Introductory Note for Garhwali Kavitavali by Rai Bahadur Pundit Tara Datt Gairola

Introductory Note for Garhwali Kavitavali by Rai Bahadur Pundit Tara Datt Gairola
Translation by Bhishma Kukreti

Many of my good friends asked me .“Whether we should create poems in Garhwali -‘Prakrit ?’ Garhwal is a small nation whose population is merely seven or eight lakhs. There are many provincial languages spoken in this small nation. There are a few learned Garhwalis who create poems in Garhwali language. Many learned personalities suggests from many reasons behind not creating Garhwali poetry that there is no advantage in creating Garhwali poems. However, my friends as the very learned creative of Sanskrit, Hindi and English late Chandra Mohan Raturi could have created amusing poetries written in any of these languages. His view was that Garhwali poets (who write in Hindi or English) should write poetries in Garhwali language because it is easier to bring tenderness, raptures, emotions in your own language which, is not possible in other’s language. I also support the views of late Chandra Mohan Raturi. I researched a lot on Garhwali folk songs, Garhwali bhadwali (ballad etc) and came to conclusion that our folk creative created high standard poetries. Once, after my initiation, a Jagri sand songs before late Chandra Mohan Raturi . Pundit Chandra Mohan Raturi ji shouted that it is not possible to create better poems than these Garhwali language poems and it is our duty/responsibility that we collect and publish these marvelous pieces of poetries. It is very painful that Chandra Mohan Raturi ji expired at early age. His death a big loss to Garhwali literature. I collected many Garhwali folk songs. These poems are amusing and emotional ones. The poems edited in this volume (Garhwali Kavitavali) are modern Garhwali poems and these poets created modern Garhwali poems on the basis (copying) of style, forms, of Hindi and Sanskrit poetry.
Many Garhwali learned persons attracted educated Garhwali community by publishing Garhwali poetries in ‘Garhwali news paper’ being published for last twenty six years. We should call this time (birth of Garhwali news letter) as the birth time of modern Garhwali poetry. Late Chandra Mohan Raturi was the first garhwali poet who published first Garhwali poem in ‘Garhwali news paper‘. These first ever published Garhwali poems are ‘Devvan’ and ‘Viirah Vasant Vilap’ .These marvelous and highly standard poems of late Raturi inspired other learned Garhwali literature and educated Garhwalis so much that other learned and educated Garhwali creative started publishing their Garhwali poems in Garhwali news paper. Late pundit Satya Sharan Raturi was famous Hindi poet whose poetries used to publish in ‘Sarswati ‘(a very high standard Hindi magazine) started writing Garhwali language poems too and provided a pride to Garhwali literature. No body had knowledge about the poetic power of late Atma Ram Gairola also published his amusing Garhwali poems in ‘Garhwali newspaper’ We did not find the lyrical sweetness, tenderness, inspirational thoughts, patriotism, and simplicity in other Garhwali poems as we find in the poems of late Satya Sharan Raturi. Garhwali community will respect his poems ‘Suryoday’,’Betuli’, Panchhipanchak’ and Tiree’.The poems of late Chandra Mohan Raturi are difficult (for intellectuals only) and are full of figures of speech . There is no exaggeration that the position of late Pundit Chandra Mohan Raturi is not lesser than Shelly and Keat. It is awful that god called him in his early age. The life of Raturi ji was also of high standard. Apart from poems in this volume, Raturi ji created many classic Garhwali poems.
Now, we are confident that the poems of this volume will eradicate the doubts of question that we should create poems in Garhwali or not .I don’t get enjoyment in other language poems which, I get from reading Garhwali verse. Who will not enjoy the poetry written in the language which, he spoke in his childhood?
At the end, I expect that the newly educated Garhwalis will respect their mother tongue(Garhwali) and will enhance the pride of Garhwal nation. We should remember that Rabindra Taigore was well versed with English language but he used to create poetries in his own language Bengla
Shanti Ashram
Tara Datt Gairola
Pauri, Garhwal
21st Gate, Chitr Samvat 1989

Copyright @ and Mrs Lalta Vaishnav , Dehradun