Garhwali literature-20

Pravashi Ashrayadata in Garhwali literature
(An astounding and inspiring character Shiv Singh in the novel Bhugtyun Bhavishya of Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna )
Bhishma Kukreti


The literature is mirror of society. The Garhwali literature is definitely has seen its completeness in terms of social issues and social evolution . It is a fact of life that for migration, the migrating person requires the shelter and helping hand in foreign land.
Today’s migrated or migrating Uttarakhandis can not understand the ashrayadata (who provides shelter to migrating ones) because overall, migrating youth now, gets help from their parents in settling in foreign land.
However, in past the migrating Uttarakhandi used to come to pardesh by the help for fare from who had already migrated one. Again, the newly migrated one would take shelter with migrated one and would get help in getting job too from a pravashi ashrayadata.
Abodh bandhu Bahguna created such a character of Garhwali pravashi ashrayadata as Shiv Singh in his Garhwali novel Bhugtyun bhavishya .
The famous Garhwali language story writer and critic, Dr Kusum Nautiyal writes about this character as :
“Shiv Singh is forth most important character of this timeless novel. Shiv Singh represents the migrated Garhwali of before 1940-50 who provides shelter to the newly migrating Garhwali in the Indian cities . Shiv Singh not only provides shelter to newly migrated ones but arrange jobs for them through his networking (jugad se naukari ki jugad karna ) . The character of Shiv Singh is not only entertaining but tells us the struggle, hard work of migrated Garhwalis and the today’s prosperous position of migrated Uttarakhandis is because of people like Shiv Singh who were guardians, inspiriting , and futuristic too.”
The character of Shiv Singh is the reflection of our migrated predecessors helping to our community fellows without any self interest . These ashrayadata were selfish in only one aspect that they wanted to see their village or community prosperous and prosperous.
The novel became the darling of critics because Bahuguna created the real characters as Shiv Singh - a Pravashi Ashrayadata in his novel Bhugtyun Bhavishya .
The author may say confidently that Garhwali creative have been always in favor of realism in their creation and character of Shiv Singh as pravashi-ashrayadata in Bahuguna’s novel Bhugtyun Bhavishya is proof.
Reference :
1-Bhugtyun Bhavishya , 1997, Garhwali Prakashan, b-2, b -48, Janakpuri, New Delhi,
2- Nautiyal, Kusum, 2002, Bhugtyun Bhavishya: Garhwali Upnyas jagat ki Karma Bhumi, Prasar Sansadhan Kendra, H. N. B G V V, Shrinagar Garhwali , pp-86-92

Copyright@Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, 2009