Ilmatu Dada : Initiating Realism in Garhwali Poetry

History of Himalayan Literature
Critical History of Garhwali Poems
Garhwali literature
Ilmatu Dada : Initiating Realism in Garhwali Poetry
Bhishma Kukreti
Famous Garhwali stage playwright and thinker Rajendra Dhashmana rightly states that before fifties, Garhwali poets were used to write poems about teaching, preaching , messages or before fifties , most of the Garhwali poems were of idealistic nature. Those early modern poets of Garhwali language wre right to create preaching or message related verses because when education was a luxury, it was customary that educated literature creators provide suggestions to the readers and people for developing themselves. After fifty , Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna, Kankal came in the poetic field for showing little bit of realism to the Garhwali poetry. However, in true sense, credit goes to Kanhya Lal Dandriyal, Jaya Nand Khukhsal Baulya and Lalit Keshwan for creating realistic poems in Garhwali language. Khukshal also tried to create a couple of poetries in new formats inspiring others to break the path of conventional styles and forms.
The twenty poems of Ilmatu dada is an example of transit period of idealistic wisdom and realistic wisdom in poetry. There are poems based on lyrical style and new format poems too . Most of the poems of this volume, Baulya shows the readers the life of Garhwal and migrated ones as it is and don’t hesitate showing pain of migrated Garhwalis as well of inhabitants of Garhwal as in Chhabis January or Kantrol verse.
Khukhsal tried to represent direct , unmediated experiences and shuns artifice or theatrical returns in his many poems.
Most poems of Ilmatu dada, which, are of realistic nature, highlights the experiences of common men and deal with the day to day struggle life of common Garhwalis be them in Garhwal or out of Garhwal.
In poems as Jogmaya, Ghutudu ki Bwai, chitthi , Jaya nand Khuksal has been successful for describing the contemporary life of his age.
The saying of William Dean Howell fits with the realistic poems of Jaya Nand Khuksal when William Dean said, "Realism is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material."

As crtics appreciate Henry Adams, Horatio Alger, Frank Baum, Edward Bellamy, Kate Chopin, for initiating realism in Americaln literature, renowned garhwali language critic Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal praises for Khuksal bringing ‘Yathat’ (realism) in Garhwali poetry.
Struggle of common men is the main theme of Khuksal in most of his poems and that is his main characteristic w, which makes him different than his predecessors.
However, Khuksal was apoet of transit period, that is why many of his poems in this volume are of old wisdom too as Vandana, Janm Bhumi,
There is hidden satire and humour in many of poems of Jaya Nand Khuksal .
Though, Jaya Nand Khuksal created most of his poetry in old conventional forms but this volume is also a witness that he came with creating new styled poems too. The language is simple and full of dialects of Aswalsyun, Pauri Garhwal.
As critics remember Heinrich Heine, Garhwali critics appreciate the works of Jaya Nand Khuksal in bringing realism in Garhwali poetry. There is significance of poetry collection Ilmatu dada for realism and contemporary life of Garhwal in Garhwali poem .
Ilmatu Dada
Poet: Jaya Nand Khuksal (poems from 1950 to 1988)
Year of Publication:1988
Publisher: Aurunoday prakashan, delhi

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India, 2010