Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature

Ud Ghuguhtee Ud : Rivulets Creating Ganges
(Review of Garhwali , Kumaoni Poetry Collection edited by Gajendra Batohi and Mahendra Dhyani )
Bhishma Kukreti
The languages are dying and the reasons may be many. After British took over the rule of Kumaun and Garhwal, regions , the dying process for Kumauni and Garhwali languages also started. The speedy migration, the ignoring attitude of the state authorties and no economical benefits from the two major languages of Uttarakhand , there is progressive loss of speakers of the both the languages . The learned scholars of Uttarakhand are afraid that Kumaoni and Garhwali languages may be in endangered conditions after seventy five years. Therefore, there are people who are busy to find out strategies and tactics for protecting these more than two thousand years old languages of India.
One of the best suited strategies is the unity among Kumaoni and Garhwali creative for safeguarding the interest of two one of the oldest languages of India that is Kumaoni and Garhwali languages . There are magazines and newspapers , which publish the Garhwali and Kumaoni literature together and by that there is a creation of unity among the Garhwali and Kumaoni creative . For more than a decade, Famous Hindi research scholar and Kumaoni poet Dr Gajendra Batohi of Avichal Prakashan has been successfully pursuing the cause of uniting Kumaoni and Garhwali creative by publishing the poems of Garhwali and Kumaoni languages in one volume. Bringing the poems or literature of Kumaoni and Garhwali languages together also help the readers, creative and common men to understand each other ‘s reality of different regions too.
Ud Ghughtee Ud (2005) a poetry collection of various poets of Garhwali and Kumaoni languages is another such volume after publication of Danda Kantha Swar (2202) by Dr Gajendra Batohi
The book as Ud Ghughuti Ud serves many too purposes as the marvelous book Two Ravens Press reveals together the sensuality , reality, history of layers, close attention to impression or event by two different languages poets ---Maoilios Caimbeul and his neighboring language poet Mark O. Goodwin . The famous critic and admirer of such practices Kevin MacNeil writes about the book ‘Two sides of the pass, two languages, two poetic sensibilities – and one uniquely appealing poetry collection. Bridging the symbolic pass are Gaeldom’s most under-appreciated bard, the outstanding Maoilios Caimbeul, and his near-neighbor, the keen-eyed relative newcomer, Mark O. Goodwin. Between them they give choral voice to a rich and many-sided world. Their masterfully composed scenery will feel like a place of homecoming to native and stranger alike.'
The editor of Garhwali poetry section selected the poems of Udbhav Bhatt , Om P Semwal, Dr Khyat Singh Chauhan, Chandi Prasad Bangwal, Chinmay Sayar , Tota Ram Dhoundiyal, Darshan Singh Bisht, Dinesh Juyal, harish Juyal, Deepak Rawat, dharma nad Uniyal, Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal Dr Narendra Gauniyal, Navin Dimri, Prithwee Singh Kedarkhandi, banwari lal Sundriyal, Beena Kandari, B N Sharma Pathik, madan singh Dhayeda, Dr manorama Dhoundiyal, Manoj Kharkwal, Mahaveer Ranwalta , Maheddra Dhyani, Mrityunjay Pokhariyal, rakesh Chandra Nautiyal, Dr Rajeshwar Uniyal, Vish Prakash Baudai, Veena Pani Joshi, Veerendra Panwar, satya nand Badoni, Dr Surendra Semalti, Harish Chandra Bahuguna and Hemwati Nandan Bhatt
Gajendra batohi selected the Kumaoni poems of M.D Andola, Dr Kirti Ballabh Lohani, Dr Gajendra Batohi, Ganesh Pandey, Dr Ganesh Mani Tripathi, Govind Singh Asiwal, Ghanand Pandey, Char Singh Chauhan, Dr Chandra Shekhar Pathak, Jagdish Joshi, Jamohan Jeena, Jeevan Chandra Joshi, Dr D S Baura, Damodar Joshi, Devki Mehra, Navin Joshi, Purushottam Sharma, bansidhar Pathak, Bahadur Bora, Mathura Datt Math pal, Mohan Kumaoni, Mohan Joshi, Dr Yogendra Joshi. Vinita Joshi, Vishnu Shashtri, Shyam Singh Kutaula, Dr sher singh Bisht, satish Rawat, Hayat singh Rawat, Hari Singh Ghapola,
The subjects of this volume poetries are also of varied nature . The main subjects in this volume are prayer of goddess Sarswati, the old culture and diminishing old culture, the wrongs of new culture in rural Uttarakhand, satire on many wrong happenings, criticism for corruptions at every level in daily life, aspirations from the creation of Uttarakhand state and non fulfillments of promises by politicians and authorities, deterioration in geographical environment -the man made mistakes , migration and its effects on rural life, non delivering education system, alcoholism and many common interest of rural Uttarakhand . There are many poems related to idealistic situation or message offering to readers.


From style point of view, there are various types of style in this poetry collection
. There are poems of conventional styled poems, lyrics, non lyrical and experimental poem too .
The efforts of Dr Batohi is worthy for many sense that he is trying hard to bridge the two regional creative of Uttarakhand and this task is good for the future unity to fight the battle of protection of Kumaoni and Garhwali languages,
Ud Ghughuti Ud
Editors: Dr Gajendra Batohi and Mahendra Dhyani
Avichal Prakashan
3/11 Hydal colony, Bijnor (UP )
Year of publication 2005

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2010