Monday, November 15, 2021
2015 Asian Youth Football Festa held in Anseong South Korea - Episode 3
2015 Asian Youth Football Festa held in Anseong
South Korea - Episode 3
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Deo Sun Temple | देव सूर्य मंदिर | Aurangabad, Bihar Bharat | छठ पर्व | ...
Deo Sun Temple | देव सूर्य मंदिर | Aurangabad, Bihar Bharat | छठ पर्व | Most Sacred Place for Chhath
Friday, November 5, 2021
Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha's Daring View on 'Short Story' (Laghukatha)
Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha's Daring View on 'Short Story' (Laghukatha)
At the very outset let me make an honest statement, let me make my position clear regarding my approach to लघुकथा. Well, I must confess, I am no great, I am no enthusiastic admirer of Laghukatha as a form of literary expression. Somehow, over the years I have gathered the feeling that a Laghukatha can not do full justice to any kind of serious literary theme or content. Laghukatha because of its being rather too short, too brief, does not find adequate or ample scope for full ripening of 'रस' and without 'पूर्ण रसपरिपाक' no work of literature can claim to be सरस and सजीव, रम्य, रमणीय. In order to become a work of art it has got to go through certain inner essential processes. If it does not, it fails as a work of art. The generality of Laghukathayen that are published today does not at all satisfy the rigorous artistic demands and standards. The Laghukathayen of today generally do not meet the requirements of a literary work of creation. Laghukathayen in order to satisfy the aesthetic or artistic sense must necessarily be creative , must be an act o creation. While judging any work of creative literature two things must always be borne in mind. First, it must be literary, second, it must be creative. If it fails to satisfy these two basic demands, then the thing one will have is scarcely the thing we call creative literature .
While enumerating the deficiencies inherent in the form of Laghukatha, I must also admit that I have come across quite a few Laghukathayen which have held my attention, which have given me light and delight, sight and insight and have satisfied my artistic and aesthetic sense. So I feel that even in the small compass of Laghukatha there is definitely some scope for ripening of 'रस' if only the writer is fully ripe for the task. So ultimately it all depends upon the creative writer himself. If he is really creative, if he is really gifted with some deep insight, if he is really enriched with innate artistic sensibility, he will be able to create good literary Laghukathayen which will be of lasting value and, unfading and undiminished appeal. So what I mean to say in this connection, in brief, is this that a creative work, if it is a creative work, must have some charm, something to attract, and must be of lasting significance and universal appeal.
In the contemporary world of Hindi Laghukatha there are certainly some personalities who are devotedly dedicated to the enrichment and uplift of Laghukatha. They have the necessary artistic sense and creative urge. They have deep insight and deep capacity to feel and think. They have acquired a mastery over language owing to their long and continuous struggle with words, they have developed a suitable form, style and technique for the compact and inevitable expression of their thoughts and feelings, their impressions and experiences, their visions and realisations. In fact all literature is rooted in life, draws its sustenance and nourishment from life and the deeper the roots of the writer, the greater the success . A creative writer must swim in the stream of life, must plunge in the flow of life, must taste life, must participate in it and the greater the writer's participation, involvement and identification with life, the greater his success and achievement .
I feel no compunction or hesitation in saying that Sukesh Sahani is one of the few personalities which have attracted me by their genuine creative urge and inspiration, by their full-ripened artistic sense and sensibility in the modern Hindi Laghukatha world. So I read his Laghukathayen with great taste and avidity, with great zeal and gusto. He has almost always been a perfect satisfaction to me, seldom or never has he been a total or dismal disappointment, invariably retaining and preserving same redeeming feature, same saving grace, same silver linings. Mr Sahni, I have often found is a very conscious and responsible creative writer and seldom gives anybody any cause or any occasion to find fault with or to point out an accusing finger at his creative work. He takes all necessary trouble and in fact spares no pains to make his work artistically satisfying, creatively enjoyable, flaw-less and faultless as far as humanly possible and practicable in this rather much too challenging field of Laghukatha.
I have been told and my own impression has been deepened and confirmed that Sukesh is no mean writer of half a dozen novels and quite a few dozen short stories some of them much talked-about, much - discussed and appreciated in the established literary circles. Looking at the vitality, variety and richness of these writings one can easily surmise that he could have definitely done better in these fields, and earned name and fame, recognition and reward the easier way but he deliberately and quite consciously chose the more difficult path for himself, he opted for himself a new and challenging medium. In Laghukatha world where scope for exploitation and enterprise, adventure and experiment is enormous but where possibility of recognition is very thin and chances of success, quite meagre . This shows his mettle - the stuff of which he is made, this indubitably displays his spirit of adventure, conducively exhibits his rather total commitment to this little-known, little-recognised and the least appreciated form of literary writings .
Sukesh Sahni is one of the few talented band of writers who seem to have dedicated themselves completely to the emerging and evolving and as yet controversy-ridden literary form known as Laghukatha. He has made this particular and distinguished, this difficult and challenging form the principal or main medium of his creative expression. Thank God, he is endowed with ample creative energy and a rich store of varied and variegated experiences. His own experiences of life, gleaned and gathered direct and first hand, from the field of life give him authentic and abundant raw-material for his creative writings - the urge and inspiration coming from his inner artistic perception, his inner aesthetic sensibility without which no genuine work of art is possible .
Since the range of Sukesh's experience is sufficiently wide and he is intensely alive and abundantly receptive, his world of creative writing presents a multi - coloured spectacle. It invariably appeals and attracts, invites and illuminates, energises and inspires, captures and captivates .
I have the good fortune of reading some two or three dozen Laghukathayen written by Sukesh in Hindi. He writes in Hindi and being a scientist and having a scientific education and training and also following a scientific vocation. We wonder how he manages to keep his innate artistic sense intact, how he manages to keep his creative urge youthful, fresh and vigorous, how he manages to sharpen his sensibility and to master the tools of his creative expression, it is nothing short of a miracle, it is something like maintaining a subtle balance, a subtle harmony between opposing pulls and pressures between conflicting techniques and tempers.
A good and genuine creative writer does not belong to any particular caste or religion, any particular state or region, any particular language or nationality. He rises above all these demarcations and distinctions, rises above all bounds and boundaries, all labels and all 'isms'. His home is entirely humanity, the whole world, the whole universe is his play-ground, his field of activity, his laboratory. The themes and the treatment of Sukesh Sahni's Laghukathayen entitle him to a place among genuine creative writers. His works, though products of his own age and environment, contain meaning and message, value and significance for all ages, for all lands, and herein lies the sweet and secret success of art - its timeless appeal and ageless splendours.
Quite recently, I had the good fortune of going through some Laghukathayen of Sahni originally written in Hindi but rendered into English by Mr. D.D. Sharma of Lucknow. This is for the first time that I had the pleasurable occasion to go through the English translation of his selected Laghukathayen. Since I myself am a teacher of English literature and relish and enjoy it, I have no hesitation in saying that I fully enjoyed this English translation of his self chosen Laghukathayen. I must congratulate the translator, who has done his job wonderfully well with the full sense of responsibility of a translator of creative literature. We all know (and some from our own experiences) how difficult and challenging this job is to translate a creative work from its original language into any other language. It is something nearly impossible and only a few gifted souls can be a proper match for it. Only a person himself blessed with rich artistic and creative sensibility and having complete mastery over two languages can do justice to the original creative writing. So I am fully aware of the dangers and difficulties of a translation of this type and initially I had my own reservations and apprehensions about the complete success of this project, of this venture. But after going through the whole translation work with considerable caution and patience, now I am in a position to announce that this translation work has been of a very high standard. Mr. Sharma has remarkably succeeded in keeping the charm and the colour, the taste and the flavour of the original. While journeying through this rich and splendid land of creative writing, we do not feel that we are traversing some barren area of translation\; we have always the impression that we are enjoying the original in all its freshness and glory, and herein lies the success of the translator. Three cheers to Mr. Sharma for his enviable performance.
Now. a few words about the collection of Sukesh's Laghukathayen, they cover a variety of subjects- they present a variety of moods, situations and glimpses of real life. Every Laghukatha is fresh from the mint of life, fresh from the oven of life. They are all fresh as the pearls of the morning dew, they have the freshness of the dawn. They possess and present a charming and colourful variety of a rich and ripe flower-garden. So each of the collection is a world in itself, a creation in itself, and like a genuine creation, unique and irreplaceable. Sahni, as we come to know from his various writings, seems to possess a deep insight into human life, human working and human psychology. He is a keen observer of men and things, he has a capacity to feel and think, to analyse and co-relate the different strands, he keeps his mind and sensibility open to all impressions - he lets in al kinds of winds. His is not at all a closed mind, his is all embracing, all-encompassing mind, this is why he is seldom seen to repeat himself, seldom does he taste dull or stale, seldom does he look lukewarm or appear uninviting. For him every moment, every mood, every situation, every man, every experience is unique and provides raw material for his creative productivity and last but not the least, he has the requisite capacity and qualification to render all this into artistic works of rare beauty and lasting appeal .
Almost all the Laghukathayen of this collection create a lasting impression on the reader's mind. Some give light and delight, some insight, some enlightenment, some provocation to think and act. Each one of these satisfies some inner hunger of ours, each of them creates an aptitude, a desire and a dream in us. They lengthen our longing life, they nourish our fighting spirit and they people our minds with visions of a better tomorrow, of a nobler and richer life of a more hospitable and habitable world.
The Laghukathayen which impressed me more are, (1)Vain Quest (2) The Musk Dear (3) Reality (4) Pendulum (5) Descendants of Pluto (6) The Last Halt of the Journey (7) Happy Martyrdom (8) Man-eater (9) Halves and Half-done (10) Disillusionment (11) Imitating (12) Back to Square One (13) Sham (14) The Return (15) False Pride (16) Thirst (17) Sun and Shade (18) Take It easy (19) Devil's Domain (20) The Leeches (21) The Death Scare (22) Craze for Unmerited Credit (23) Gaze (24) Blood (25) Dust (26) Policy Maker (27) Scarcity (28) Scared People (29) Dadaji (30) Conflicting Contexts (31) Beware of the Dog.
His Laghukathayen can be broadly put under several heads - for example,
(1) There are those dealing with social taboos and inhibitions, social systems and customs, rites and rituals, hypocrisy and ostentation.
(2) Then there are those dealing with the growing problems of disintegration of joint family and its time tested ties and harmonies, the decline and dissolution of the emotional warmth in the family and individual relationship, the problems of growing superficiality, increasing hollowness, rising formality in our relationships, all perhaps due to the ever increasing population and economic pressure, perhaps due to the growing materialistic outlook - the urbanity, sophistication and commercialisation .
(3) Then there are those dealing with the pathetic situation and pitiable plight of the people caused by the top-to-bottom corruption-ridden political and administrative machinery. There are the burning problems - all-pervasive, all-devouring. We all have to face all kinds of corruptions and criminalities at all levels. Hardly there is any relief or respite, any relaxation or exception at any stage or level. The ever-mounting wave of corruption and criminality engulfing the entire machinery, is turning all welfaric auspicious slogans into deceptive forces, all good-intentioned policies and programmes into frightening fiascos.
(4) Then there are those dealing with individual human psychology - how the heart and mind of a man, of a genuine and authentic man works under pressures of particular situations. What motives and motivations, what conflicts and confrontations, what cares and consideration, what pulls and pressures, what urges and inspirations invade and assault, bedevil and besiege his mind and how he manages to come out of this vortex with a definite decision, with a definite step and with a definite action - these are very interesting readings and realisations and offer a very rich fertile field for genuine creative writings having permanent value and interest, universal appeal and attraction.
(5) Then there are those dealing with the ever growing and ever gripping problems of pollution - pollutions of all kinds and all natures at all levels and on all fronts - that all-round pollution - pollution of nature, pollution of environment, pollution of atmosphere, pollution of politics, pollution of religion, pollution of ideas and ideologies, pollution of historical places and places of worship and pilgrimage.
(6) Then there are those dealing with the individual soul's thirst for peace, for happiness, for harmony, the individual's thirst for deeper truths of life, the individual soul's yearnings for deeper and richer experiences and realisations of life, his untiring efforts for solving the mysteries of life and universe, of the creator and the creation. There are the eternal thirsts and hungers of humanity - universal and eternal humanity - these are the themes that relate Mr. Sahni to religion, philosophy and spiritualism- a really difficult territory for an average man, for an average writer - but Mr. Sahni, we are happy to note, is neither an average man nor an average writer. He is much beyond that and that makes him, capable of tackling all kinds of situations with a rare confidence proving that his range of experiences and relations is much wider and deeper - his grip stronger, his roots firmer.
In Mr. Sahni's word of creation there is 'God's plenty'. Sukesh's world of creation is all-inclusive, all-embracing, all-encompassing; here nothing is excluded or expelled. Here all is welcome, all is received with warmth and feeling, all is given a VIP treatment. Here every visitor is सवर्ण and ब्राह्मण, here none is अवर्ण or अवर्ण्य, none is untouchable. So the dish and dinner he offers comprise and contain all kinds of रस, all kinds of व्यंजन (delicacies). He offers a variety of dishes, a variety of delicacies, each item, each delicacy fully justifying its presentation, giving full satisfaction to the रसिक and रसज्ञ .
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha's Famed Foreword of 'Iceberg'
Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha's
Famed Foreword of 'Iceberg'
('Iceberg' is a collection of short stories by famous Hindi writer Sukesh Sahni translated by D. D. Sharma with a foreword by Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha. Foreword of Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha was immensely appreciated by many writers & Indologists including the renowned German Indologist Prof. Dr. Konrad Meisig .)
Here is that foreword by Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha -
 |
| Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha |
At the very outset let me make an honest statement, let me make my position clear regarding my approach to लघुकथा. Well, I must confess, I am no great, I am no enthusiastic admirer of Laghukatha as a form of literary expression. Somehow, over the years I have gathered the feeling that a Laghukatha can not do full justice to any kind of serious literary theme or content. Laghukatha because of its being rather too short, too brief, does not find adequate or ample scope for full ripening of 'रस' and without 'पूर्ण रसपरिपाक' no work of literature can claim to be सरस and सजीव, रम्य, रमणीय. In order to become a work of art it has got to go through certain inner essential processes. If it does not, it fails as a work of art. The generality of Laghukathayen that are published today does not at all satisfy the rigorous artistic demands and standards. The Laghukathayen of today generally do not meet the requirements of a literary work of creation. Laghukathayen in order to satisfy the aesthetic or artistic sense must necessarily be creative , must be an act o creation. While judging any work of creative literature two things must always be borne in mind. First, it must be literary, second, it must be creative. If it fails to satisfy these two basic demands, then the thing one will have is scarcely the thing we call creative literature .
While enumerating the deficiencies inherent in the form of Laghukatha, I must also admit that I have come across quite a few Laghukathayen which have held my attention, which have given me light and delight, sight and insight and have satisfied my artistic and aesthetic sense. So I feel that even in the small compass of Laghukatha there is definitely some scope for ripening of 'रस' if only the writer is fully ripe for the task. So ultimately it all depends upon the creative writer himself. If he is really creative, if he is really gifted with some deep insight, if he is really enriched with innate artistic sensibility, he will be able to create good literary Laghukathayen which will be of lasting value and, unfading and undiminished appeal. So what I mean to say in this connection, in brief, is this that a creative work, if it is a creative work, must have some charm, something to attract, and must be of lasting significance and universal appeal.
In the contemporary world of Hindi Laghukatha there are certainly some personalities who are devotedly dedicated to the enrichment and uplift of Laghukatha. They have the necessary artistic sense and creative urge. They have deep insight and deep capacity to feel and think. They have acquired a mastery over language owing to their long and continuous struggle with words, they have developed a suitable form, style and technique for the compact and inevitable expression of their thoughts and feelings, their impressions and experiences, their visions and realisations. In fact all literature is rooted in life, draws its sustenance and nourishment from life and the deeper the roots of the writer, the greater the success . A creative writer must swim in the stream of life, must plunge in the flow of life, must taste life, must participate in it and the greater the writer's participation, involvement and identification with life, the greater his success and achievement .
I feel no compunction or hesitation in saying that Sukesh Sahani is one of the few personalities which have attracted me by their genuine creative urge and inspiration, by their full-ripened artistic sense and sensibility in the modern Hindi Laghukatha world. So I read his Laghukathayen with great taste and avidity, with great zeal and gusto. He has almost always been a perfect satisfaction to me, seldom or never has he been a total or dismal disappointment, invariably retaining and preserving same redeeming feature, same saving grace, same silver linings. Mr Sahni, I have often found is a very conscious and responsible creative writer and seldom gives anybody any cause or any occasion to find fault with or to point out an accusing finger at his creative work. He takes all necessary trouble and in fact spares no pains to make his work artistically satisfying, creatively enjoyable, flaw-less and faultless as far as humanly possible and practicable in this rather much too challenging field of Laghukatha.
I have been told and my own impression has been deepened and confirmed that Sukesh is no mean writer of half a dozen novels and quite a few dozen short stories some of them much talked-about, much - discussed and appreciated in the established literary circles. Looking at the vitality, variety and richness of these writings one can easily surmise that he could have definitely done better in these fields, and earned name and fame, recognition and reward the easier way but he deliberately and quite consciously chose the more difficult path for himself, he opted for himself a new and challenging medium. In Laghukatha world where scope for exploitation and enterprise, adventure and experiment is enormous but where possibility of recognition is very thin and chances of success, quite meagre . This shows his mettle - the stuff of which he is made, this indubitably displays his spirit of adventure, conducively exhibits his rather total commitment to this little-known, little-recognised and the least appreciated form of literary writings .
Sukesh Sahni is one of the few talented band of writers who seem to have dedicated themselves completely to the emerging and evolving and as yet controversy-ridden literary form known as Laghukatha. He has made this particular and distinguished, this difficult and challenging form the principal or main medium of his creative expression. Thank God, he is endowed with ample creative energy and a rich store of varied and variegated experiences. His own experiences of life, gleaned and gathered direct and first hand, from the field of life give him authentic and abundant raw-material for his creative writings - the urge and inspiration coming from his inner artistic perception, his inner aesthetic sensibility without which no genuine work of art is possible .
Since the range of Sukesh's experience is sufficiently wide and he is intensely alive and abundantly receptive, his world of creative writing presents a multi - coloured spectacle. It invariably appeals and attracts, invites and illuminates, energises and inspires, captures and captivates .
I have the good fortune of reading some two or three dozen Laghukathayen written by Sukesh in Hindi. He writes in Hindi and being a scientist and having a scientific education and training and also following a scientific vocation. We wonder how he manages to keep his innate artistic sense intact, how he manages to keep his creative urge youthful, fresh and vigorous, how he manages to sharpen his sensibility and to master the tools of his creative expression, it is nothing short of a miracle, it is something like maintaining a subtle balance, a subtle harmony between opposing pulls and pressures between conflicting techniques and tempers.
A good and genuine creative writer does not belong to any particular caste or religion, any particular state or region, any particular language or nationality. He rises above all these demarcations and distinctions, rises above all bounds and boundaries, all labels and all 'isms'. His home is entirely humanity, the whole world, the whole universe is his play-ground, his field of activity, his laboratory. The themes and the treatment of Sukesh Sahni's Laghukathayen entitle him to a place among genuine creative writers. His works, though products of his own age and environment, contain meaning and message, value and significance for all ages, for all lands, and herein lies the sweet and secret success of art - its timeless appeal and ageless splendours.
Quite recently, I had the good fortune of going through some Laghukathayen of Sahni originally written in Hindi but rendered into English by Mr. D.D. Sharma of Lucknow. This is for the first time that I had the pleasurable occasion to go through the English translation of his selected Laghukathayen. Since I myself am a teacher of English literature and relish and enjoy it, I have no hesitation in saying that I fully enjoyed this English translation of his self chosen Laghukathayen. I must congratulate the translator, who has done his job wonderfully well with the full sense of responsibility of a translator of creative literature. We all know (and some from our own experiences) how difficult and challenging this job is to translate a creative work from its original language into any other language. It is something nearly impossible and only a few gifted souls can be a proper match for it. Only a person himself blessed with rich artistic and creative sensibility and having complete mastery over two languages can do justice to the original creative writing. So I am fully aware of the dangers and difficulties of a translation of this type and initially I had my own reservations and apprehensions about the complete success of this project, of this venture. But after going through the whole translation work with considerable caution and patience, now I am in a position to announce that this translation work has been of a very high standard. Mr. Sharma has remarkably succeeded in keeping the charm and the colour, the taste and the flavour of the original. While journeying through this rich and splendid land of creative writing, we do not feel that we are traversing some barren area of translation\; we have always the impression that we are enjoying the original in all its freshness and glory, and herein lies the success of the translator. Three cheers to Mr. Sharma for his enviable performance.
Now. a few words about the collection of Sukesh's Laghukathayen, they cover a variety of subjects- they present a variety of moods, situations and glimpses of real life. Every Laghukatha is fresh from the mint of life, fresh from the oven of life. They are all fresh as the pearls of the morning dew, they have the freshness of the dawn. They possess and present a charming and colourful variety of a rich and ripe flower-garden. So each of the collection is a world in itself, a creation in itself, and like a genuine creation, unique and irreplaceable. Sahni, as we come to know from his various writings, seems to possess a deep insight into human life, human working and human psychology. He is a keen observer of men and things, he has a capacity to feel and think, to analyse and co-relate the different strands, he keeps his mind and sensibility open to all impressions - he lets in al kinds of winds. His is not at all a closed mind, his is all embracing, all-encompassing mind, this is why he is seldom seen to repeat himself, seldom does he taste dull or stale, seldom does he look lukewarm or appear uninviting. For him every moment, every mood, every situation, every man, every experience is unique and provides raw material for his creative productivity and last but not the least, he has the requisite capacity and qualification to render all this into artistic works of rare beauty and lasting appeal .
Almost all the Laghukathayen of this collection create a lasting impression on the reader's mind. Some give light and delight, some insight, some enlightenment, some provocation to think and act. Each one of these satisfies some inner hunger of ours, each of them creates an aptitude, a desire and a dream in us. They lengthen our longing life, they nourish our fighting spirit and they people our minds with visions of a better tomorrow, of a nobler and richer life of a more hospitable and habitable world.
The Laghukathayen which impressed me more are, (1)Vain Quest (2) The Musk Dear (3) Reality (4) Pendulum (5) Descendants of Pluto (6) The Last Halt of the Journey (7) Happy Martyrdom (8) Man-eater (9) Halves and Half-done (10) Disillusionment (11) Imitating (12) Back to Square One (13) Sham (14) The Return (15) False Pride (16) Thirst (17) Sun and Shade (18) Take It easy (19) Devil's Domain (20) The Leeches (21) The Death Scare (22) Craze for Unmerited Credit (23) Gaze (24) Blood (25) Dust (26) Policy Maker (27) Scarcity (28) Scared People (29) Dadaji (30) Conflicting Contexts (31) Beware of the Dog.
His Laghukathayen can be broadly put under several heads - for example,
(1) There are those dealing with social taboos and inhibitions, social systems and customs, rites and rituals, hypocrisy and ostentation.
(2) Then there are those dealing with the growing problems of disintegration of joint family and its time tested ties and harmonies, the decline and dissolution of the emotional warmth in the family and individual relationship, the problems of growing superficiality, increasing hollowness, rising formality in our relationships, all perhaps due to the ever increasing population and economic pressure, perhaps due to the growing materialistic outlook - the urbanity, sophistication and commercialisation .
(3) Then there are those dealing with the pathetic situation and pitiable plight of the people caused by the top-to-bottom corruption-ridden political and administrative machinery. There are the burning problems - all-pervasive, all-devouring. We all have to face all kinds of corruptions and criminalities at all levels. Hardly there is any relief or respite, any relaxation or exception at any stage or level. The ever-mounting wave of corruption and criminality engulfing the entire machinery, is turning all welfaric auspicious slogans into deceptive forces, all good-intentioned policies and programmes into frightening fiascos.
(4) Then there are those dealing with individual human psychology - how the heart and mind of a man, of a genuine and authentic man works under pressures of particular situations. What motives and motivations, what conflicts and confrontations, what cares and consideration, what pulls and pressures, what urges and inspirations invade and assault, bedevil and besiege his mind and how he manages to come out of this vortex with a definite decision, with a definite step and with a definite action - these are very interesting readings and realisations and offer a very rich fertile field for genuine creative writings having permanent value and interest, universal appeal and attraction.
(5) Then there are those dealing with the ever growing and ever gripping problems of pollution - pollutions of all kinds and all natures at all levels and on all fronts - that all-round pollution - pollution of nature, pollution of environment, pollution of atmosphere, pollution of politics, pollution of religion, pollution of ideas and ideologies, pollution of historical places and places of worship and pilgrimage.
(6) Then there are those dealing with the individual soul's thirst for peace, for happiness, for harmony, the individual's thirst for deeper truths of life, the individual soul's yearnings for deeper and richer experiences and realisations of life, his untiring efforts for solving the mysteries of life and universe, of the creator and the creation. There are the eternal thirsts and hungers of humanity - universal and eternal humanity - these are the themes that relate Mr. Sahni to religion, philosophy and spiritualism- a really difficult territory for an average man, for an average writer - but Mr. Sahni, we are happy to note, is neither an average man nor an average writer. He is much beyond that and that makes him, capable of tackling all kinds of situations with a rare confidence proving that his range of experiences and relations is much wider and deeper - his grip stronger, his roots firmer.
In Mr. Sahni's word of creation there is 'God's plenty'. Sukesh's world of creation is all-inclusive, all-embracing, all-encompassing; here nothing is excluded or expelled. Here all is welcome, all is received with warmth and feeling, all is given a VIP treatment. Here every visitor is सवर्ण and ब्राह्मण, here none is अवर्ण or अवर्ण्य, none is untouchable. So the dish and dinner he offers comprise and contain all kinds of रस, all kinds of व्यंजन (delicacies). He offers a variety of dishes, a variety of delicacies, each item, each delicacy fully justifying its presentation, giving full satisfaction to the रसिक and रसज्ञ .
After saying so much about Sukesh's creative writings in general, let us now turn our attention to some of the individual Laghukathayen included in this collection 'Iceberg' just to see and examine how far they satisfy our artistic taste, how far they achieve their artistic purpose and what situations they discuss and what problems they raise and what solutions they offer or hint at ? On closer scrutiny and examination we find that most of them fulfil the conditions of Art and are quite illuminating, fully satisfying.
(1) Pollution
Let us take this Laghukatha entitled 'Pollution' first. This, as its very title suggests, deals with the demoniac problem 'Pollution'. Pollution is spreading its tentacles every where. The field of operation is no longer confined to towns and cities, even rural areas, beauty-spots and places of pilgrimage have come under its ever-widening and ever tightening grip. The hero is from Bombay who is out to search out some place of peace, beauty and purity in Kashmir but he is shocked to find that condition of Kashmir is no better than that of Bombay. The author presents a graphic picture, a vivid painting of the experiences the hero is having in Kashmir. There is much liveliness and energy in this creation which attracts and holds our attention. We almost become a co-traveller, a co-researcher of the hero or better say, a constant and sympathetic companion of the hero. This Laghukatha is an artistic success, it is definitely an achievement.
(2) Vain Quest
Let us now take another Laghukatha entitled 'Vain Quest' . This Laghukatha deals with the man's quest for vainglory. In adolescence or say in early manhood man wishes for things which have false glamour, which are of no real value and which have a superficial glitter and glow. But later he realises the vanity of his adolescent wishes and corrects himself and mends his way in the light of deeper wisdom that dawns upon him. This proves the truth of the sayings, ' All that glitters is not gold.' or 'things are not what they seem' or 'Appearance is not the reality.'
(3) Kernels
This Laghukatha focusses our attention on the glaring difference in our look and attitude of parents towards their own sons and daughters. We, by and large, look upon sons as assets as boons, and daughters are liability, as a curse . The theme is the eternal exploitation of woman by man. Since the beginning of creation, woman has been exploited by man and this exploitation will perhaps continue till eternity with some minor modifications here and there. We find in our society that sons are given better treatment and daughters, worse. Kernels are reserved for sons and peels are offered to daughters.
(4) The Musk Dear
It is a Laghukatha that emphasises the fact that money can not buy peace and sleep. Peace and sleep are the commodities that can not be purchased in the market. No amount of money can really purchase them. They are had, they are got by mere cultivation of inner harmony and mental balance. Peace and sleep come to the destitute and the dispossessed. They rarely (if at all) visit a money bag or a millionaire.
(5) Gajar Ghas
The theme of this Laghukatha is related to the treatment given to the elderly people, the aged and old ones, in our modern society. Great changes have taken place in outlook and mentality of the modern youth who want to enjoy life at any cost, having little or no regard for their elders, superiors or betters. They care only for their own pleasures, their own comforts and amenities having no regard for the feelings and sentiments of others. A kind of supreme selfishness, a kind of arrogance and vanity, a kind of hollowness and shallowness has gripped the entire youth community, having no concern for ideals or morals or good behaviour or even normal social code of conduct and courtesy. Pure self-interest has become the primary rule, the supreme concern. Old and elderly people who should be given top importance and maximum consideration by virtue of their long experiences of life and consequent accumulated wisdom, are neglected and ignored and even worse, are considered to be unwanted, irrelevant, even condemned. They are being treated as out-siders, as strangers, as refuse or sweepings-off of the house. This painful situation, this pitiable plight of the old ones in their own family is brought out very forcefully and artistically in this.
(6) Happy Martyrdom
'Happy Martyrdom' is one of the best Laghukatha - rather the best in his collection, at any rate to my mind. The theme is noble and high, ideal and excellent dealing with the purpose and meaning, significance and fulfilment of life. What life actually is and how should it be lived ? What for and for whom ? There are the questions that have been tellingly and touchingly answered in this Laghu-katha. It contains the map and chart of life, the plan and project of life. It possibly settles the mystery that life is. This Laghukatha brings out the eternal truth that real success of life, the real greatness and glory lies in living for others, in promoting the welfare and well being of others, in giving others light and delight, in making other people happy and prosperous, in showing them the well and the way, the path and the goal.
No praise is too high for this small but brilliant piece of art.
(7) Imitating
The theme of the 'Imitating' is related to the disastrous effects of modernity on the impressionable minds of children. Children have an unbounded capacity for imitation. They have a tendency to imitate anything and everything. What they see around them, they imitate, they have no capacity to judge what is right and what is wrong, what should be done and what should not be done - they are blissfully ignorant of all the do's and all the don'ts. They do it because they see others doing it. So care should be taken that nothing wrong, nothing undesirable should be done before them. Parents and the neighbouring people and the environment play a vital role in the shaping the course and character, the destiny and destination of children. But most parents do not realise this - they themselves indulge in undesirable activities, possibly thinking that their children would remain unaffected by their activities but later they had to realise, at times to their horror, that children may unconsciously learn from their parents and imitate them thoroughly with the result that the parents have to repent for their undesirable activities. This delicate and disaster-prone situation, this situation impregnated with far-reaching disastrous consequences has been very artistically very forcefully brought into the focus of people's minds.
(8) The Return
'The Return' is one of the best Laghukatha - having universal appeal and significance. The theme is related to three stages or three situations or conditions of the inner world which the hero, an engineer, passes through in course of his service. The three situations may be put like this - (a) Original Paradise (b) Paradise Lost (c) Paradise Regained. The author has dealt with these three significant stages very efficiently almost in masterly way. The feelings and the mental conflicts going on in the internal theatre of the engineer have been vividly and impressively painted so much so that this piece becomes an artistic achievement of a rare nature having universal appeal. The initial honesty and then the dishonesty and then the return or restoration of honesty has been beautifully described.
The theme and the presentation make the piece a first-class creative writing - its aim being noble and good, its aim being the victory of honesty over dishonesty, the victory of truth over falsehood, the victory of goodness over badness. This story is a beam in darkness, ray of hope in deepening depression, a breath of fragrance in the surrounding filth and squalour - a मंत्र and सूत्र, or सुभाषित or सूक्ति, that guides life, a pole star that shows the way, a straw that saves a drowning man, a pilgrimage when life turns over a new leaf - when life becomes all white shaking off all the coverings of darkness or blackness.
(9) Sun and Shade
'Sun and Shade' is also a successful work of art. It is a good Laghukatha. The theme is related to the situation or event in which the same situation or event becomes a tragedy to some and comedy to others, a curse to many and a boon to some, adversity to one and prosperity to another. This Laghukatha describes very impressively how the drought or for that matter, any natural calamity like flood, fire, quake, drought become a milch cow to government officials and how they play havoc with the life of the affected people, how they make money at the cost of the suffering people, what sorrow and misery, what deprivation and destitution they bring upon the innocent victims of natural calamity just to satisfy their insatiable greed for luxuries of life.
(10) Male-Chauvinism
It relates to the problem of male domination. Our society is dominated and dictated by male members. The woman folk are subjected to all kinds of humiliations and hardships, all kinds of exploitations and deprivations, they are given little respect or regard. They are often treated like goods and chattels. They are made or forced to behave like dumb-driven cattle. They are forcibly deprived of their own personality. Men take on the roles of dictators, cruel tyrants, and the poor, helpless women are subjected to untold hardships and miseries, unimaginable humiliations and sufferings. The pathetic and pitiable condition of the womenfolk in our male-dominated society has been very impressively brought out into the focus.
(11) The Devil's Domain
This Laghukatha is related to the bane of democracy - the crumbling and collapse of democracy - democracy which is considered to be the best form of government discovered as yet. Justice is not meted out, exploitation continues and goes on unchecked, favouritism thrives. Those who actually need and deserve government help and aid are denied, and those who need not, get all help and aid. The justice-conscious author is pained and shocked at this sorry sight and spectacle, and he exposes this kind of injustice, this state of affairs in a very artistic manner and cries for immediate and urgent remedial measures. So here also we find that the writer has been quite impressive and remarkably successful in exposing the situation.
(12) The Odour of Flesh
'The Odour of Flesh' is related to the depredation or the havoc caused by the Demon of Dowry in our society. It brings out all the horror of the situation. It is really horrifying. Mr. Sahni's exposition or exposure of this situation is rather extremely startling, exceedingly disturbing, it creates a feeling of horror. The havoc is presented in all its horror. The urgency and pungency, the sharpness and keenness that he has given to this theme or subject matter, makes the piece a sharpened sword, a refined rapier. The society must be thankful to Mr. Sahni for his boldest attempts to expose the evils of dowry in all its ugliness, in all its nefariousness, in all its obnoxiousness.
(13) Descendants of Pluto
This Laghukatha is related to the inhuman, even devilish callousness of doctors, nurses and other members in our hospitals to patients. The ordinary patients are given no attention, no treatment, no medicine. They are allowed to suffer and die in their own way. The so-called saviours of humanity have become the worst enemies of humanity. They have become inhumans, heartless, brutal, beastly. The prevailing callousness of doctors nurses towards the suffering humanity has been very impressively brought out into focus.
(14) Master Plan
This wonderful Laghukatha is related to the theme of exploitation of innocent rustic villagers by government officials. The government officials have a nefarious tendency to exploit the innocence, the ignorance, the simplicity of villagers. They take money from them - even on false pretexts.
(15) Disillusionment
This Laghukatha brings out the situations in which all emotional relationships are losing their warmth, and are breaking under economic pressure. Economic considerations dominate and dictate, and all humanity, all feeling is beating a hasty retreat. Man is becoming a heartless and feelingless machine.
After close analysis of 15 individual Laghukathayen we come to the conclusion that Mr. Sahni has a wider range of experiences and he has seen much life and has suffered a good deal and therefore his stories have a ring of sincerity and honesty, they carry a stamp of authenticity. They create immediate and urgent impact on the minds of readers. They seem to be genuine creations of a man who has felt and suffered deeply, who has thought over and ruminated long. These prepare the base for his artistic success, in fact these are the real secrets of his success, the real strength of Mr. Sahni as a writer. I offer him all my good wishes.
And now is the time to take leave of you with all apology - while commending the efforts of the translator, Mr. D.D. Sharma, I recommend this veritable golden treasury of Laghukatha to all the genuine lovers of creative literature for their perusal and consequent enjoyment . Thanks.
Post-graduate Deptt. of English Rabindra Nath Ojha
M.J.K. College University Professor & Head
BETTIAH ( Bihar)
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Kaitha | हाथी फल | Elephant Fruit | Naimisharanya | औषधीय गुणों से भरपूर कैथा | लुप्तप्राय फल कैथा
Kaitha | हाथी फल | Elephant Fruit | Naimisharanya | औषधीय गुणों से भरपूर कैथा | लुप्तप्राय फल कैथा
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