Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan literature

Aunar : The Poems of Varied Subjects and Varied Formats
(Review of Garhwali poetry Collection by Chinmay Sayar )
Bhishma Kukreti
Renowned , knowledgeable Garhwali language critic Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal states that fundamentally, Chinmay Sayar is the Garhwali poet of philosophy and positions Sayar as the critics positioned George Santayana , Lucretius , Dante , Goethe and including Lorna Bailey, Coleman Barks, Sri Chinmoy, Thomas Crowe , Daniel Ivan Granger, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jane Hirshfield, Alan Jacobs, Daniel Ladinsky, Silent Lotus, Mary Oliver as the poets of philosophy. The basic reason for Natiyal’s statement is that that Chinmay has the poetry subjects of substances and he tell us many things , which we are unable to see . For example an almond nut is simple nut but Chinmay says through his poetry that always, the almond nut takes happiness and sadness with same feelings :
Akhod
Sukham dukham
Katka pyar ch
Dacha
Katha putuk
Myala ch
The famous political, social and cultural historian of Garhwal and pot dr Khyati Singh Chauhan criticizes Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal for limiting Chinmay Sayar as philosophical poet. According to Chauhan, Chinmay Sayar is the poet of varied subjects and styles.
Both critics are right in their statements and perceptions. Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal rightly sees spirituality and philosophy in the poems of Chinmay and Khyat Singh Chauhan finds variations and many raptures or emotions in the verses of Chinmay Sayar
It is better I provide an introductory note on a discussion of Philosophy and Literature: Poets and Philosophers as under (Ref-1) :
“ Throughout history, and not least in the modern period, where genres and disciplines have become blurred, poets and philosophers have inspired one another reciprocally. Sometimes the philosophers reveal how their most essential insights could never have been reached without the suggestions envisioned by some–at least for them–elect poet. Furthermore, in some cases, powerful philosophical interpretations of poetic masterpieces have founded new modes of thinking and experiencing or shaped entire epochs of culture, defining their distinctive outlooks”
If the poet sees amazing attractive smell in sweating, Nautiyal is right in recommending chinmay Sayar as philosophical poet. At the same time when Chinmay Sayar says that :
Mafiya kanunau dhaji udaik chatkanu ch
Ar neta
Kanunai dhauni ma baithik sapkanu ch
Khyat singh Chauhan rightly tells that Chinmay sayar has variation in the subjects of his Garhwali verses.
As far as the poems of latest poetry collection ‘Anaur’ (2010) by Chinmay Sayar are concerned , they are in varied in nature , style and narration .There are forty poems selected in this volume and some poems are old from earlier four poetry collections by Chinmay and many are latest creation .
The subject varies poem to poem in this volume of Sayar. The subject are related to spirituality, wrong happenings in the social life, political life, very good happening in the nature and many poems are showing frustrating conditions at all levels.
There are raptures as love, humour, laughing, disguise, peace, paradoxes, frustrations, zeal, apprehension, cruelty, hope, hopelessness and many more emotions in the poems of Sayar .
The for of poems are also of varied in style and format. There are Kundaliyan , Doha (couplets), geet (lyrics), ksanikayen (short poems) and prose poem (hybrid of poem and prose) in this volume.
The language is very much with full of dialects of Rikhnikhal (Tahseel Lansdowne ) and many supporters of so called Standardization in Garhwali Literature will definitely criticize Chinmay Sayar for using Salani dialects, however , this author fully supports Sayar for bringing regional touch in his poetry. Though his poetry is full of Salani dialects, the language of each poems is simple and well understandable by non Salani too.
Over all , the poems of Chinmay are intellectual ones and intellectual genes will enjoy the poems of Sayar of this latest volume
Aunar
Publishing year: 2010
Avichal Prakashan
3/11 Hydal colony
Bijnor, (U P ) 246701
India.
Reference
1- Philosophy and Literature : Poets and Philosophy, ...
sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/files/bE74s0/CLT%20360%20Philosophy%20and%20Literature.doc

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai , India 2010