Garhwali poet-९ - Ramswaroop Sundariyal

Garhwali poet-9
Ramswaroop Sundariyal : believes in conventional form and style
By: Bhishma Kukreti


Any movement related to area create a movement for its language too. Hindi became popular and thousands of creative entered in the field of literature for serving Hindi because of Indian freedom movement. Same way, Garhwali literature witnessed its the zenith at the time of separate state Uttarakhand movement. This era of separate state movement is also the golden era of Garhwali literature. Many writers as Puran Pant ‘Pathik’ , Bhishma Kukreti, Madadn Duklan, harish Juyal Kutz and many more left writing in Hindi and start writing in Garhwali language for enriching Garhwali literature. This was the time that Doon Darpan group started publishing first and last(till date) daily Garhwali newspaper ‘Garh Aina’. The Garhwali language creative started to do experiments in the form and style in each department of Garhwali literature.

Uttarakhand movement witnessed that there was enthusiasm among creative for publishing their own creative by their own resources. Ramswaroop Sundariyal had been there in Delhi an important signature in Delhi Garhwali cultural , religious and creative world for many years. Sundariyal is a famous Ramleela performer and Ramleela director, Garhwali stage artist and a singer in Delhi. Uttarakhand movement inspired him for publishing his Garhwali poetry collection in 1997.

Born in 1937 , Sundariyal created Garhwali poetry on various subject but he followed the tone of Hindi films . He introduces him in the initial page of the above collection as :

Patti gujadoo, dungari gaun, jila pauri garhwal,
Chulsya panjara khirari manjedon bangon gaun adaalikhal I
Dungari dobariyal saar kwali dacha dumlat basoli khal,
Dayaram, Tejram, atmaj ratiram-ramswaroop sundriyal II

Shri Ganesh vandana poetry is all about the praise and prayer of lord Ganesha

We may find the detailing of various flora, famous tourist places, rivers, range of food of Uttarakhand in in his poetry uttarakhand darshan .

Sundariyal argued about reddish face of Kumayunis and Garhwalis in this way:

Pahadyun ko mukh bwadi kilai hundi lal
Jad butyun koo ark pindee ni hunda beemar

chachgaru poetry is about the conflicting situation between the comforts and affluences of Delhi and comforts and prosperity in Uttarakhand hills. At the end, the poet eulogizes the placate of Uttrakhand

delli se at bhalu
pahadam chachgaru huyun cha

In man ku raibar poetry, the poet calls the migrated Garhwali and Kumaynis to return back their native places and asks every Gadhmayuni to participate in separate state movement.

Chalo chalo saub dyar , banaula apni sarkaar.

Sundariyal praises the beauty, brevity, sacrifice, teaching and preaching capabilities of Garhwali and Kumauni women in Uttarakhand ki Nari

dhanya suhagin badibhagin
vata uttarakhand naari cha

Sundariyal criticizes up and down to alcohol takers in myaru daru piyun cha and shrab cha tejab verses in very simple manner.

The lyricist praises about many brave people of the area as Badri Datt Pandey, Chandra Singh Garhwali and many more in Uttarakhand Andolan verse with a call for participation in the state movement. Chalo hito pahad jaunla, jagar and uttarakhand rajya banao poems also inspires the people for contribute in the movement of separate Pahadi Rajya.

The naunu das ar B. A. bwari poem is a illustration of realism created by Ramswaroop Sundariyal . In naunu das ar B. A. bwari, he could narrate easily the frustrating and conflicting state of affairs , double standard of males due to differences between the qualification and earning means of husband and wife.
Poem, ham thain ni kato is inspired by chipko andolan. If Sundariyal criticizes the fashionable youth in safchat, jhabaru dili man rhyme narrates the frustration of a low paid migrated Garhwali worker working in Delhi.

Uttarakhand movement brought Garhwalis and Kumayunis nearer and Garhwalis and Kumayunis started to knowing each other’s regions. Kumaunim chchgaru hai rai chhau poem of Ramswaroop Sundariyal narrates about geography and culture of Kumayun region of Uttarakhand. The poem Palayan spells about pain, social and individual problems, emotional and economical imbalances taken place in Kumayun and Garhwal because of high degree of migration from the area concerned.

When computer and Internet started becoming popular, there was applaud for the new invention in terms of human benefits but there was high hues and cries from many sections of society for the thrashings because of computer. Sundariyal reflects this conflicting deliberations of different sects of society in his poetry computer ayige

ghar ghar vaidhraj criticizes the use of medicines without taking proper prescription from the doctor and truly says that every Indian is doctor without knowledge of medical science.

Conclusively, it may be said that Ramswaroop Sundariyal preaches and teaches in his Garhwali poetries. His narration is very simple and choose the path of old style in terms of form, construction, symbols of poetry are concerned. It seems that he never wanted to do any experiment in creating Garhwali verses and may be because Sundariyal had been involved with staging Ram Leela and the author may say that Sundariyal is there for protecting old gene in Garhwali poetry.

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India/11/3/2009