Garhwali , Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature

Bhagwan Singh Rawat ‘Akela’ : Strong Supporter of Regional Dialects in Garhwali Literature
Bhishma Kukreti

Critics as Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna (1981) criticizes Bhagwan Singh Rawat ‘Akela’ for his weakness of language in his poems but this author fully supports ‘Akela’ for his using regional dialects of upper Garhwal “Nagpurya’ in his poems . This author always, cautions the intellectuals prose writers as Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna and Bhagwati Nautiyal that by avoiding regionalism in Garhwali literature creation the creative are inclining towards Hindi . This author states that by using regional dialects , the writers can protect purity of Garhwali language.
Bhagwan Singh ‘Akela’ is famous for his Geet in Garhwali poems. Those Garhwali Geet are melodious and are very attractive in listening them alone and in chorus too.
Bhawan Singh Rawat ‘Akela’ was born in a Himalayan village Siwai , Nagpur Pargana of Chamoli Garhwal, Uttarkhand on 2nd December, 1932.
Bhagwan Singh Rawat ‘Aklea’ joined Shipping Corporation of India Mumbai and retired from there. Bhagwan Singh ‘Akela ‘ was one of the famous signatures in Garhwali cultural programs for many decades in Mumbai. Bhagwan Singh Rawat ‘Akela’ created Geet and used sing them in Garhwali cultural programs of Mumbai and once, he was having thousands of fans in Mumbai . His Geet are always melodious and remind the audience the pain, joy, struggle, delights of rural Garhwali society before independence. Many his fans as Geeta Ram Bhatt praises Bhagwan Sing for his attracting capability to audience by his wording of Geet and is tone in singing them.
Bhagwan Singh Rawat ‘Akela ‘ published two Garhwali poetry collection books ‘ ‘Samun’ and ‘Maya Meludi’ . The poetries of Bhagwan Singh Rawat are unique in the sense that each poem has strong touch and aroma of Chamoli Garhwal. The readers can feel the pain of separation, the true geographical scenes of Garhwal, love, pathos in the poems of Bhagwan Singh. Bhagwan Singh used vividly the figure of speech, metaphors, symbols, imagery, popular proverbs and sayings of Chamoli Garhwal in his poems.
An example of his poem Ganga Mai --
Shivji ki jata chhodi bagdi tu ai
Himvanti gunvanti meri ganga mai
Aundi meri ganga vakh biten jakh dev-sthan
Jakh baramasa kaunla phool phulldan
Bhagwan Singh Rawat ‘Akela’ is also famous for his poem about praising the landscape and people of Uttarakhand.

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2009