Girish Sundriyal : A Modern Garhwali Geet Creator

(A Review of Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature)
Bhishma Kukreti

Madan Duklan the editor of Hamari Chitthi says that Girish Sundriyal is the strong pillar of contemporary Garhwali poetry and representative of new generation. Girish Sundriyal deals with various subjects in his poetries and does many experiments in poetic form and style. Girish is called the expert of using ornamental Garhwali poetry and marvelously uses metaphors, simile and onomatopoeia in his poetic version.
Girish Sundriyal was born in May, 1968 in Churedgaun, Ringwadsyun Patti of Pauri Garhwal, Himalaya. Sundriyal is M.A in English, Hindi and Sanskrit . Sundriyal is lecturer in Garhwal, Himalaya.
Girish Sundriyal started publishing his poems from his early youth and published his Garhwali poems in periodicals as Hilans, Dhad, Chitthi Patri, Hamari Chitthi, Sahara, Nav Bharat Times, Samy Saxi, Though, Girish has written essays and stories in Garhwali but he is identified and respected for his Garhwali Geet. Girish is also appreciated to pull the crowds in Garhwali Kavi Sammelan across all cities of India.
So far, Girish Sundriyal published two volumes of collections of Garhwali language poetries - Anwar (2006) and Maulyar ( 2008). Both collections of Garhwali language poetries are marvelous pieces of world literature . There are seventy two poems in Anwar and fifty two poems in Maulyar .All poems are of different subjects of rural Garhwal and different moods of society and the poet too. The Garhwali language critics as Madan Duklan and Bhishma Kukreti positions Girish Sundriyal among Andrei Codrescu , Russell Edson and Maxine Chernoff for surrealism, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou e,Detric Hughes, Lyn Hejilinian , Ron Silliman , Bob Perelman, Adrianne Rich, Jean Valentine, L Ephemere , Andre du Bauchet, Jaques Duplin,Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, George Oppen, Tahnasis Athanasious, Dimitris Lyacos, Alaxis Stamatis, Antonis Fostieris , Cesare Pavese, Giuseppe Ungaretti , Eric Mottram, Simon Armitage , Kathleen, Jamie , Jacob Polly, Perdika Press in terms of bringing modernity, doing experiments, multicultural poetries etc.
The poems of Girish Sundriyal are also translated in English . The specialty of poems of Girish are that they are melodious and with simple, understandable wordings . Girish Sundriyal never hesitates in doing experiments with Garhwali poetry creation but never leaves melody. Sundriyal wrote Gazals in Garhwali too and he is effective making much bigger picture by few words.
Madan Duklan surmises about poetries of Girish Sundriyal, “ the songs of Shri Girish are adorned with metaphor, simile and onomatopoeias etc. His love songs are the matchlessly creative, .it can rightly be said that Girish Sundriyal is the master of the love song maker of this century . The folk colour and lure of Garhwal, Himalaya are preserved in his heart, that is why he is able to create such marvelous and wonderful songs--

She has tolen my youth
By squeezing it out of life
Now stricken by love she hums within…”

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2009