Kameda Akhar: Narration off Images of Women

History of literature
History of Indian literature
History of Himalayan Literature
Critical History of Garhwali Literature
Kameda Akhar: Narration off Images of Women
( Review of Kameda Akhar the Garhwali poetry collection by Beena Benjwal )
Bhishma Kukreti

As the world literature critics praise the women poets as Anna Adams, Anne Stevenson, Anne Cluysenaar, Alison Pryde, Carol Ann Duffy, Carole Satyamurti, Dinah Livingstone, Elaine Feinstein, Elizabeth Bartlett, Fleur Adcock, Fiona Sampson,,Gillian Allnutt, Gillian Clarke, Gerda Mayer, Gladys M. Coles, Higgins, Helen Ivory,Isobel Thrilling, Judith Kazantzis, Jackie Kay, Jane Duran. Jean Binta Breeze, Kate Clanchy , Katherine Gallagher, Katrina Porteous, Kim Addonizio, Lotte Kramer, Linda Chase , Merle Collins, Moniza Alvi, ,Marilyn Hacker, Patience Agbabi, , Paula Meehan, Esther Morgan, M.R.Peacocke, Pascale Petit, Myra Schneider, Penelope Shuttle, Pauline Stainer, Rita Ann Mimi Khalvati, Rose Filt, Selima Hill, Shanta Acharaya, Susan Wicks, Tamar Yoselof, U A Fanthorpe, Ruth Fainlight, Vicki Feaver. For their narrating lives of women various ways through verses, Garhwalis will always appreciate Beena Benjwal for her portraying Garhwali women through her Garhwali language poems..
From the start of modern Garhwali poetry creation, male poets used to potrait women in their poetries. Wome poetess as Vasundhara Dobhal and vidyavati Dobhal started writing poems in Garhwali language . Women ’s representation in Garhwali literature are now, making strong impact in Garhwali literature, specially, in Garhwali poetic filed. Veena Pani Joshi , Neera Kukreti , Veena Kandari and Beena Kandari , Shakuntala Istwal, are other important females Garhwali language poets who contributed garhwali poetry by narrating women and their lives in their verses. Beena Kandari has significant place among all female Garhwali language poets .
‘Kameda Akhar ‘ is one of the important poetry collections by Beena Benjwal in Garhwali language for narrating women lives in rural Garhwal. The poems of Kameda Akhar prove that in Garhwali poetic field, the great strength of women is increasing diversity , aspiration and ambition. In each poem of this collection, readers will find known images of Garhwali women but with different symbols, which till date no other poet could do so. Beena ‘s poems tell the truth that Beena had been experiencing many pains and happiness of Garhwali female child and a common Garhwali woman.
It is a fact that women is a power in Garhwal. She is everywhere in social, family or political field or even in spiritual filed of Garhwal. Beena Binjwal successfully narrates various aspects of the power women power in Garhwal. And many sacrifices of women in Garhwal. The poems as Kunabud, hitnee rai, Kanai bingan, Yeen As man, ghiyan etc in this volume are powerful poems describing the images of Garhwali women in Garhwal.
The world is changing and so there are changes in Garhwal too. Beena narrates those changes differently by different representations and shows what may go wrong by unwanted changes in Garhwal specially disturbing the ecology of Garhwal by human beings . The poems as suddi, paad ko sach, etc shows the changes in Garhwal and Beena alerts for declining situation of social values.
The readers will find varied emotions in the poems of Beena benjwal of this volume comprising hope and hopelessness; childhood and old age; change, development and declining many social values; responsibility, courage and sacrifice of women; or all experiences of a women in her life.
The language is simple with lots of dialects of Chamoli Garhwal. The flow of each poem is appreciable. The style or form of poems are unconventional poetry that is all poems are in prose-form(Gadyatmak rup) but with proper lyrical taste .
This volume ‘Kamed Akhar’ brought recognition, fame and high respect for Beena Benjwal and Garhwali Sahity Parishad Kanpur awarded Beena Benjwal by Pundit Adity Ram Navani garhwali Bhasha Puruskar
Published in 1996 by garhwali Sahity Parishad Kanpur

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India 2010