Jan Meen Samjhi : Bagi-Uppanai Ladai
(Views of Preetam Apachhyan on long poetry Bagi Uppanai by Kanhaiyalal Dandriyal
Transliteration by Bhishma Kukreti
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(Bagi Uppanai is a Garhwali long poetry (Khand Kavya) by one of World’s greatest poets Kanhaiyalal Dandriyal. Preetam Apachhyan wrote forwarding notes for the said long poetry by the world’s one of greatest poets Kanhaiyalal Dandriyal. This is a translation of said forwarding note)
‘Bagi –Uppanai Ldai’ (The Fight between buffalo and jumping insect) is quite a different poetry collection among Garhwali language poetries. The Garhwal history reaches from older times till today through symbols, signs, and a mindboggling storyline.
लम्बी चौड़ी गोठ छई वा
जैको नौं छयो गढ़वाळ
Though the characters in ‘Bagi –Uppanai Ldai’ areas he buffalo, ox, buffalo, bulls, cows, calves, he-goat, goats sheep, jumping insect (uppan , mosquitos, cow biting insects, the characteristics are of human beings. In this long poem, in the first half, the characters as buffalo used to protect the hilltop by staking their lives. And later on, through symbolic sign, he was a simple man that was deceived by cunning community men. Strong animals as Ox, Bulls type of Characters are human beings but simple in nature.
The poet narrated Nagarkot outside of Garhwal. The characteristics of Nagarkot is blind faith, no education, cast system, revenging, infant death, oppression, violence, depending on other’s mind, jealousy, alcoholism, etc. in Later stage, fox and Tiger were appointed as officer for rehabilitation started entering into cow shade (Goth) by taking the above characteristics. The fight between buffalo and jumping insect is not fought on a plain terrain but there is political anomalies and complot, deception, and re-deception.
Bhainsi Biyog is the mirror of our own society. The narration here is, Gossiping by women, a fickle young girl too, and MA Bed goat. The luck of M.A Bed goat was bad and she took Sanyas. The fickle girl takes education in Cambridge convent school and leaves her community and changes into a foreigner attitude. The beauty parlor girl becomes a music teacher. The readers understand easily the symbols and understand whom the spears are being aimed at.
Jumping insects, mosquitos, bugs, black legers are smaller in size but they create havoc for bulls, buffalos, etc as the wicked humans beings collectively are very harmful and dangerous to the simple-natured humans.
From long poetry angle, there are animals insects as characters of human beings and represent Garhwal and its society. There is no historical character in this long poetry. But the buffalo would be representing the heroic character as he fights with oppression, offenders, encroachers, etc. He creates an army of buffalo, goats, cows, kids, sheep for fighting the oppression. They wake up to fight with jumping insects.
The last chapter of long poetry ‘Jantai Sarkar’ is the concluding part of the long poetry ‘ Bagi-Uppanai Ldai’. The poet shows the realism that the common men are in a high position just for the sake of it otherwise the real rights are with bugs, jumping insects, mosquitos black leg insects only.
The long poetry shows that everybody is looting the common men as the tiger is now the terrorist, the fox is looting the bank. This is the reality of the present time.
Conclusively it could be said that in the long poetry ‘Bagi-Uppnai Ladai’ , the poet is angry on the ironic situation and scoffs of the society. However, the poet is not hopeless- The poet has hope as
सर्वशदाता बणो य धरती
गढवाळऐ बौड़ा मरजाद
डांडी पाख्युं अपणा गोंकी
गढ़वळयूँ तैं लगिन पराज
Dr. Preetam Apachhyaan