Jagdamba Chamola: The Poet who established Long Poetry in Garhwali
Forwarding Notes by Virendra Panwar
Translation by Bhishma Kukreti
(Translation of a forwarding note by Virendra Panwar for ‘Khusur –Fusur’ a Garhwali Poetry collection by Poet Jagdamba Chamola)
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District Rudraprayag (Garhwal) is the motherland of Himalayan Poet Chandrakunwar Bartwal. This land generates the poetries. Since, Jagdamba comes from this fertile land (for poetries), it could be said that Jagdamba is the poet of taking ahead the legacy of the great Hindi Poet Chandrakunwar Bartwal. Chandrakunwar was a Chhayavadi Hindi poet. In my view, Jagdamba is the complete poet of realism. Chandrakunwar developed the Hindi genre and Jagdamba Chamola contributed in progress of Long Poetries genre in Garhwali language.
Khusur Fusur’ the Garhwali poetry collection is second Garhwali Poetry Collection by Jagdamba Chamola. Jagdamba Chamola published his first Garhwali Poetry collection ‘Ghazi Dot Com’ in 2012 and the collection had Garhwali Long poetries more than average size poetries. Most of the Poetries in Garhwali poetry collection ‘Khusur Fusur ‘ are long poetries too. There are Navgeet and Kshanika genres in this collection too.
After publishing his second Garhwali poetry collection ‘Khusur Fusur’, Jagdamba Chamola proved to be establishing long poetries in Garhwali. It never means that he will be known as initiating long poetries in Garhwali Literature, but he will be a well-known poet of log poetries. His most of long poetries were appreciated by common men poetry reading conferences, YouTube and various internet social media. Many of his Garhwali long poetries became very popular too. The proof of my above statement is that his famous poetry Bachpan is accepted by poets so much that they created poetries parallel centring the concept and content of Bachpan’ poetry.
In world literature, T.S Elliot is credited for creating first long poetry based on the subject of world war . Elliot created ‘Wasteland’ the first long poetry. In many languages of the world, there is tradition of creating long poetries. There are translations available of long poetries of English , French and Russian languages. In Hindi Literature from 1915-1930, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Jay Shankar Prasad and Sumitra Nandan Pant introduced Hindi long poetries to the world. Suryakant Tripathi Nirala’ is said to be leading poet of Hindi long poetries. Nirala once advocating for free verses said about long poetries, “Freeing the poetries from Chhanda is freeing the human beings.” Among his poetries, Ram ki Shakti Puja, Tulsidas, Saroj Smriti are a few famous long poetries. Nirala desired freedom in constructing verses for the poet.
In Garhwali Poetry Literature, the lengthy poems are found in folk stories being told in poetic form (Folk Song). Long poetic forms in Garhwali are found in Jagar and Folklores. It is said that modern Garhwali poetry started by 1905.
First long poetry of Garhwali is “Premgeet’ by Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna that was published in ‘poetry Collection ‘Parvati’ in 1994. Later on Murli Diwan’s ‘Fulsangrand’ and Jagdamba Chamola’s Ghazi dot Com ‘ were published in 2010 and 2012 respectively are well known collections of long poetry . A Long Garhwali Poetry ‘Mungryot by Jagdamba Chamola is also well liked poetry by audience. Mungryot created many records in social media.
The characteristic of long poetry is having dramatic sequence in the poetry. The long poetry is (slightly) having exclusive characteristic than the common verse genres. . In this world of tension of life, the free verses are possible to release the tension and that is possible by creating long poetries. Poets realised hurdle in expressing through old conventional poetic methods and by this hurdle the long poetry took birth. Through long poetries, the social situation, psychology of human being which are atomic in nature are expressed, by those, sensitive poetries are illustrated.
Jagdamba Chamola is serious and sensitive poet. His inner fire is so much energetic that his serious thinking compelled him to leave the conventional poetic structure and choose a new poetic genre, that it was simple and easy for expression and we call those poems as lengthy poetry. Jagdamba Chamola established this new genre in Garhwali slowly and firmly. The speciality of his long poems is that those are pleasure some in reading and listening.
Jagdamba Chamola is the poet of common men and discusses about common men. Uttarakhand State was created twenty years back but there are no signs of development in the state. Each citizen is aware that nothing is changes in those twenty years, the citizens are at same position (deprived) .There are reasons for fire inside the poet. Those were responsible for taking the newly Sate ahead, they are merely interested in taking vote- -
भोट ल्हेकि चल्यौ कैका राजा नी राणी नी च
पशु से भी पोर हमारी गिणती नी च गाणी नी च I
It was not enough. In the name of development, the state is being empty. When the poet brings out the illustration of the development here, it is clear (in verses) and we may experience his emotions, desire and inner frustration or fire –
स्वे विकास जैकु भूखु प्योट धर्युं हाथ पर ,
मांग्यौ सुलार टल्ला छिन ग्यां गात पर I
The government’s data are different than the realty. The State administration and political class should read those lines. That was still not sufficient. Scholars state that the dream of central point of Hindi poetries is the ‘Jantantra (democracy). Since, the Garhwali poetry is also developing the same manner as Hindi, it might be said that same dream is said in Garhwali poetry. Garhwali poetries are connected to the society. Hence, the Garhwali poetries are the poetries of the society. That is the reason that Garhwali poetry dreams for the social causes. However, in this part of twentieth century, it seems there is inertia in Garhwali poetic world. Jagdamba Chamola’s long poetries are as they are creating a wave in static pond. These poetries are creating kinetic wave. In his poetries, there is new illustration of life, new meaning of the life, new thinking for the life and those elements are making his verses effective.
‘Pyaut’ is one of the best poetries of this verse collection. In my opinion, ‘Pyaut’ (the stomach) poetry should be included in one of the best of Garhwali poetries created so far from 1905.
This verse (Pyaut) teaches to live the life –
प्यौट सिखौंद भीड़ा लाण,
प्यौट सिखौंद गीड़ा लाण,
प्यौट सिखौंद ज्यूंदा –ज्यू ,
पाणी पर तीड़ालाण I
The verse ‘Bachapan’ by Jagdamba Chamola is very famous poetry; there is much animation of the structure and style of this poem in social media and other media too. The verse gets viral in social media too frequently.
बचपन की सौगात स्य छै जब , प्वंगड्यों हम रंगद्यळ लगोंदा छा ,
बाबा ख्वट्वा बीच बैठि तैं प्वंगड़ा प्वंगड़ा ज्वोळ लगोंदा छा I
The verse takes to readers into the childhood (childhood of Garhwali environment).After that childhood, today; there is one eighty degree changes within forty years. When the poet connects compares) toady’s situation, the following message comes out that long poetry-
अब त खाली छिन याद बचीं ,
सब अफ्वी –अफु मा ढेर ह्वयां छिन
बचपन आज नि रे गे बचपन सब ,
मूबाइल मा कैद हवयां छिन I
Roughly, ‘the prison of mobile’ is the reality of human life today. It seems today, the mobile is the whole world for the human beings. By that the human beings is cutting itself from the real social life and going way from the nature too. He is unable to take pleasure from many nature’s splendid (toady) and unable to connect to the nature.
The sight by the poet is not limitedd to the outer world but the poet takes to the readers into the sensitive insights too. ‘Byaundu Gaudi’ (calf delivering cow) is another marvellous poem. By illustrating Byaundu Gaudi (that cow delivering calf) , the poet tries to show the reality of life through different angle. Jagdamba has finer sensitivity towards life that could be experienced by following lines-
अधीर ह्वे शरीर तैकु
सैणा मा भी रड़न बैठि,
सारी पुन हकाई तपुन,
ढिस्वाळ- ढिस्वाळ पड्न बैठि I
The poem has deep emotions. Such lines couldn’t be created without experiencing the reality. This I also experienced (in my childhood) that a pregnant cow walks upper side of the counter filed or jungle counter ( safe root ) . The pregnant and calf delivering cow is only a symbol here. The poem is a message for the human beings about their showing false pride , showmanship etc. At the end of life, it happens as happens in the poetry.
‘Dhung’ (Stone) poem is the example of fine emotions and experience. This poem challenges the existence of the human beings. But at the same time, it makes aware the human beings about their responsibilities that if you want to be stone then be the stone for the foundation –
पर असली ढुंग पै को ढुंग बणन चैंद –
सु कैकि दृष्टि मा नि रै न कैकि रै जुबान मा
महल हो मकान या दिवार हो मचान मा
हर ढांचु खडु रैंदु तैका योगदान मा
‘Kandu’ (a big loading basket for back) has been an essential part of Garhwali community for long. Now days, it is going out of uses slowly. The poet illustrated the importance of ‘Kandu’ (Big basket) and its social cultural, economic importance in ‘Kandu’ poem. ‘Jati-Panti’ poetry advocates for equality. ‘Jyundo Rau’ poetry is an inspiring poem for giving strength to the frustrated human beings. ‘Laukha Bhula ‘ is another inspiring social poetry. ‘Mahabharata’ poem is satire on present time and strikes heavily-
इन्द्रप्रस्थ मा अभिमन्यु अब , ब्यूह कि कोचिंग ल्योणु च
द्रोपद देरादूण बस्यूं तख , प्लाट कमीशन द्योणु च I
‘Khusur –Fusur’ poetry is a love song. In this collection, there are love poetries as ‘Rang’, ‘Tu ar Main’ , Dwee Mayadar’ .
‘Dushmani Nibhayi Tuman’, poem shows the reality of relationship in this diminishing era.
The poems as ‘Teeree’, Bhula’ Myera Pahar’ ma, ‘Tu Kamaya Garhwali cha’. Ham Pahari Chhin’, ‘Hon Dya’, ‘Mankhi Ghaur’, Jyu Bwanu etc are the marvellous poems of this collections. Budya Bwe’ ,’ Jab Chhatptaanu Rayun’, are beautiful lyrics. Bhai ka Saun’, Jaunka Bana’, ‘Mansa are of new styled lyrics.
There is conferenced of pleasure of storytelling and poetry in the long verses by Jagdamba in this poetry collection. The local dialects Nagpurya of the said poetry collection offers pleasure to the readers. The future will tell about the uses of Nagpurya dialects in standardization of Garhwali language. The pleasure in the poetries of Jagdamba Chamola lies in its Nagpurya dialects.
There is influence of the time in the verses of Chamola when those are being created. This also true that the poems are not produced but they emerge themselves. There is requirement of sensitivity in creating poetries. Jagdamba Chamola is a sensitive human being and a poet and it is visible in his poems. I am sure the readers will enjoy the poems as they enjoy in poetry reading conferences and social media. These poems are already hit in Kavi Sammelan (poetry Reading). The future and critics will assess the poems of Chamola.
The speciality of Khusur –Fusur Poetry collection is that through long poetries, poet Jagdamba is showing the conventional ways of poetry creation too. The said poetry collection will make its strong position in Garhwali poetry world.
Congratulations to the Poet Jagdamba Chamola
Virendra Panwar
Poet and critic
Pauri
15th September 2020.
Book – Khusur Fusur
Garhwali poetry collection
Published by: Sanskriti Prakashan
Vijay Nagar, Agustmuni
Uttarakhand (India)
Year of Publication – 2020
Price- Rs.250.
