Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature

Girish Pant ‘Mrinal’ : The Poet of Gazal Movement in Garhwali
Bhishma Kukreti

Girish Pant ‘Mrinal’ is associated with the Gazal movement in Garhwali poetry run by Madhu Sudan Thapliyal prominent Gazal creator in Garhwali language. Girish also creates Geet in Garhwali.
Girish pant was born on 1st January 1967, in Bhattigaon, Chaupdyun, Pabaun, of Pauri Garhwal , Himalaya.
After completing M.A (Political Science) and getting B.Ed degree Girish Pant joined education department of Uttarakhand government and is teacher in Timli , Pauri Garhwal.
Girish Pant is a dramatist too and performed in many Garhwali plays staged in rural Garhwal , Himalaya. Girish is also associated with Dhad social movement .
Girish Pant ‘ Mrinal’ created Gazals in Garhwali . Pant says, that he started writing Gazals because of inspiration from Madhu Sudan Thapliyal. Madhusudan is prominent Gazal maker of Garhwali language. Though, commentator as Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal and famous Garhwali playwright Rajendra Dhashmana comment that Garhwali language does not have that nature which fit to create Gazals . Dhashmana says that those so called Gazals should be called Ganjeli Poetries.
There have been a hot and long debate in regional periodicals between Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal and Madhusudan Thapliyal about whether the poetries of Madhusudan Tahpliyal are Gazals or not . This author also participated in debate but for different reasons. When Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal criticized Thapliyal for his Gazals collection book Harvi-Harvi , Bhishma Kukreti lambasted Nautiyal that Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal does not know ABCD of Garhwali language and Bhagwati Prasad should leave writing in Garhwali at all. Kukreti still feels that the person as Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal who does not use available Garhwali words and instead, uses Hindi words does not have any right to criticize Madhu Sudan . Harish Juyal ‘Kutz’ came in support of Nautiya saying that since, no body writes commentary in Garhwali language except Nautiyal , we should pardon Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal. In a personal discussion among Bhishma Kukreti, Dhashmana and Puran Pant in Mumbai Rajendra Dhashmana totally rejected Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal does not have any manner of criticism and nor knowledge of Garhwali language. Puran Pant the prominent figure of satirist Garhwali poems behaved neutral person against his nature.
This author feels that the discussion , whether we should call so called Garhwali Gazal as Gazal or not. is still alive and Girish Pant ‘Mrinal’ expresses his views through Garhwali Gazal or Garhwali Ganjeli Kavita (Dhasmana named Gazal as ganjeli Kavita ) :
Bhujji, rotti, bhat bauni ge,
Tudka mar dal ma
Jauda dhiwadi farfaraani
Hum tukhi dal ma
Bayin joli, pungadi patali
Fal mara fal ma
Gazal kavita , ladai kyanki ?
Nayitiyal , Thapliyal ma
Usually, Gazal is perceived as the poems of romance, love, pain of separation but no Gazal of Girish Pant has any romantic or love subject . His Gazals are full of wrong happenings in the society and criticism to the political administration.
His following Gazal is different and will definitely attract the attention of intellectuals :
Khauri ka bara, biji gyai kavita
Lekhik paudhik ‘se’ gyai kavita
Madho ko tyag se, rami ka tap tak
Jeetuki priti ma rwai gyai kavita
….
…
Sunik -bhaunik beengik -janiki
Kain ni guni khaunlye gyai kavita
Dekhik hal manikhyali ka
Hainsi ki runi baulye gyai kavita
Girish Pant ‘Mrinal’ created and published many Garhwali Geet and one example of his Geet:
Seedha , lata kala chhau, parmesur ka bala chhaun
Sangta nirash huyun , abja si swala chhaun
1. Prem -preet syani harchi
Ankh ma pani harchi
Garibon ki did bhulli , saira gaon ka syala chhan
Seedha lata ….
2- vai ko nayo=nishab rai bani -banyao hisab rai
Jat-that -rup rang vu gora , ham kala chhau
Seedha …
. Girish Pant writes Geet in Garhwali for intellectuals as Devesh Joshi does so. Still, both the promising poets could not develop power of creating Geet for masses.
Those who read the Gazals and poems of Girish Pant commented that Girish is a promising poet because he has knowledge of Garhwali vocabulary and being in Garhwal, he has opportunity for depicting realism of Garhwal in his future poems .

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2009