundiyal due. An example of indistinct song is as:
Atangan patangan chhai chhai chhatangan kakad vekad jhalya baud a a a
There are four songs in this collection. This author is confident that each Garhwali child of Garhwal creates more than fifty such poems in his childhood. The reason is that many times, being alone, in jungle as shepherd, filed, bringing water from water source, or another time, the child creates such indistinct poems for removing boredom or many times removing fear.
3-Songs for expansion of language knowledge:  The writers provided examples of four songs in this category. One example is as :
Kumbha rani kumbha rani
Kumbha ranin muso mari

4- Songs related to learning Alphabets :  The authors presented nine poems related to alphabets learning . Here also Bhishma Kukreti states that each village has creators who create different types of poems for children that children learn alphabets
5- Songs related to numbers and arithmetic:   Nand Kishor and Manorama presented  only   seven poems related to learning numbers and arithmetic. Here, the writers contradicted their own statement that Garhwali language would not have more than hundred folk songs for children. In this chapter, both authors say that there are songs related to learning weight measurements  -as ser, chhtang, rati, or astrological numbers, many types of measurements and so on.
6- Songs of farms, jungle etc:  Manorama and Nand Kishor presented us six songs which are sung in many types of works and work places.
7- Songs of entertainment : These songs are humorous and entertaining. There are eight such songs in this book
8- Songs related to children games/sports: Dhoundiyals collected  nine songs related to sport/games of children
9- Songs related to birds and animals: Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and Dr Manorama Dhoundiyal three songs related to birds and animals of Garhwal.
10-Misclenious Folk Songs for Children:  Manorama and Nand Kishor make available three songs which are milieus of nature.
11- Songs taken from other languages as they are: Due to floating population and dual migrating tendency , Garhwalis have also taken songs for children from other languages -Hindi, Braj, Awadhi etc. There are four such songs in this collection ‘ Garhwali BalLokgeet’.
   Dr Nand Kishor and Dr Manorama also explained each types of songs for children from many angles .
  The songs are in simple words understandable to children, which show the expertise of creator as children psychologist.
  This volume is definitely a treasurer for the society and folk literature lovers. This author congratulate husband wife Nand Kishor and Manorama for their efforts in collecting, editing and publishing a  well needed book
The migrated Garhwalis should buy this book for their children learning Garhwali
Garhwali Bal LokGeet
Dhad Prakashan
74 Anew Connaught Place
Dehradun
dhadprakashan@yahoo.in

Price paper back-Rs 50.00
Hard cover: Rs100.00
Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India 2009

Garhwali, Kumaoni , Himalayan Folk Literature /Folklores
   Surji Nag a Chivalry Garhwali Folklore     
 (Edited by Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral )
      Commentary By Bhishma Kukreti
    There are many folklores in Garhwal. Many are very popular among all areas of Garhwal . Garhwali historians are trying to print those folklores for preserving our oral heritage . Late Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral is one of the topmost writers who took keen interest in collecting folklores of Garhwal and Kumaun regions and published them by his own . Surji Nag is one of the folklores, Dr Dabral published the legendary poetic  folk story of Surji Nag exclusively from Veer Gatha press Dogadda.
        According to Vimal Negi the editor of Uttarakhand of Khabar Sar,  Surji Nag folklore comes under the category of stories as Madho Singh Bhandari, Tillu Rautela Lodi Rikhaula, Kaffu Chauhan , Hari Hindwan and Rajula Malu Shahi . Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral took the help of Dr Haridatt Bhatt ‘Shailesh’ and hudkyas to collect, compile and edit the story of Surgu Naag or Surji Kaunl.
    The story of  Surji Nag or Kaunl is the mixture of chivalry, firmness,  love and showing  the immense effect of Guru Gorakhnath on our past lives in Garhwal .
  Surji Nag the prince of Bhinwali Nagar, Garhwal saw  the princess Jotmala of Bhotantak kingdom in his dream . Jotmala was the beautiful most girl of her time. After awakening, Surji Nag tells about his dream and princess Jotmala to his mother. Surji Nag tells his intention for bringing Jotmala as his wife from Bhotaa country. His mother describes the various types of great difficulties in going and coming from Bhinwali country to Bhotta kingdom. However, Surji Nag showed his keen desire to marry Jotmala and does not accept the suggestions of his mother not to go Bhotta country.  Understanding the firm desire of her son Surji Nag , his mother sends  Surji Nag to Guru Gorakhnath. After taking the blessing of Guru Gorakhnath, Surji Nag started his journey for Bhotta country. Surji nag faced many adversities and wins over all small and big challenges and usefully reaches to Bhotta kingdom.  Later on Surji Nag brings to his kingdom Bhinwala with great pride  Jotmala after marrying her .
   This story is sung by women folks and by Jagris too
Those interested to read full poetic story of Surji Nag can read Uttarakhand Khabar Sar Pauri Garhwal from editions from first June till this edition .
Curtsey by  Vimal negi, Uttarakhand Khabar Sar, Pauri, Pauri Garhwal
Copyright Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India , 2009
   

History of Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature
 Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi : A Garhwali Poet of Dalit Consciousness
                                         Bhishma Kukreti
   Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi comes in the category of Ram Prakash Bagchhat , Surendra Pal who experienced the bitterness of class discrimination in our society and wrote about the discrimination against Dalit community  .
  Sidhi Lal was born in a remote village Chweecha , Pauri Garhwal on 20th May 1946. After passing Intermediate from St Mesmer College Pauri, Sidhi Lal joined arm force and retired from there as assistant commander in 2003.
  Hindi story writer and translator  Late Mohan Lal Thapliyal inspire young Siddhi Lal to take interest in literature and members of Dhah organization in Dehradun motivated Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi for creating  poetry in Garhwali language
Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi wrote tens of poems in Garhwali and published in local periodicals.
Though Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi created poems on various subjects but the poems related to social discrimination aginst Dalits, women and girl child are more effective and sharp than his other subject poems.
 His poem Niradhari ko Adhar is true representative of Dalit Consciousness, where in Sidhi Lal expresses that the poverty is bearable but social differences are always unbearable :
Bhuku pyasu raiki bagat kate hi jalu
Pan samajik dhutkar ku dank kankaik jhyale jalu
 His Takrar poem also shows us the pain and frustration of  social differences :
Kudrat ki taraf se sabi barabari ka hissed chhan
Hamari hi ulkani soch se bani kwee uncha neecha chhan
 Sidh Lal Vidyarthi also expresses his annoyance against girl child killing, girl embryonic killing ,
Most of the poems of Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi shows the man made differences  in the society. The poems are conventional ones in terms of body and tones.
 Garhwali literature will remember Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi as the poet of Dalit consciousness in Garhwali literature .
Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2009