History of Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Literature

Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi : A Garhwali Poet of Dalit Consciousness
Bhishma Kukreti

Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi comes in the category of Ram Prakash Bagchhat , Surendra Pal who experienced the bitterness of class discrimination in our society and wrote about the discrimination against Dalit community .
Sidhi Lal was born in a remote village Chweecha , Pauri Garhwal on 20th May 1946. After passing Intermediate from St Mesmer College Pauri, Sidhi Lal joined arm force and retired from there as assistant commander in 2003.
Hindi story writer and translator Late Mohan Lal Thapliyal inspire young Siddhi Lal to take interest in literature and members of Dhah organization in Dehradun motivated Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi for creating poetry in Garhwali language
Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi wrote tens of poems in Garhwali and published in local periodicals.
Though Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi created poems on various subjects but the poems related to social discrimination aginst Dalits, women and girl child are more effective and sharp than his other subject poems.
His poem Niradhari ko Adhar is true representative of Dalit Consciousness, where in Sidhi Lal expresses that the poverty is bearable but social differences are always unbearable :
Bhuku pyasu raiki bagat kate hi jalu
Pan samajik dhutkar ku dank kankaik jhyale jalu
His Takrar poem also shows us the pain and frustration of social differences :
Kudrat ki taraf se sabi barabari ka hissed chhan
Hamari hi ulkani soch se bani kwee uncha neecha chhan
Sidh Lal Vidyarthi also expresses his annoyance against girl child killing, girl embryonic killing ,
Most of the poems of Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi shows the man made differences in the society. The poems are conventional ones in terms of body and tones.
Garhwali literature will remember Sidhi Lal Vidyarthi as the poet of Dalit consciousness in Garhwali literature .

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2009