Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature

Vishvambar Dutt Uniyal: Playwright and Publisher

Vishvambar Dutt Uniyal is one of the playwrights of modern Garhwali, Himalayan drama and he work for initiating the Garhwali, Himalayan literature writing and publishing-popularizing the written Garhwali language works. He also published the Garhwali, Himalayan literature .

Vishvamber Datt Uniyal was born in a Himalayan village Uniyalgaon, Saklana of Tihri Riyasat in 1904. Vishvamber Datt was first Indian citizen who became the member of Mossorie municipal corporation.

Uniyal was a social worker and was very sensitive on the bad customs of the society. Vishvamber Datt Uniyal experienced the pain of woman who had mismatch marriages. There was a common custom to marry young daughters to older person or widow males by getting sizable money from the males. Uniyal wrote a play in Garhwali, ‘Vasanti’ related to mismatched marriage . Uniyal published ‘Vasanti’ drama in 1932 from Uttarakhand Press, Dehradun, Himalaya. Vishvamaber Uniyal was able to show the physical, psychological and social pain of a young female married to an old aged male . ‘Vasanti’ drama is capable to provide experiences of shattering of the dream of a teen aged girl, frustration , adjustment problems with old aged husband, frustration of physical and psychological pain, not having sexual and physical delight from old aged husband. Viashvamber Datt Uniyal attacked the ‘Nauni Bichanai’ bad custom ver effectively in Vasanti drama.
Vishvamber Datt was successful in portraying the situation of rural Garhwali, Himalayan society of his time and the play ‘Vasanti ’ is effective on attacking the bad customs of Garhwal, Himalaya of his time.

This play was staged many times in Dehradun and other towns of Garhwal, Himalaya and was praised liked by Garhwali , Himalayan audiences.

Vishvamber Datt Uniyal also edited and published the Garhwali, Himalayan poetry collection of Satya Sharan Raturi by name - Satya Kusumanjali.
Viahsvamber Datt Uniyal expired at the age of forty one in October, 1945, in Mossorie , Dehradun a famous hill station of Himalaya.

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2009