As Lekhni's this issue is centred around the heroes, I want to know when and what makes an admiration turn into a hero-worship...In fact what is a hero worship; is it obsession, blind faith...talking about faith; does it somewhere overlaps with religion also in its extreme form. Different ages had a different set of criteria for their heroes; in medieval era it was chevalier who was admired the most, then in Victorian era moral values took precedence over all other things and in present times, it is the monetary success which is the gauge of goodness. However, with tumbling stocks and a very shaky financial world, it might all change very soon. Therefore, what are the universal qualities that makes a hero a hero. Is it the one who rises to the occasion, is it the one who fights for a cause, is it the one who is a saviour! May be...may be not! Who had heard about an unsung hero...so is it the one who shouts the loudest!
You must be thinking that I am very confused but being a Hindu righteousness is a way of life for me, heroism does not enter into this equation or call of duty. For a Hindu, there is no concept similar to Christian martyrdom or Islamic jihad. The most important and revered historical figures of Hinduism were not martyrs. Life and its Spirituality is not about fighting someone or some religion. Everyone has a right to live and share the goodies of life and this earth. Each soul’s journey is its very own and no individual should be allowed to bully others in their way of thinking in the name of religion or any kind of sovereignty or superiority. Worship or admiration like heroism is earned, certainly not acquired! Hindus have given the world a Krishna, a Buddha, a Gandhi, and hundreds of equally great saints, seers and scholars from Valmiki and Ved Vyasa to Samkra, Tulsidasa and Vivekananda, and with them a most logical, scientific and secular philosophy of equality...one for all and all for one.
In my view a hero is a human with a divine heart...filled with love and care for all. Lord Rama was also one of the great heroes of India, who even today is worshipped as God. One of the strongest messages, which we get from Ram’s story, is that we are both human and divine and that we must hold both simultaneously. No need to feel shy of mortal weaknesses and rise fully to the call of a divine duty.
Hail holy light, ofspring of Heav'n first-born, Or of th' Eternal Coeternal beam May I express thee unblam'd? since God is light, And never but in unapproachèd light Dwelt from Eternitie, dwelt then in thee, Bright effluence of bright essence increate. Or hear'st thou rather pure Ethereal stream, Whose Fountain who shall tell? before the Sun, Before the Heavens thou wert, and at the voice Of God, as with a Mantle didst invest The rising world of waters dark and deep, Won from the void and formless infinite. Thee I re-visit now with bolder wing, Escap't the Stygian Pool, though long detain'd In that obscure sojourn, while in my flight Through utter and through middle darkness borne With other notes then to th' Orphean Lyre I sung of Chaos and Eternal Night, Taught by the heav'nly Muse to venture down The dark descent, and up to reascend, Though hard and rare: thee I revisit safe, And feel thy sovran vital Lamp; but thou Revisit'st not these eyes, that rowle in vain To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn; So thick a drop serene hath quencht thir Orbs, Or dim suffusion veild. Yet not the more Cease I to wander where the Muses haunt Cleer Spring, or shadie Grove, or Sunnie Hill, Smit with the love of sacred song; but chief Thee Sion and the flowrie Brooks beneath That wash thy hallowd feet, and warbling flow, Nightly I visit: nor sometimes forget Those other two equal'd with me in Fate, So were I equal'd with them in renown. Blind Thamyris and blind Mæonides, And Tiresias and Phineus Prophets old. Then feed on thoughts, that voluntarie move Harmonious numbers; as the wakeful Bird Sings darkling, and in shadiest Covert hid Tunes her nocturnal Note. Thus with the Year Seasons return, but not to me returns Day, or the sweet approach of Ev'n or Morn, Or sight of vernal bloom, or Summers Rose, Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine; But cloud in stead, and ever-during dark Surrounds me, from the chearful waies of men Cut off, and for the Book of knowledge fair Presented with a Universal blanc Of Natures works to mee expung'd and ras'd, And wisdome at one entrance quite shut out. So much the rather thou Celestial light Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers Irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell Of things invisible to mortal sight.
John Milton
( Paradise Lost: The Third Book , line 1-55)
***
How Soon Hath Time
How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, Stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year! My hasting days fly on wtih full career, But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th. Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth, That I to manhood am arrived so near, And inward ripeness doth much less appear, That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th. Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow, It shall be still in strictest measure even To that same lot, however mean or high, Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven; All is, if I have grace to use it so, As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye.
Hands that light a lamp brighten the path, as feet move along eyes sparkle with awareness.
Darkness not a demon cloak for joy, as wraps loosen warmth spreads across.
Gardener waters not just to taste the fruit, as river flows melodiously crops sway ecstatically.
Selfless bedrock bears load of service, as shade spreads wayfarers stretch limbs.
Birds on wing flow in space leafless branches silently sigh, as ageing sun retreats at dusk gloomy earth waits for breath
A Grain of Sand.
One who plays---a player, one who sprints--- a sprinter, one who bowls--- a bowler... one who sleeps…?
Sleepers stretch silently, bearing rails with a sheen allowing rolling , roaring wheels transport men and material.
Strength sits in silence, like a snow -clad peak learning to bear bearing to learn.
A grain of sand
tiny though
an unmistakable element --- tall towers testify, William Blake was right ! Manifests grandeur in creation!!
Invincible
A stone’s descent begins … Satan showed the way…. splashes of water, turbidity loathsome, utility jeopardized, a well reeks muck.
A stone rips through… ripples spread in concentric circles extending range, thinning rapidity, a pond responds patiently.
A stone plunges …. quietly disappears fathoming depths beyond its reach, tranquility reigns supreme no trace of delinquent in sight… ocean , my teacher!
My five year's old daughter Mini cannot live without chattering. I really believe that in all her life she has not wasted a minute in silence. Her mother is often vexed at this, and would stop her prattle, but I would not. To see Mini quiet is unnatural, and I cannot bear it long. And so my own talk with her is always lively. One morning, for instance, when I was in the midst of seventeenth chapter of my new novel, my little Mini stole into the room, and putting her hand into mine, said; ' Father! Ramdayal the door-keeper calls a crow krow! He doesn't know anything, does he? '
Before I could explain to her the difference of language in this world, she was embarked on the full tide of another subject. ' What do you think, Father? Bhola says there is an elephant in the clouds, blowing water out of his trunk, and that is why it rains!'
And then darting off anew, while I sat still making ready some reply to this last saying: ' Father ! what relation is Mother to you ? '
'My dear little sister in the law!' I murmered involuntarily to myself, but with a grave face contrived to answer: ' Go and play with Bhola Muni ! I am busy!'
The window of my room overlooked the road. The child had seated herself at my feet near my table, and was playing softly, drumming on her knees. I was hard at work on my seventeenth chapter, where Protap Singh , the hero, had just caught Kanchanlata, the heroine, in his arms, and was about to escape by the third-story window of the castle, when all of a sudden Mini left her play, and ran to the window, crying: 'A Cabuliwallah!' Sure enough in the street below was a Cabuliwallah , passing slowly along. He wore the loose soiled clothing of his people, with a tall turban; there was a bag on his back, and he carried boxes of grapes in his hand.
I cannot tell what were my daughter's feelings at the sight of this man, but she began to call him loudly. 'Ah!' I thought, ' he will come in, and my seventeenth chapter will never be finished. !' At which exact moment the Cabuliwallah turned, and looked up at the child. When she saw this, overcome by terror, she fled to her mother's protection, and disappeared. She had a blind belief that inside the bag, which the big man carried, there were perhaps two or three other children like herself. The pedlar meanwhile entered my doorway, and greeted me with a smiling face.
So precarious was the position of my hero and my heroine, that my first impulse was to stop and buy something, since the man had been called. I made some small purchases, and a conversation began about Abdurrahman, the Russian, the English and the Frontier Policy.
As he was about to leave, he asked: ' And where is the little girl, sir? '
And I, thinking that Mini must get rid of her false fear, had her brought out.
She stood by my chair, and looked at the Cabuliwallah and his bag. He offered her nuts and raisins, but she would not be tempted, and only clung closer to me, with all her doubts increased .
This was their first meeting.
One morning, however, not many days later, as I was leaving the house, I was startled to find Mini, seated on a bench near the door, laughing and talking, with the great Cabuliwallah at her feet. In all her life, it appeared, my small daughter had never found so patient a listener, save her father. And already the corner of her little sari was stuffed with almonds and raisins, the gift of her visitor. 'Why did you give her those? ' I said, and taking out an eight anna bit, I handed it to him. The man accepted the money without demur, and slipped it into his pocket.
Alas, on my return an hour later, I found the unfortunate coin had made twice its own worth of trouble! For the Cabuliwallah had given it to Mini, and her mother catching sight of the bright round object, had pounced on the child with: ' Where did you get that eight-anna bit? '
' The Cabuliwallah gave it to me.' said Mini cheerfully.
' The Cabuliwallah gave it to you!' cried her mother much shocked.
' O Mini ! how could you take it from him ? '
I, entering at the moment, saved her from impending disaster, and proceeded to make my own enquiries.
It was not the first or second time, I found, that the two had met. The Cabuliwallah had overcome the child's first terror by a judicious brivery of nuts and almonds, and the two were now great friends.
They had mainy quaint jokes, which afforded them much amusement. Seated in front of him, looking down on his gigantic frame in all her tiny dignity. Mini would ripple her face with laughter, and begin: ' O Cabuliwallah ! O Cabuliwallah ! what have you got in your bag ? '
And he would reply, in the nasal accents of the mountaineer: ' An Elephant!' Not much cause for merriment , perhaps; but how they both enjoyed the witicism ! And for me, this child's talk with a grown-up man had always in it something strangely fascinating.
Then the Cabuliwallah, not to be behindhand, would take his turn: ' Well, little one, and when are you going to the father-in-law's house? '
Now most small Bengali maidens have heard long ago about the Father-in-law's house; but we, being a little new-fangled, had kept these things away from our child, and Mini at this question must have been a trifle bewidered . But she would not show it, and with ready tact replied ' Are you going there? '
Amongst men of Cabuliwallah's class, however, it is well known that the words father-in-law's house have a double meaning. It is euphemism for jail, the place where we we are well cared for; at no expense to ourselves. In this sense would the sturdy pedlar take my daughter's question. 'Ah,' he would say, shaking his fist at an invisible policeman , ' I will thrash my father-in-law!' Hearing this, and picturing the poor discomfited relative, Mini would go off into peals of laughter; in which her formidable friend would join.
These were autumn mornings, the very time of year when kings of old went forth to conquest; and I, never stirring from my little corner in Calcutta, would let my mind wander over the whole world. At the very name of another country, my heart would go out to it, and at the sight of a foreigner in the streets, I would fall to weaving a network of dreams---the mountains, the glens, and the forests of his distant home, with his cottagein its setting, and the free and independent life of far-awaywilds. Perhaps the scenes of travel conjure themselves up before me, and pass and repass in my imaginationall the more vividly, because I lead such a vegetable existence that a call to travel would fall upon me like a thunderbolt. In the presence of this Cabuliwallah I was immediately transported to the foot of arid mountain peaks, with narrow little defiles twisting in and out amongst their towering heights.I could see the strings of camels bearing the merchandise, and the company of turbanned merchants carrying some of their queer old firearms, and some of their spears, journeying down-ward towards the plains. I could see ---but at some such point Mini 's mother would intervene, imploring me to ' beware of that man.'
Mini's mother is unfortunately a very timid lady. Whenever she hears a noise in the street, or sees people comingtowards the house, she always jumps to the conclusion that they are either theives, or drunkards, or snakes or tigers, or malaria or cockroaches, or caterpillars, or an English sailor, Even after all these years experience, she is not able to overcome her terror. So she was full of doubts about the Cabuliwallah, and used to beg me to keep a watchful eye on him.
I tried to laugh her fear gently away, but then she would turn around on me seriously, and ask me solemn questions, Were children never kidnapped?
Was it, then not true that there was slavery in Cabul?
Was it so absurd that this big man should be able to carry off a tiny child?
I urged that, though not impossible, it was highly improbable . But this was not enough, and her dread persisted . As it was indefinite , however, it did not seem right to forbid the man the house, and the intimacy went on unchecked.
Once a year in the middle of January Rahmun, the Cabuliwallah, was in the habit of returning to his country, and as the time approached he would be very busy, going from house to house collecting his debts. This year, however, he could always find time to come and see Mini. It would have seemed to an outsider that there was some conspiracy between the two, for when he could not come in the morning, he would appear in the evening.
Even to me it was a little startling now and then, in the corner of a dark room, suddenly to surprise this tall, loose-garmented, much bebagged man; but when Mini would run in smiling, with her 'O Cabuliwallah! Cabuliwallah ! and the two friends, so far apart in age, would subside into their old laughter and their old jokes, I felt reassured.
One morning, a few days before he had made up his mind to go, I was correcting my proof sheets in my study. It was chilly weather. Through the windows the rays of the sun touched my feet, and the slight warmth was very welcome. It was almost eight o'clock, and the early pedestrians were returning home with their heads covered. All at once I heard an uproar in the street, and, looking out, saw Rahmun being led away bound between two policeman, and behind them a crowd of curious boys. There were blood-stains on the clothes of the Cabuliwallah, and one of the policeman carried a knife. Hurrying out, I stopped them, and inquired what it all meant. Partly from one, partly from another, I gathered that a certain neighbour had owed the pedlar something for a Rampuri shawl, but had falsely denied having bought it, and that in the course of the quarrel Rahmun had stuck him. Now in the heat of his excitement, the prisioner began calling his enemy all sorts of names, when suddenly in a little verandah of my house appeared my little Mini, with her usual exclamation: ' O Cabuliwallah, Cabuliwallah! Rahmun's face lighted up as he turned to her. He had no bags under his arm to day, so she could not discuss the elephant with him. She at once therefore proceeded to the next Question: ' Are you going to the father-in -law's house? ' Rahmun laughed and said ' Just where I am going little one !' Then seeing that the reply did not assure the child, he held up his fettered hands. ' Ah', he said, ' I would have thrashed that old-father-in-law, but my hands are bound.
On a charge of murderous assault, Rahmun was sentenced to some years' imprisonment.
Time passed away. It was once more autumn and we had made arrangements for our Mini's marriage. It was to take place during Puja Holidays. With Durga returning to kailash, the light of our home also was to depart to her husband's house, and leave her father's in the shadow.
The morning was bright. After the rains, there was a sense of jubilation in the air, and the sun-rays looked like pure gold. So bright were they that they gave a beautiful radiance even to the sordid brick walls of our Calcutta lanes. Since early dawn today the wedding-pipes had been sounding, and at each beat my own heart throbbed. The wail of the tune , Bhairavi, seemed to intensify my pain of at the approaching seperation. My Mini was to be married tonight.
From early morning noise and hustle had pervaded the house. In the courtyard the canopy had to be slung on its bamboo poles; the chandeliers with their tinkling sound must be hung in each room and verandah. There was no end of hurry and excitement. I was sitting in my study, looking through the accounts, when someone entered, saluting respectfully, and stood before me. it was Rahmun the Cabuliwallah. At first I did not recognise him. He had no bag, nor the long hair, nor the same vigour that he used to have. But he smiled, and I knew him again.
' When did you come, Rahmun ? ' I asked him.
' last evening,' he said, ' I was released from jail.'
The words struck harsh upon my ears. I had never before talked with one who had wounded his fellow, and my heart shrank shrank within when I realised this, for I felt that the day would have been better-omened had he not turned up.
' There are ceremonies going on,' I said, ' and I am busy. Could you perhaps come another day?'
At once he turned to go; but as he reached the door he hesitated, and said: ' May I not see the little one, sir, for a moment? ' It was his belief that Mini was still the same. He had pictured her running to him as she used to, calling ' O Cabuliwallah ! Cabuliwallah! ' He had imagined too that they would laugh and talk togrther, just as of old. In fact , in memory of former days he had bought, carefully wrapped up in paper, a few almonds and raisins and grapes, obtained somehow from a countryman, for his own little fund was dispersed.
I said again: ' There is a ceremony in the house , and you will not be able to see anyone today.'
The man's face fell. He looked wistfully at me for a moment, said ' Good morning,' and went out.
I felt a little sorry, and would have called him back, but I found he was returning of his own accord. He came close up to me holding out his offerings, and said: ' I brought these few things, sir, for the little one. Will you give them to her? '
I took them and was going to pay him, but he caught my hand and said: ' You are very kind , sir! Keep me in your recollection . Do not offer me money! - You have a little girl; I too have one like her in my own home. I think of her, and bring fruits to your child-not to make a profit for myself.'
Saying this, he put his hand inside his big loose robe, and brought out a small dirty piece of paper. With great care he unfolded this, and smoothed it out with both handson my table,. It bore the impression of a little hand. Not a photograph , not a drawing . The impression of a ink-smeared hand laid-flat on the paper. This touch of his own little daughter had been always on his heart, as he had come year after year to Calcutta to sell his wares in the streets.
Tears came to my eyes. I forgot that he was a poor Cabuli fruit seller, while I was---. But no, what was I more than he? He also was a father. That impression of the hand of his little Parbati in her distant mountain home reminded me of my own little Mini.
I sent for Mini immediately from the inner apartment. Many difficulties were raised, but I would not listen. Clad in the red silk of her wedding-day, with the sandal paste on her forehead, and adorned as a young bride, Mini came, and stood bashfully before me.
The Cabuliwallah looked a little staggered at the apparition. He could not revive their old friendship. At last he smiled and said: ' Little one , are you going to your father-in-law's house? '
But Mini now understood the meaning of the word 'father-in-law,' and she could not reply him as of pld. She flushed up at the question, and stood before him with her bride like face turned down.
I remembered the day when Cabuliwallah and my Mini had first met, and I felt sad. When she had gone, Rahmun heaved a deep sigh, and sat down on the floor. The idea had suddenly come to him that his daughter too must have grown in this long time, and that he would have to make friends with her anew. Assuredly he would not find her as he used to know her. And besides, what might have happened to her in these eight years ?
The marriage-pipes sounded , and the mild autumn sun streamed round us . But Rahmun sat in the little Calcutta lane, and saw before him the barren mountains of Afganistan.
I took out a bank-note and gave it to him, saying: ' Go back to your own daughter Rahmun, in your own country, and may the happiness of your meeting bring good fortune to my child!'
Having made this present, I had to curtail some of the festivities . I could not have the electric lights I had intended , nor the military band, and the ladies of the house were despondent at it. But to me the wedding-feast was all the brighter for the thought that in a distant land a long-lost father met again with his only child.
The Ramayana of Valmiki is the oldest work which gives the story of Rama. According to the German Indologist H. Jacobi, Valmiki composed the Ramayana somewhere between the 8th and 6th century B.C. but these dates bear no resemblence to other evidence of the actual occurance of the epic. All the later Rama literature consisting of numerous dramas and poems is indebted to Valmiki. These works, therefore, have no independent value of their own, so far as the historicity of Rama is concerned.
The question that naturally arises is this. Are there any works in Sanskrit literature which alludes to Rama in some way and which are older than the Ramayana or whose material has not been borrowed from the Ramayana? Fortunately there are a number of such works, and we shall now examine them to find if they can help in solving our problem. According to the Ramayana, Rama belonged to the Iksvaku Dynasty. The genealogy of Iksvaku kings is given in the 12 Puranas and all of them agree in assigning a definite place to Rama in this genealogy. Although these Puranas are quite late in their present form, scholars are agreed that their genealogical accounts are based on the records of the Sutas (‘Bards’) who were attached to the courts of kings in the Vedic Age.
The skeptical reader may not feel satisfied with the evidence of works which are themselves late even if they are believed to contain very ancient material. Luckily we have at our disposal the testimony of works that are definitely older than the Ramayana. The Vedic literature which belongs to a period much anterior to the Ramayana mentions many kings of the Iksvaku Dynasty to which Rama belonged. Among the ancestors of Rama the names of Iksvaku, Mandhatr, Purukutsa, Trasadasyu and Tryaruna are found in the most ancient work of Indian literature, viz. the RgVeda. The names of Hariscandra and his son Rohita are found in the Aitareya Brahmana and the name of Bhagiratha occurs in the Jaiminiya-Upanishad-Brahmana. Among the descendants of Rama, the name of Hiranyanabha occurs in the Prasna-Upanishad, where he is expressly called Kausalya, i.e. King of Kosala.
The mention of the names of a number of Rama’s ancestors and descendants without the mention of his own name may still cause a lurking doubt in the minds of readers about his historicity. Luckily we are in a position to remove even this lurking doubt. The name of Rama himself occurs in a hymn of the RgVeda along with those of three other kings, Duhsima, Vena and Prthu. The fact that he is called ‘mighty’ shows that he had earned fame for his valorous deeds even at the time of the composition of this hymn. Since the Indian literature knows of no famous king of ancient India bearing the name of Rama other than the hero of the Ramayana, this RgVedic king can be none other than him. Thus the mention of Rama and of so many of his ancestors and descendants in the Vedic literature proves his historicity beyond a shadow of doubt.
Two questions, however, still remain to be answered. If Rama was a historical king, when and where did he rule? As far as the period when he ruled is concerned, both the RgVeda and the Puranas agree in assigning him to the later Vedic Age. His name occurs in the 10th and last book of the RgVeda, which is regarded by all Vedic scholars to contain the latest hymns of the collection. These hymns were actually composed in the later Vedic Age. Thus according to the testimony of the RgVeda, Rama ruled somewhere in the later Vedic Age circa 2500bc to 2100bc.
Let us now examine the Puranic evidence. The Puranas have divided the history of ancient India into 4 Yugas (‘Periods’). What we call the RgVedic Age was divided by the Puranas into 2 periods called Krta and Treta as is clear from the occurrence in the RgVeda of the names of kings assigned to these ages by the Puranas. The later Vedic Age was called the Dvapara Age and the Post-Vedic Age which began soon after the Mahabharata War was called the Kali Age. Since Rama is believed to have lived at the end of the Treta Age with which began the Later Vedic Period, the Puranas are in complete agreement with the testimony of the RgVeda.
Here we must pause to remove a widespread misconception. The concept of the 4 Yugas had originally nothing to do with the cosmological scheme of Kalpas and Manvantaras. The British historian F.E. Pargiter was the first to point out the difference which the older Puranas make between the cosmological periods of Kalpas and Manvantaras on the one hand and the 4 Yugas on the other. This is what he said in his book, Ancient Indian Historical Tradition (p. 175): “It is declared repeatedly that these ages prevailed in India (BharataVarsha)”. When therefore A. R. Khan says (vide his article “In the Name of History” published in the Indian Express dated February 25, 1990) that “there was no habitation in the Treta Yuga in the area where Ayodhya is located”, he is only betraying his total unawareness of the original concept of the four Yugas.
The last question that needs our attention is concerning the region where Rama ruled. Vedic evidence makes it clear that the early Iksvakus ruled a region far from Kosala or the modern Awadh. A hymn occurring in the 8th book of the RgVeda and attributed to a Rsi named Sobhari praises the gifts which the Iksvaku king Trasadasyu conferred on the Rsi on the bank of the River Suvastu, the modern Swat. Further the fact that the seat of the government of King Hariscandra is called, a village in the Aitareya-Brahmana shows that Ayodhya had still not come into existence. The first king of the Iksvaku Dynasty who according to Vedic evidence ruled in the Gangetic region was Bhagiratha, for he is clearly mentioned in the Jaiminiya-Upanishad-Brahmana as a neighbor of the Kuru-Pancalas. The Puranas confirm the Vedic evidence by regarding Bhagiratha as the discoverer of the River Ganga which clearly mentions that he was the first Iksvaku King to found a kingdom in the Gangetic region. From his time onwards, the Iksvaku kings seem to have ruled in the region of Kosala and one of his descendants, Hiranyanabha, is expressly called Kausalya, that is, King of Kosala, in the Prasna-Upanishad. It is difficult to say when exactly the city of Ayodhya was founded but it had definitely come into existence in the later Vedic Age since it is mentioned in a hymn of the AtharvaVeda. We therefore need not doubt that the city Ayodhya existed in the time of King Dasharatha and that Rama was born here.
Before closing the article, it is necessary to examine the views of the archeologist, Dr. B.B. Lal. He makes the excavations at Ayodhya the excuse for creating a new tradition according to which contrary to the firm, well-established and unanimous literary evidence of millenniums, Rama was born later than the heroes of the Mahabharata War. Now it is clear that the painted grayware (PGW) culture, if it is Indo-Aryan, represents not an early but a late phase of Vedic Aryan civilization. The fact that excavations in the lowest levels of the sites connected with the Mahabharata Epic such as Hastinapura, Barnawa, Bairat, Indarpat, Panipat, Sonepat and Beghpat have revealed the remnants of this culture, supports this contention. Hastinapura, Indraprastha and Viratanagara were the latest in the series of towns that arose during the Vedic Periodand were actually founded in the period when the PGW culture flourished. When they were deserted or destroyed, no new town arose on their ruins, with the result that the culture associated with the time when they were founded remained preserved. On the other hand, according to the unanimous testimony of the Puranas, which is confirmed by Vedic evidence, Kusasthala (modern Kannauj), Varanasi and Ayodhya were the most ancient of the towns founded by Aryan kings. These cities were several times destroyed and everytime new cities arose with the same names on the sites of the old ones. There can be no doubt that the earliest cities of these names have completely perished and what the excavations have yielded is the culture of very late cities of these names. If it is asked why no remnants of the civilization of the time when these cities were founded have been discovered, we would answer by a counter question. Why is it that no remnants of the RgVedic civilization have been found in the Punjab which was the first home of the Indo-Aryans according to the clear testimony of the RgVeda? Obviously the RgVedic Aryans were materially much less advanced than the Indus Valley people and their houses and other things were made of perishable material which could not survive the onslaught of weather and other contingencies in the course of millenniums.
The evidence at our disposal thus leaves no room for doubt that Rama was a historical king who was born in and ruled over Ayodhya in the Later Vedic Age.
India's religious history is woven around two great epics of India; Ramayan and Mahabharat and most theerth sthal( holy places) are connected either to the one or another.
Chitrakoot is the teerth of all teerths described by saints. According to the Hindu belief, Prayagraj (modern name- Allahabad) is the king of all teerths; but Chitrakoot is even rated higher.
When Chitrakoot did not go to him as all the other teearths did, Prayagraj was told that Chitrakoot enjoyed a higher status and it was Prayagraj who was expected to go to Chitrakoot and not vice versa. It is said that Prayagraj comes every year to wash off his sins by bathing in the Payaswini. It is also said that all the gods and goddesses came to Chitrakoot when Ram performed the Shraddha ceremony of his father to partake of the shuddhi (i.e. a feast given to all the relatives and friends on the thirteenth day of the a death in the family). They were captivated by the beauty of the place. Lord Ram's presence there added a spiritual dimension to it. So they were unwilling to depart. Vashishtha, the family priest sensing their desire to stay and in accordance with the wishes of Lord Ram, forgot to utter the visarjan (departure) mantra. Thus, all the gods and goddesses have made this place their permanent abode and are always present there. Today also, even when a mere tourist reaches this place strewn profusely with ancient rocks, caves, ashrams and temples with sages engaged in holy and spiritual sadhana, he loses himself unwittingly in the atmosphere charged with unceasing holy rites and enlightening sermons and partakes of the bliss of a world very different from our ownIt falls in the northern Vindhya range of mountains spread over the states of Utter Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The larger part is included in the District Chitrakoot of U.P. and the District Satna of Madhya Pradesh. The word "Chitrakoot" has been used here to refer to this larger area and symbolizes the rich and varied cultural,religious, historical and archaelogical heritage of the various places and sites of this area. Lacs of peoole gather here at these sites on each Amavasya. Somwati Amavasyas, Deepawali, Sharad-Poornima, Makar-Sankranti and Ram Nawami are special occassions for such gatherings and celebrations.
Chitrakoot is a holy place famous both for its natural scenery and its spiritual altitude. A tourist is as much thrilled by sighting its beautiful waterfalls, playful young deer and dancing peacocks as a pilgrim is overwhelmed by taking a dip in the Payaswani/ Mandakini and by immersing himself in the dust of the Kamadgiri. From times immemorial, the Chitrakoot area has been a live center of inspiration for cosmic consciousness.Thousands of mendicants, hermits, sages and saints have attained higher and higher spiritual status and have exerted a beneficial impact on the world through their penance, sadhana, yoga, tapasya and various arduous spiritual endeavors. Nature has been very generous in bestowing over the area all the gifts in her power, which enable it to attract pilgrims and tourists alike from all over the world. Atri, Anasuya, Dattatreya, Maharshi Markandeya, Sarbhang, Sutikshna and various other sages, seers, devotees and thinkers have lived in this area through all the ages; and knowledgeable people say that many of such figures are still engaged in tapasya here in various caves and little known places. This lends the area a spiritual aroma which permeates its entire atmosphere and makes it spiritually alive to this day.
Chitrakoot has had its own identity and this very name since times immemorial. The first known mention of the place is in the Valmiki Ramayan, which is believed to be the first ever Mahakavya composed by the first ever poet. As an unwritten composition, an epic of growth, it was handed down from generation to generation by an oral tradition. As Valmiki is said to be contemporaneous with (or even earlier than) Ram and is believed to have composed the Ramayan before the birth of Ram, the antiquity of its fame can well be gauged. Valmiki speaks of Chitrakoot as an eminently holy place inhabited by the great sages, abounding in monkeys, bears and various other kinds of fauna and flora. Both the sages Bharadwaj and Valmiki speak of Chitrakoot in glowing terms and advise Ram to make it his abode during the period of his exile, as the place was capable of relieving a person of all his desires and of giving him a calm of mind that could make him achieve the highest of the goals in his life. Lord Ram himself admits this bewitching impact of this place. In the ‘Ramopakhyan’ and descriptions of teerthas at various places in the Mahabharat, Chitrakoot finds a favoured place. It ‘Adhyatma Ramayan’ and ‘Brihat Ramayan’ testify to the throbbing spiritually and natural beauty of Chitrakoot. The writer has been told that the latter work devotes as many as sixteen cantos to the description of Chitrakoot and its principal places. Entire Indian literature relating to Ram gives it a unique pride of place. The Rev. Father Kamil Bulke even mentions a ‘Chitrakoot—Mahatmya’; found among the collections of Mackenzie.Various Sanskrit and Hindi poets also have paid similar tributes to Chitrakoot. Mahakavi Kalidas has described this place beautifully in his epic ‘Raghuvansha’;. He was so much impressed with its charms that he made Chitrakoot (which he calls Ramgiri because of its time-honoured associations with lord Ram) the place of exile of his yaksha in Meghdoot. Tulsidas, the saint-poet of Hindi has spoken very reverently of this place in all his major works-Ramcharit Manas, Kavitawali, Dohawali and Vinay Patrika. The last-mentioned work contains many verses which show a deep personal bond between Tulsidas and Chitrakoot. He spent quite some part of his life here worshipping Ram and craving his darshan. It was here that he had what he must have considered the crowning moment of his achievements--ie. the darshan of his beloved deity Lord Ram at the intercession of Hanumanji. His eminent friend, the noted Hindi poet Rahim (i.e. Abdur Rahim Khankhana, the soldier-statesmen-saint-scholar-poet who was among the Nav-Ratnas of Akbar) also spent some time here, when he had fallen from favour with Akbar's son Emperor Jahangir. According to the Beetak literature of the Pranami sect, the saint-poet Mahamati Prannath wrote two of his books-Chhota Kayamatnama and Bara Kayamatnama here. The exact place where Prannath lived and composed these works interpretting the Quran and showing its similarities with Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran, could not be traced.
Thousands of pilgrims and seekers of the truth from all parts of the world resort to this place impelled by an irrepressible desire to improve and elevate their lives.This lends the area a spiritual aroma which permeates its entire atmosphere and makes it spiritually alive to this day.Celebrated in the entire Indian literature and sacred books; the abode of Lord Ram, his spouse Sitaji and his brother Lakshman during their exile for about eleven and a half years; Chitrkoot is capable of purifying the human heart and attracting the tourists and worshippers alike by its natural beauty.
Dashrath, the king of Ayodhya had the skill to aim his bow against unseen targets by sound only. One night he went on his chariot to hunt for a prey by the banks of river Saryu. There was total darkness. He waited patiently for some wild animal to come. Suddenly he heard a gurgling sound as if a thirsty deer is drinking water and he immediately arched the arrow in the direction of the sound. He was horrified when he heard a human voice crying out in great pain instead of an animal. He hurried immediately to help whom his arrow had pierced and found a young boy lying in the pool of blood.
His name was Shravan. kumar. Shravan Kumar was a very devoted son, who loved his parents a lot. Unfortunately, his parents were blind and old. However, the mother and father of young Shravan Kumar wanted to go on a pilgrimage. Therefore, Shravan Kumar made them sit in straw baskets and carried them on his shoulders. Shravan Kumar is still remembered, as one of the most ideal son, who loved his blind aging parents so much that he went on a pilgrimage of India before their heavenly abode, carrying them on his shoulder all the way. His parents were thirsty, so young Shravan Kumar went looking for water in the forest and he was filling up his pitcher when Dashrath shot the arrow, thinking that it is some animal and wounded him fatally. As soon as Shravan Kumar saw Dashratha coming towards him, he cried,”Oh, cruel king! You have wounded me but my old, blind parents are dying of thirst at the hermitage. Take this pitcher of water to them. Do not tell them anything about me till they have quenched their thirst. This arrow is causing me a great pain; pull it out when you come back." The moment Dashrath pulled the arrow out, Shravan breathed his last. Dasrath stood trembling as he watched Shravan dying in his arms. With a heavy heart, he took the pitcher full of water to his aged and week parents. As they both were blind, they used to recognise their son by the sound of his footsteps. Knowing immediately that it is not Shravan, though they were very thirsty, they refused to drink the water till they knew about where about of their beloved son... exactly where and how he was! Poor king Dashrath had no choice but to tell them truth. Hearing the news, they were stunned by the grief and cursed him of a separation and pain from which they were suffering. Later on it was this curse only, which caused the separation and exile of his beloved son Ram and Dashrath also has to die same way pinning for his dear son.
narration by- Shail Agrawal
***
Wind
I pulled a hummingbird out of the sky one day But let lt go, I heard a song and carried it with me on my cotton streamers, I dropped it on an ocean and lifted up a wave with my bare hands, I made a whole canefield tremble and bend as I ran by, I pushed a soft cloud from here to there, I hurried a stream along a pebble path, I scooped up a yard of dirt and hurled it in the air, I lifted a straw hat and sent it flying, I broke a limb from a guava tree, I became a breeze, bored and tired And hovered and hung and rustled and lay where I could. -Dionne Brand
Pictures taken by NASA [National Aeronautics & Space Administration], USA from space show the remains of what appears to be an ages old man-made bridge between Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka. According to Hindu scriptures and belief, Lord Ram and his vaanar sena had built a bridge from Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka about 17 lacs 25 thousands years ago. The discovery of Shri Ram Setu by NASA confirms that Hindu scriptures and belief are correct in this matter and that Ramayana is 'history' and not "mythology" as is often construed.
Setu (Sethu) Samudram [shipping canal project] is based on the notion that it is inevitable to break the Shri Ram Setu for easy navigation. This will amount to damaging a monument of both, historical and religious importanceto Hindus.
और फिर जब नेता नकारते हैं साक्षी को तब ,
संतों की अदालत ने करुणानिधि को दी सजा वाराणसी।
तामिलनाडु के मुख्यमंत्री एम करुणानिधि पर संतों की अदालत में मुकदमा चला। आदालत ने उनकी जुबान काटने की सजा सुनाई। करुणानिधि के पुतले की जीभ को सरेआम कलम किया गया। मौके पर मौजूद भीड़ ने पुतले की जूतों से पिटाई की और आग लगा दी।रामेश्वर राम सेतु रक्षा मंच ने संकट मोचन मंदिर के मुख्य द्वार पर धर्म अदालत बैठाई। कोतवाल मोहन दास, श्रवण दास, लुटुर बाबा, रामजानकी मंदिर के महंत सियाराम दास की खंडपीठ के सामने सुनवाई हुई। डा. उत्तम ओझा ने अदालत के सामने मुकदमा पेश किया और कहा कि करुणानिधि के बयान से हिंदुओं की भावनाएं आहत हुई हैं। उनको कड़ी सजा मिलनी चाहिए। मंच के संयोजक डा. लक्ष्मण दास ने मामले की पैरवी करते हुए कहा कि करुणानिधि ने राम के खिलाफ जिस तरह की टिप्पणी की है उसके लिए उनको फांसी की सजा मिलनी चाहिए। धर्म प्रसार प्रमुख सुदर्शन महाराज ने करुणानिधि की ओर से पक्ष रखा। न्यायाधीशों ने करुणानिधि ने राम के खिलाफ जो टिप्पणियां की हैं। उसके लिए उनका सर कलम करना चाहिए। मगर हिंदू धर्म की मर्यादा का ध्यान रखते हुए मृत्यु दंड के बजाय उनकी जिह्वा काटने का निर्देश दिया जाता है। ताकि भविष्य में वह राम के खिलाफ बेजा टिप्पणी न कर पाएं। फैसले के बाद करुणानिधि के पुतली की जीभ काट कर संकट मोचन भगवान को अर्पित की गई। गुस्साई भीड़ ने पुतले की पिटाई की और आग लगा दी।
कथाकार एस. आर. हरनोट की कथा पुस्तक `जीनकाठी` का लोकार्पण शिमला में सुप्रसिद्ध साहित्यकार डा. गिरिराज किशोर ने २२ सितम्बर, २००८ को श्री बी. के. अग्रवाल, सचिव (कला, भाषा एवं संस्कृति) हि. प्र. व १५० से भी अधिक साहित्यकारों, पत्रकारों व पाठकों की उपंस्थिति में किया। `जीनकाठी तथा अन्य कहानियां` आधार प्रकाशन प्रकाशन प्रा०लि० ने प्रकाशित की है। इस कृति के साथ हरनोट के पांच कहानी संग्रह, एक उपन्यास और पांच पुस्तकें हिमाचल व अन्य विषयों प्रकाशित हो गई हैं।
कानपुर(उ०प्र०) से पधारे प्रख्यात साहित्यकार डा. गिरिराज किशोर ने कहा कि सभी भाषाओं के साहित्य की प्रगति पाठकों से होती है लेकिन आज के समय में लेखकों के समक्ष यह संकट गहराता जा रहा है। बच्चे अपनी भाषा के साहित्य को नहीं पढ़ते जो भविष्य के लिए अच्छी बात नहीं है। डॉ गिरिराज ने प्रसन्नता व्यक्त की कि उन्हें भविष्य के एक बड़े कथाकार के कहानी संग्रह के विस्तरण का शिमला में मौका मिला। उन्होंने हरनोट की कहानियों पर बात करते हुए कहा कि इन कहानियों में दलित और जाति विमर्श के उम्दा स्वर तो हैं पर उस तरह की घोर प्रतिबद्धता, आक्रोश और प्रतिशोध की भावनाएं नहीं है जिस तरह आज के साहित्य में दिखाई दे रही है। उन्होंने दो बातों की तरफ संकेत किया कि आत्मकथात्मक लेखन आसान होता है लेकिन वस्तुपरक लेखन बहुत कठिन है क्योंकि उसमें हम दूसरों के अनुभवों और अनुभूतियों को आत्मसात करके रचना करते हैं। हरनोट में यह खूबी है कि वह दूसरों के अनुभवों में अपने आप को, समाज और उसकी अंतरंग परम्पराओं को समाविष्ट करके एक वैज्ञानिक की तरह पात्रों को अपनी रचनाओं में प्रस्तुत करते हैं। उनका मानना था कि इतनी गहरी, इतनी आत्मसात करने वाली, इतनी तथ्यापरक और यथार्थपरक कहानियां बिना निजी अनुभव के नहीं लिखी जा सकती। उन्होंने शैलेश मटियानी को प्रेमचंद से बड़ा लेखक मानते हुए स्पष्ट किया कि मटियानी ने छोटे से छोटे और बहुत छोटे तपके और विषय पर मार्मिक कहानियां लिखी हैं और इसी तरह हरनोट के पात्र और विषय भी समाज के बहुत निचले पादान से आकर हमारे सामने अनेक चुनौतियां प्रस्तुत करते हैं। हरनोट का विजन एक बडे कथाकार है। उन्होंने संग्रह की कहानियों जीनकाठी, सवर्ण देवता दलित देवता, एम डॉट काम, कालिख, रोबो, मोबाइल, चश्मदीद, देवताओं के बहाने और मां पढ़ती है पर विस्तार से बात करते हुए स्पष्ट किया कि इन कहानियों में हरनोट ने किसी न किसी मोटिफ का समाज और दबे-कुचले लोगों के पक्ष में इस्तेमाल किया है जो उन्हें आज के कहानीकारों से अलग बनाता है। हरनोट की संवेदनाएं कितनी गहरी हैं इसका उदाहरण मां पढ़ती है और कई दूसरी कहानियों में देखा जा सकता है।
जानेमाने आलोचक और शोधकर्ता और वर्तमान में उच्च अध्ययन संस्थान में अध्येता डॉ० वीरभारत तलवार का मानना था संग्रह की दो महत्वपूर्ण कहानियों-`जीनकाठी` और `दलित देवता सवर्ण देवता` पर बिना दलित और स्त्री विमर्श के बात नहीं की जा सकती। ये दोनों कहानियां प्रेमचंद की `ठाकुर का कुआं` और `दूध का दाम` कहानियों से कहीं आगे जाती है। उन्होंने हरनोट के उपन्यास हिडिम्ब का विशेष रूप से उल्लेख किया कि दलित पात्र और एक अनूठे अछूते विषय को लेकर लिखा गया इस तरह का दूसरा उपन्यास हिन्दी साहित्य में नहीं मिलता। माऊसेतु का उदाहरण देते हुए उनका कहना था कि क्रान्ति उस दिन शुरू होती है जिस दिन आप व्यवस्था की वैधता पर सवाल खड़ा करते हैं, उस पर शंका करने लगते हैं। जीनकाठी की कहानियों में भी व्यवस्था और परम्पराओं पर अनेक सवाल खडे किए गए हैं जो इन कहानियों की मुख्य विशेषताएं हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि वे हरनोट की कहानियां बहुत पहले से पढ़ते रहे हैं और आज हरनोट लिखते हुए कितनी ऊंचाई पर पहुंच गए हैं जो बड़ी बात है। उनकी कहानियों में गजब का कलात्मक परिर्वतन हुआ है। उनकी कहानियों की बॉडी लंग्वेज अर्थात दैहिक भंगिमाएं और उनका विस्तार अति सूक्ष्म और मार्मिक है जिसे डॉ. तलवार ने जीनकाठी, कालिख और मां पढ़ती है कहानियों के कई अंशों को पढ़ कर सुनाते प्रमाणित किया। हरनोट के अद्भुत वर्णन मन को मुग्ध कर देते हैं। `मां पढ़ती हुई कहानी` को उन्होंने एक सुन्दर कविता कहा जैसे कि मानो हम केदारनाथ सिंह की कविता पढ़ रहे हो। हरनोट की कहानियों की एक बड़ी विशेषता यह भी है कि वे बाहर के और भीतर के वातावरण को एकाकार करके चलते हैं जिसके लिए निर्मल वर्मा विशेष रूप से जाने जाते हैं।
कथाकार और उच्च अध्ययन संस्थान में फैलो डॉ० जयवन्ती डिमरी ने हरनोट को बधाई देते हुए कहा कि वह हरनोट की कहानियों और उपन्यास की आद्योपांत पाठिका रही है। किसी लेखक की खूबी यही होती है कि पाठक उसकी रचना को शुरू करे तो पढ़ता ही जाए और यह खूबी हरनोट की रचनाओं में हैं। डॉ. डिमरी ने हरनोट की कहानियों में स्त्री और दलित विमर्श के साथ बाजारवाद और भूमंडलीकरण के स्वरों के साथ हिमाचल के स्वर मौजूद होने की बात कही। उन्होंने अपनी बात को प्रमाणित करने की दृष्टि से हरनोट की कहानियों पर प्रख्यात लेखक दूधनाथ सिंह के लिखे कुछ उद्धरण भी प्रस्तुत किए।
वरिष्ठ कहानीकार सुन्दर लोहिया ने अपने वक्तव्य में कहा कि हरनोट की कहानियों जिस तरह की सोच और विविधता आज दिखई दे रही है वह गंभीर बहस मांगती है। हरनोट ने अपनी कहानियों में अनेक सवाल खड़े किए हैं। उन्होंने चश्मदीद कहानी का उदाहरण प्रस्तुत करते हुए कहा कि कचहरी में जब एक कुत्ता मनुष्य के बदले गवाही देने या सच्चाई बताने आता है तो हरनोट ने उसे बिन वजह ही कहानी में नहीं डाला है, आज के संदर्भ में उसके गहरे मायने हैं जो प्रशासनिक और न्यायिक व्यवस्था पर बड़ा प्रश्नचिन्ह लगाते हैं। स तरह हरनोट की कहानियां समाज के लिए कड़ी चुनौती हैं जिनमें जाति और वर्ग के सामंजस्य की चिंताएं हैं, नारी विमर्श हैं, बाजारवाद है और विशेषकर हिमाचल में जो देव संस्कृति के सकारात्मक और नकारात्मक तथा शोषणात्मक पक्ष है उसकी हरनोट गहराई से विवेचना करके कई बड़े सवाल खड़े करते हैं। लोहिया ने हरनोट की कहानियों में पहाड़ी भाषा के शब्दों के प्रयोग को सुखद बताते हुए कहा कि इससे हिन्दी भाषा स्मृद्ध होती है और आज के लेखक जिस भयावह समय में लिख रहे हैं हरनोट ने उसे एक जिम्मेदारी और चुनौती के रूप में स्वीकारा है क्योंकि उनकी कहानियां समाज में एक सामाजिक कार्यवाही है-एक एक्शन है।
हिमाचल विश्वविद्यालय के सान्ध्य अध्ययन केन्द्र में बतौर एसोसिएट प्रोफेसर व लेखक डॉ० मीनाक्षी एस. पाल ने हरनोट की कहानियों पर सबसे पहले अपना वक्तव्य प्रस्तुत किया। उन्होंने कहा कि हरनोट जितने सादे, मिलनसार और संवेदनशील लेखक है उनकी रचनाएं भी उतनी ही सरल और सादी है। परन्तु उसके बावजूद भी वे मन की गहराईयों में उतर जाती है। इसलिए भी कि आज जब साहित्य हाशिये पर जाता दिखाई देता है तो वे अपनी कहानियों में नए और दुर्लभ विषय ले कर आते हैं जो पाठकों और आलोचकों का स्वत: ही ध्यान आकर्षित करती हैं। उनकी कहानियों में हिमाचल की विविध संस्कृति, समाज के अनेक रूप, राजनीति के नकारात्मक और सकारात्मक पहलू, दबे और शोषित वर्ग की पीड़ाएं, गांव के लोगों विशेषकर माओं और दादी-चाचियों का जुझारू और अकेलापन बड़े ही सुन्दर ढंग से उकेरे गए हैं। उनकी कहानियों में पर्यावरण को लेकर भी गहरी चिन्ताएं देखी जा सकती हैं। वे मूलत: पहाड़ और गांव के कथाकार हैं।
लोकापर्ण समारोह के अध्यक्ष और कला, भाषा और संस्कृति के सचिव बी.के अग्रवाल जो स्वयं भी साहित्यकार हैं ने हरनोट की कथा पुस्तक के रलीज होने और इतने भव्य आयोजन पर बधाई दी। उन्होंने हरनोट की कहानियों को आज के समाज की सच्चाईयां बताया और संतोष व्यक्त किया कि हिमाचल जैसे छोटे से पहाड़ी प्रदेश से राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर भी यहां के लेखन का नोटिस लिया जा रहा। उन्होंने गर्व महसूस किया कि हरनोट ने अपने लेखन से अपनी और हिमाचल की देश और विदेश में पहचान बनाई है। उन्होंने हरनोट की कई कहानियों पर विस्तार से विवेचना की। उन्होंने विशेषकर डॉ० गिरिराज किशोर के इस समारोह में आने के लिए भी उनका आभार व्यक्त किया।
मंच संचालन लेखक और इरावती पत्रिका के संपादक राजेन्द्र राजन ने मुख्य अतिथि, अध्यक्ष और उपस्थिति लेखकों, पाठकों, मीडिया कर्मियों का स्वागत करते हुए हरनोट के व्यक्तित्व और कहानियों पर लम्बी टिप्पणी प्रस्तुत करते हुए किया।
प्रख्यात कथाकार श्री तेजेन्द्र शर्मा का कहानी पाठ
पत्रकार संघ को पुरस्कार संघ न बनाया जाये (साहित्यकार श्री कृष्ण बलदेव वैद ने अखिल भारतीय सांस्कृतिक पत्रकार संघ को आशीर्वाद देते समय सख्त ताकीद की)
अखिल भारतीय सांस्कृतिक पत्रकार संघ, नई दिल्ली द्वारा आयोजित मित्र संवाद व कहानी पाठ 25 सितम्बर 2008 की संध्या को इंडिया हैबीटेट सेंटर में सफलतापूर्वक संपन्न हुआ। संचालक अजित राय ने इस पहली बैठक में पत्रकार संघ की रूपरेखा सामने रखते समय यह भी घोषणा की कि संघ की ओर से वर्ष में दो सांस्कृतिक संवाददाताओं को पुरस्कृत किया जाया करेगा। पत्रकार संघ की स्थापना में प्रख्यात मीडिया कर्मियों का सहयोग झलक रहा था। सभागार में सांस्कृतिक पत्रकारिता से जुड़े विद्वत्जनों की संख्या सर्वाधिक रही। श्री तेजेन्द्र शर्मा के कहानी पाठ ने तो समां ही बांध दिया। उनकी कब्र का मुनाफा कहानी वास्तव में लीक से हटकर कहानी है जिसने अपनी रोमांचक करवटों से श्रोताओं को भरपूर आनंद से सराबोर कर दिया। श्री शर्मा कहानी पाठ के गुणी व्यक्तित्व है, यह कहानी कहते वक्त उनके संवादों के अनुरूप स्वर को आरोह और अवरोह से प्रकट हो रहा था। उनकी कहानी पाठ की सभी वक्ताओं ने भूरि भूरि प्रशंसा की। श्री तेजेन्द्र शर्मा एक चर्चित कथाकार होने के साथ ही, दूरदर्शन के शांति धारावाहिक के लिए लेखन कर चुके हैं तथा अन्नू कपूर निर्देशित फिल्म अभय में नाना पाटेकर के साथ अभिनय भी कर चुके हैं। वे हिंदी साहित्य के एकमात्र अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सम्मान 'अंतर्राष्ट्रीय इंदु शर्मा कथा सम्मान' प्रदान करने वाली संस्था 'कथा यू.के.' के महासचिव हैं। अनेक पुरस्कारों से सम्मानित श्री शर्मा अंतर्राष्ट्रीय हिंदी सम्मेलनों में भी सहभागी रह चुके हैं। उल्लेखनीय है कि साक्षात्कार के संपादक हरि भटनागर ने इंडिया टुडे के एक सर्वे में कब्र का मुनाफा को पिछले साठ साल में प्रकाशित बीस महत्वपूर्ण कहानियों में स्थान दिया है। श्री असगर वजाहत के वक्तव्य से कहानी पर आरंभ हुआ संवाद सांस्कृतिक पत्रकारिता के विस्तृत फलक पर घूम गया। श्री राजेन्द्र यादव ने पत्रकार संघ की स्थापना को सांस्कृतिक पत्रकारिता की दिशा में एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम बताते हुए कहा कि आज समाचारों में नामों की चिंता रहती है कि किन किनके नाम आ रहे हैं। दोस्तों और दारू के बीच बैठकर समाचार बनाते हैं। ऐसे समाचार मिलना मुश्किल हो गया जिन पर विश्वास किया जा सके। सांस्कृतिक समाचारों के क्षेत्र में एक खास तरह की अराजकता छाई हुई है। अपने अध्यक्षीय वक्तव्य में श्री अशोक वाजपेयी ने सांस्कृतिक पत्रकारिता की वर्तमान दशा पर अपने संस्मरण सुनाते हुए कहा कि अधिकांश लोग निस्सार बातें ही कहते हैं । एकाध चमकदार बातें तो राजेन्द्र यादव भी कह ही जाते हैं1 सांस्कृतिक संवाददाता ध्यान से सुनते नहीं हैं और जब वे समाचार लिखते हैं तो राजेन्द्र यादव ने चाहे स्त्री विमर्श या दलित संबंधी एक भी बात न कही हो पर जब वे समाचार बनाते हैं तो इसका जिक्र कर ही देते हैं। सांस्कृतिक संवाददाता दूध के धुले नहीं हैं। सांस्कृतिक समीक्षा एक तकनीकी मामला है। अधिकतर वक्ताओं की इस बात पर सहमति थी कि पत्रकार संघ द्वारा सांस्कृतिक संवाददाताओं के प्रशिक्षण की शुरूआत अवश्य की जानी चाहिये। जिससे सांस्कृतिक पत्रकारिता की एक विश्वसनीय छवि बन सके। अपने वक्तव्य में श्री कृष्ण बलदेव वैद ने चुटकी लेते हुए कहा कि पत्रकार संघ को पुरस्कार संघ न बनाया जाना ही हितकर रहेगा। कम से कम शुरू में तो पुरस्कारों देने से दूर ही रहा जाये। श्री कुंवर नारायण का कहना था कि सांस्कृतिक साहित्यिक कवरेज को अच्छी तरह किया जाए। इसकी रिपोर्टिंग प्रशिक्षित पत्रकारों से ही होनी चाहिए।सर्वश्री के. बिक्रम सिंह, नासिरा शर्मा, देवेन्द्र राज अंकुर, डॉ. कमल कुमार, अशोक चक्रधर, विजय कुमार मल्होत्रा, मंजीत ठाकुर, अशोक मिश्र, उषा पाहवा, चंदीदत्त शुक्ल, राकेश पांडेय, विमलेश सांदलान, शरद शर्मा, जयंती, सुधीर सक्सेना, रमेश शर्मा, अजय नावरिया, अरूण कुमार जैमिनी, आलोक श्रीवास्तव, राकेश पांडेय, अनिल जोशी, रूपसिंह चंदेल, अविनाश वाचस्पति, अरूण माहेश्वरी, महेश भारद्वाज, अनुज अग्रवाल, पायल शर्मा इत्यादि की उपस्थिति ने समारोह को एक गरिमा प्रदान की। समारोह में खूब ठहाके लगे और इसने एक स्तरीय कवि सम्मेलन का सा लुत्फ प्रदान किया। अंत में अमर उजाला के श्री शरद शर्मा ने आगंतुकों का धन्यवाद ज्ञापन किया। पर अंत तक यह रहस्य सुलझ न सका कि नामवर सिंह कहीं हवा में ही अटके रहे या दिल्ली के ट्रैफिक में उलझे रहे क्योंकि यह बतलाया गया था कि वे कहीं बाहर हैं और हवाई जहाज से इस समारोह में दिल्ली पहुंच रहे हैं। विशेष :- (चित्रों के संबंध में जानकारी के लिए संपर्क कर सकते हैं) -- Avinash Vachaspati Mobile 09868166586 http://nukkadh.blogspot.com/ http://jhhakajhhaktimes.blogspot.com/ http://bageechee.blogspot.com/ http://avinashvachaspati.blogspot.com/ http://tetalaa.blogspot.com/
‘पिछले कुछ वर्षों में इस देश में आर्थिक एवं सांस्कृतिक विसंगतियों में अभूतपूर्व ‘विकास’ हुआ है। आर्थिक एवं सांस्कृतिक विसंगतियां समाज को प्रदूषित कर रही हैं।आज साहित्यकार का दायित्व है कि इन क्षेत्रों में बढ़ते प्रदूषण के खिलापफ वह संघर्ष करे और इस संघर्ष के लिए व्यंग्य सबसे महत्वपूर्ण हथियार है। मेरा विश्वास हे कि विसंगतियों का प्रदूषण चाहे कितना सघन हो, व्यंग्य स्खलित नहीं होगा, इस अंधेरे को चीरने के लिए वो अपना प्रकाश निःसृत करेगा।’
यह उद्गार प्रख्यात व्यंग्यकार प्रेम जनमेजय ने कमला गोइन्का पफाउंडेशन द्वारा स्थापित ‘स्नेहलता गोइन्का व्यंग्य भूषण पुरस्कार-2008’ ग्रहण करने के बाद किए। उन्होंने कहा - मेरी लगभग अनपढ़ मां, जो इस वर्ष जून में दिवंगत हुईं, जब भी मेरी रचना का कोई हिस्सा मुझसे सुनती तो कहती कि प्रेम तूने लाख टके की बात कही है। मुझे लगता है कि यह लाख टके का पुरस्कार उनके लाख टके के आर्शीवाद का परिणाम है। आज यह पुरस्कार मैं उनकी स्मृति को समर्पित करता हूं। लाख को संस्कृत में लक्ष भी कहते हैं और इस लाख से दुर्योध्न ने लाक्षागृह भी तैयार किया था। पुरस्कारों का मोह लेखक के लिए लाक्षागृह भी बन सकता है और उसे लक्ष्य से भटका सकता है। आज के बाजारवादी युग में तीन प्रकार के पुरस्कार@सम्मान बाजार में हैं- तयशुदा,व्ययशुदा और वाणिज्यशुदा। यह आपको तय करना है कि आपको बाजार से सम्मान खरीदने हैं या पिफर...।’ प्रेम जनमेजय ने एक महत्वपूर्ण घोषणा करते हुए कहा- प्रत्येक बुजुर्ग होती पीढ़ी का कर्तव्य होता है कि युवा पीढ़ी की मात्र आलोचना न करे अपितु उन्हें दिशा देने के प्रयास भी करे। बहुत समय से मन था कि युवाओं में सार्थक व्यंग्य लेखन को बढ़ावा देने के लिए युवा सम्मान आरंभ किया जाए परंतु आर्थिक अभाव आड़े आ जाते थे। गोइन्का पफाउंडेशन का आभार कि एक नेक काम के लिए उन्होंने एक लाख रुपए का आर्थिक आधर दे दिया है और मुझे विश्वास है कि इस आधर को सहारा देने वाले और हाथ भी अपनी गति से आ जाएंगें तथा जल्द ही व्यंग्य के क्षेत्रा में युवा पुरस्कार आरंभ किया जा सकेगा।’ सुप्रसिद्ध लेखिका श्रीमती सूर्यबाला को उनके कहानी संग्रह‘इक्कीस कहानियां’ के लिए रत्नीदेवी गोइन्का वाग्देवी सम्मान 2008’ प्रदान किया गया। डॉ सूर्यबाला ने इस अवसर पर कहा-निष्ठा और सर्मपण के साथ साहित्य का निर्माण किया जाना चाहिए,किसी दबाव में नहीं। उन्होंने कहा कि मैं कहानियां भी लिखती हूं और व्यंग्य भी परंतु व्यंग्यकार मुझे व्यंग्य लेखिका नहीं मानते हैं और कहानीकार मुझे कथा लेखिका नहीं मानते हैं।’
वरिष्ठ पत्राकार एवं ‘नवनीत’ के संपादक श्री विश्वनाथ सचदेव की अध्यक्षता में आयोजित इस समारोह में डॉ.प्रेम जनमेजय को पुरस्कार स्वरूप एक लाख रुपए नगद एवं श्रीमती सूर्यबाला को इकत्तीस हजार रुपए नगद के साथ शाल, स्मृति चिह्न, श्रीपफल तथा पुष्पगुच्छ प्रदान किया गया। समारोह में साहित्यकार वेदराही मुख्य अतिथि तथा प्रसिद्ध मीडियाकर्मी मुकुल उपाध्याय विशिष्ट अतिथि के अतिरिक्त वरिष्ठ पत्राकार एवं ‘महाराष्ट्र राज्य हिंदी साहित्य अकादमी’ के कार्याध्यक्ष श्री नंदकिशोर नौटियाल, मुम्बई विश्वविद्यालय के हिंदी विभाग के प्रभारी डॉ. करुणाशरण उपाध्याय, नवभारत के फीचर संपादक शत्रुघ्न प्रसाद, सूर्यभानू गुप्त,यज्ञ शर्मा, सुरेश कांत, हरीश पाठक,अशोक बिंदल, देवमणि पांडेय, किशन शर्मा, राजम पिल्लै, अचल गोइन्का, ललिता गोइन्का, कैलाश जाटवाला, विदित कुंद्रा, नेहा सहित राज्य के अनेक प्रख्यात साहित्यकार मीडियाकर्मी एवं गणमान्य नागरिक उपस्थित थे। प्रबंध् न्यासी श्री श्यामसुंदर गोइन्का ने सब का स्वागत करते हुए तथा संस्था का परिचय देते हुए चार अन्य पुरस्कारों -रामनाथ गोइन्का पत्राकारिता शिरोमणि पुरस्कार, गीतादेवी गोइन्का हिंदी-तेलगू अनुवाद पुरस्कार’, ‘रमादेवी गोइन्का सारस्वत साहित्य सम्मान तथा डॉ. हिरण्यमय युवा साहित्यकार पुरस्कार, की घोषणा की। इस अवसर पर वरिष्ठ रचनाकार डॉ. नरेंद्र कोहली को उनके व्यंग्य विधा में विशिष्ट योगदान के लिए ’‘गोइन्का व्यंग्य साहित्य सारस्वत सम्मान से सम्मानित किया गया। डॉ. नरेंद्र कोहली ने कहा- साहित्य का लक्ष्य है जीवन के महान, उदात्त एवं साहियिक पक्ष का चित्राण करना। आज साहित्य अपनी भूमिका विस्मृत कर रहा है। आज उदात्त गुणों के विकास की आवश्यक्ता है।’’ इस अवसर पर डॉ.नरेंद्र कोहली ने डॉ. गिरिजाशंकर त्रिवेदी द्वारा संपादित त्रौमासिक पत्रिका ‘हास्यम व्यंग्यम्’ का लोकार्पण भी किया। समारोह अध्यक्ष श्री विश्वनाथ सचदेव ने कहा- साहित्य समाज का दर्पण होता है इसलिए लेखकों को ईमानदारी से अपना कर्तव्य निभाना चाहिए।’ श्री वेदराही एवं मुकुल उपाध्याय ने श्री गोइन्का के प्रयासों की प्रशंसा की और कहा कि शहर की अन्य सामाजिक-सांस्कृतिक संस्थाओं को इससे प्रेरणा लेनी चाहिए। इस अवसर पर संपत सरल द्वारा संचालित एक व्यंग्य गोष्ठी का आयोजन भी किया गया जिसमें सूर्यभानु गुप्त, श्यामसुंदर गोइन्का सूर्यबाला, प्रेम जनमेजय, आसकरण अटल, आदि ने अपनी रचनाओं का पाठ किया। पुरस्कार समिति के संयोजक श्री कन्हैयालाल सराफ ने कार्यक्रम का दक्षतापूर्ण ढंग से संचालन व अपनी चुटीली व्यंग्य शैली में आभार प्रदर्शन किया ।
पूर्णिमा वर्मन को जयजयवंती सम्मानः प्रस्तुति - संगीता मनराल
हिन्दी अभी भी बहुत पीछे है, जैसे यदि विकीपीडिया में सभी रोज़ कुछ ना कुछ रचनात्मक योगदान करें तो हम हिन्दी को बेहतरी की ओर तेजी से ले जा सकते हैं।
11 सितम्बर 2008 को सांय भारत की राजधानी नई दिल्ली स्थित इंडिया हैबीटेट सेंटर में संपन्न जयजयवंती सम्मान से सम्मानित होने वाली इंटरनेट पर अभिव्यक्ति और अनुभूति पत्रिकाओं के माध्यम से हिंदी के प्रचार-प्रसार और संवर्धन में निरंतर संलग्न बहुमुखी प्रतिभा की धनी हिन्दी हितैषी माननीया पूर्णिमा वर्मन जी ने यह उद्गार व्यक्त किए। उन्होंने अपने छोटे से वक्तव्य में सभागार में मौजूद हर जन को भाव विह्वल कर दिया। समारोह का सफल संचालन प्रख्यात कवि डॉ. अशोक चक्रधर और प्रवासी संसार पत्रिका के संपादक श्री राकेश पांडेय ने किया। कार्यक्रम की भव्य शुरूआत मुख्य अतिथि काग़्रेस के युवा सांसद श्री नवीन जिन्दल, वरिष्ठ सांसद श्री सत्यव्रत शास्त्री, श्रीमती पूर्णिमा वर्मन, श्री अशोक चक्रधर, श्रीमती बागेश्री चक्रधर के द्वारा किए गए दीप प्रज्ज्वलन से हुई,तदुपरांत जयजयवंती की संगीत छात्राओं ने अपना समूह गान प्रस्तुत किया। जयजयवंती – हिन्दी संगोष्ठी (हिन्दी का भविष्य और भविष्य की हिन्दी) पावन उद्देश्य को लेकर पिछले एक वर्ष से सफलतापूर्वक चलाई जा रही है और हिन्दी के विविध पहलुओं के विकास के लिए उल्लेखनीय कार्य कर रही है।
पूर्णिमा वर्मन जी की अंतर्जाल पर लोकप्रियता का आलम यह है कि सभागार दर्शकों से खचाखच भरा हुआ था। जिनमें सर्व/श्री पद्मश्री वीरेन्द्र प्रभाकर, अरविन्द कुमार, राहुल देव, वी के मल्होत्रा, प्रेम जनमेजय, बालेन्दु दाधीच, जैनेन्द्र कर्दम, मनोहर पुरी, विजेन्द्र विज, वर्तिका नंदा , डॉ. जगदीश व्योम, राजीव कुमार, आशीष भटनागर, अविनाश वाचस्पति, राजीव तनेजा, सुशील कुमार , पुष्कर पुष्प, उमाकांत मिश्र, पायल शर्मा इत्यादि के नाम उल्लेखनीय हैं।
इस अवसर पर श्री अशोक चक्रधर की जयजयवंती समारोह की एक वर्ष की मल्टी मीडिया प्रस्तुति ने सबका मन मोह लिया।
सांसद नवीन जिन्दल ने अपने संबोधन में महाराष्ट्र में हिन्दी को लेकर हो रही राजनीति पर चिंता प्रकट की। सांसद सत्यव्रत शास्त्री ने हिन्दी से जुड़ी हुई अपनी यादों को ताजा किया, जिसमें उपस्थित जनमानस आकंठ डूब गया।
माननीया पूर्णिमा वर्मन को यदि अंतर्जाल जगत में हिन्दी का पुरोधा कहा जाए तो कोई अतिश्योक्ति नहीं होगी। पूर्णिमा जी की अंतर्जाल पत्रिकाओं अभिव्यक्ति और अनुभूति की खासियत यह है कि इसका संपादन एक देश में होता है, तो डिजायनिंग का कार्य दूसरे देश और टाइपिंग का कार्य तीसरे देश में। इसके रचनात्मक सहयोगी और पाठक पूरे विश्व में व्याप्त हैं।
विकीपीडिया से जुड़ने के लिए पूर्णिमा वर्मन का हर हिंदी भाषी से खुला आह्ववान हैऔर वे हिंदी हित संधान के लिए सदैव तत्पर रहती हैं। उनसे संपर्क करने के लिए अभिव्यक्ति और अनुभूति के लिंक नीचे दिए गए हैं :-
हिन्दी की सुप्रसिद्ध लेखिका, उघमी तथा समाजसेविका डॉ. प्रभा खेतान का कल देर रात निधन हो गया। 66 वर्ष की डॉ. खेतान अविवाहित थीं। उन्हें 18 सितम्बर को सांस लेने में शिकायत होने पर साल्ट लेक स्थित आमरी अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया था। अगले दिन बाईपास सर्जरी के बाद उन्हें वेंटीलेटर पर रखा गया था। अचानक तबीयत बिगड़ जाने के बाद उन्होंने कल देर रात अंतिम सांस ली। डॉ. खेतान उन प्रतिभाशाली महिलाओं में थीं जिन्हें सरस्वती एवं लक्ष्मी दोनों से वरदान प्राप्त था।
उनका जन्म 1 नवम्बर 1942 को हुआ था। दर्शनशास्त्र में स्नातकोत्तर डॉ. खेतान एक सफल उघमी थीं। उन्होंने हिन्दी साहित्य की भी सेवा की। उन्हें कलकत्ता चैंबर आफ कॉमर्स की एकमात्र महिला अध्यक्ष होने का गौरव प्राप्त था। फ्रांसीसी रचनाकार सिमोन द बोउवा की पुस्तक ‘दि सेकेंड सेक्स’ के अनुवाद ‘स्त्री उपेक्षिता’ ने उन्हें काफी चर्चित किया। किया। आआ॓ पेपे घर चलें, पीली आंधी, अपरिचित उजाले, छिन्नमस्ता, बाजार बीच बाजार के खिलाफ, उपनिवेश में स्त्री जैसी उनकी रचनाएं काफी लोकप्रिय हैं। विश्व विख्यात अस्तित्ववादी चिंतक व लेखक ज्यां पाल सार्त्र पर उनकी पुस्तकें काफी चर्चित हैं। इसके अतिरिक्त उनकी कई पुस्तकें और काव्यग्रंथ लोकप्रिय हुए। अपने जीवन के अनछुए पहलुओं को उजागर करने वाली आत्मकथा ‘अन्या से अनन्या’ लिखकर सौम्य और शालीन प्रभा खेतान ने साहित्य जगत को चौंका दिया। साहित्य जगत के लिए प्रभाजी का असामयिक निधन अपूरणीय क्षति है। विभिन्न व्यावसायिक सफलताओं के साथ ही एक कुशल रचनाकर के रूप में भी उन्हें याद किया जाता रहेगा।
श्री कुलवंत सिंह द्वारा रचित 'चिरंतन' सैंतीस कविताओं का एक मनोहारी संग्रह है। वस्तुत: इस रचनाकार के द्वारा सर्जित - 'निकुंज' काव्य संग्रह पहले ही प्रकाशित हो चुका है और विभिन्न हिंदी काव्य प्रेमी पाठकों के बीच पर्याप्त सराहा गया है।
कलर मीडिया द्वारा मुद्रित सुंदर बहुवर्णी इद्रधनुषी आवरण वाली इस पुस्तक का कलेवर अत्यंत सुघड़ है। कृति के आरंभ में सुप्रसिद्ध कवि एवं प्रखर साहित्य मर्मज्ञ श्री नंद किशोर नौटियाल, अध्यक्ष, 'महाराष्ट्र राज्य हिंदी साहित्य अकादमी' ने प्रसन्नता व्यक्त की है कि कवि कुलवंत सिंह ने विभिन्न भावों और विचारों को पैनी दृष्टि से परखा है और नई कविता लिखी है जो भावना के स्तर पर गीत के समान है और मंगलकामना की है कि गहराइयों के अतल वितल में डुबकी लगाने की उनकी प्रतिभा उन्हे बहुत आगे ले जायेगी।
ONGC के मुख्य राजभाषा प्रबंधक डा. बुद्धिनाथ मिश्र ने अनुशंसा करते हुये लिखा है कि कवि कुलवंत सिंह का साहित्य के साथ जन्मजात लगाव रहा है और इसी कारण प्रथम संग्रह 'निकुंज' से निकल कर 'चिरंतन' तक आ पहुंचे हैं। मुंबई के ही युवा कवि, साहित्य पारखी श्री आलोक भट्टाचार्य ने भी लिखा है कि कवि सिर्फ वंदनाओं और आराधनाओं - उपमाओं - अलंकारों की मुग्धता में नही खोया बल्कि अपने आसपास की विसंगतियों, विरोधाभासों के प्रति वह संवेदनशील है ।
कवि ने प्रकृति की शोभा एवं वाणी (शारदा) की स्तुति का समन्वय किया है। 'प्रभात' जैसी कविता में उदभोदन है - शब्दों का चयन जटिल होने के बावजूद भव्य, दिव्य एवं श्रव्य है। 'निराला' की कविता 'जागो फिर एक बार' बरबस याद हो आती है। 'प्रकृति' में सौंदर्य दर्शन में ताजगी एवं रवानगी है। 'प्रेम' कविता यद्यपि अलंकारिक नही तथापि दो अक्षरीय शब्दों का ऐसा विन्यास है जिसमें नायक- नायिका की कोमल भावनाओं की गंगा यमुनी अभिव्यक्ति है। शब्द विन्यास दुरूह किंतु विचित्र सुंदर है।
'पुकारता मुझको बार बार' कविता में ' उज्ज्वल झरनों सी मुस्कान जैसे उत्कृष्ट रूपक हैं। ' रसिया' में प्रीतम, रंगत जैसे शब्द और 'प्यार में तोरे सद के जिया' पंक्ति में पंजाबी वांगमय की भीनी भीनी खुशबू आती है। 'प्यार' कविता में 'प्यार के लिए उम्र की कोई बंदिश नही होती' जैसी पंक्ति जीवन दर्शन के यथार्थ से जुड़ी है।
'रिश्ते' में सरल सहज भाषा द्वारा गजलनुमा गीत सराहनीय है। 'वेदना' कविता में निराशा के बीच आशा की पयस्विनी प्रवाहित होती है। 'निस्तब्ध व्यथित पतझड में, रितु बसंत छा जाने दो। अंधकार मय जीवन पथ पर, ज्योति पुंज बिखर जाने दो।' वेदना और संसृति के दिव्य सुख की धूप छांव प्राकृतिक सौंदर्य का आधार लेकर ही किया गया है। समाज में किस प्रकार दूषण निकले और भूषण का आवाहन हो - बड़ी सुंदरता से व्यक्त किया गया है।
'आओ दीप जलायें' में उदभोदन आवाहन के साथ सूफियाना अंदाज बड़ी सुंदरता से भेंट किया गया है। 'आओ खुशी बिखरायें छाया जहां गम है। आओ दीप जलायें गहराय जहां तम है॥ ..... एक मुस्कान भी निश्चल जीवन को देती संबल - पभु पाने की चाहत...' पंक्तियां उल्लेखनीय हैं। 'कवि अपना कर्तव्य निभा तूं' में कलम के सिपाहियों के लिये समाज के प्रति कर्तव्यों का जागरण प्रस्तुत किया गया है।
'पाप' में सामाजिक बुराइयों का उल्लेख है। 'जीवन गान गाओ' में भी इसी प्रकार की बेचैनी है। 'छुपा कहां भगवान' में गौरवशाली अतीत के पतनशील वर्तमान मूल्यों की मर्मस्पर्शी प्रस्तुति है। 'छेड़ो तराने' में कवि ने जीवन की विषमताओं के बीच अल्हड़ मन का अंगड़ाइयां लेना और मन के लास्य के लिये प्रियतमा के निमंत्रण को बडे मनोहारी ढ़ंग से प्रस्तुत किया है।
'नीलकंठ तो मै नही हूं' में समाज का भयावह दृष्य प्रस्तुत किया है - धन संग्रह, लोलुपता, स्वार्थ, अहंकार के बीच मनुष्य किंकर्तव्यविमूढ़ है। इसी प्रकार की भावनायें 'इस गवार को' रचना में भी समाहित हैं। 'दुनिया के असली अजूबे' नामक कविता में 'कचरे के डब्बों से खाना ढ़ूंढ़ता आदमी, .... सड़कों पर सुबह लोटा लेकर बैठा आदमी ..... मुंबई में लोकल ट्रेन का सफर' जैसी कविता पाठक के मन को तिलमिला देने में सक्षम है।
'पदचिन्ह' कदाचित सर्वोत्त्म रचनाओं में से एक है। युधिष्ठिर, बुद्ध, कृष्ण, गांधी के पदचिन्हों पर चलने पर पागल, बेवकूफ, धोबी का ....(?), गधा आदि पुकारा जाना एक सामाजिक एवं बौद्धिक विडंबना ही तो है। इस तथ्य को कवि ने बड़े मार्मिक ढ़ंग से प्रस्तुत किया है। इस दुनिया में आदमी के भिन्न भिन्न मुखौटे हैं - कुछ भले, कुछ बुरे, ऐसे ही मुखौटों का एक दस्तावेज है 'मुसाफिर' कविता।
कवि कुलवंत सिंह एक वैज्ञानिक भी हैं; अत: वे दिव्य दृष्टि के साथ साथ सूक्ष्म दृष्टि भी रखते हैं और बिना उपकरण के परमाणु देखने में सक्षम हैं। नाभिकीय विखण्डन का भौतिक शास्त्र को भी 'एटम और भगवान' की बानगी दी है। हिंदी के प्रति कवि की कल्पना, हिंदी के प्रति कवि का समर्पण जिस नवीनता से 'हिंदी' कविता में प्रस्तुत किया गया है श्लाघनीय है। उसी प्रकार देश प्रेम की भावोर्मि 'भारत' में गतिमान है।
हिंदी साहित्य के इतिहास में 'चिरंतन' में समाहित रचनायें स्थापित विधाओं की दस्तावेज भले ही न हों, किंतु हिंदी के चिरंतन अस्तित्व के लिये संजीवनी अवश्य होंगी। इस क्षेत्र में कवि कुलवंत सिंह हिंदी जगत के एक विनयशील हस्ताक्षर अवश्य होंगे। यह कहने में भी मुझे कोई संकोच नही हो रहा है कि एक समय ऐसा आयेगा जब कवि कुलवंत सिंह की रचनाओं पर शोधकार्य होगा - लोग PhD करेंगे।
As Lekhni's this issue is centred around the heroes, I want to know when and what makes an admiration turn into a hero-worship...In fact what is a hero worship; is it obsession, blind faith...talking about faith; does it somewhere overlaps with religion also in its extreme form. Different ages had a different set of criteria for their heroes; in medieval era it was chevalier who was admired the most, then in Victorian era moral values took precedence over all other things and in present times, it is the monetary success which is the gauge of goodness. 
My five year's old daughter Mini cannot live without chattering. I really believe that in all her life she has not wasted a minute in silence. Her mother is often vexed at this, and would stop her prattle, but I would not. To see Mini quiet is unnatural, and I cannot bear it long. And so my own talk with her is always lively. One morning, for instance, when I was in the midst of seventeenth chapter of my new novel, my little Mini stole into the room, and putting her hand into mine, said; ' Father! Ramdayal the door-keeper calls a crow krow! He doesn't know anything, does he? ' 
Having made this present, I had to curtail some of the festivities . I could not have the electric lights I had intended , nor the military band, and the ladies of the house were despondent at it. But to me the wedding-feast was all the brighter for the thought that in a distant land a long-lost father met again with his only child. 
The Ramayana of Valmiki is the oldest work which gives the story of Rama. According to the German Indologist H. Jacobi, Valmiki composed the Ramayana somewhere between the 8th and 6th century B.C. but these dates bear no resemblence to other evidence of the actual occurance of the epic. All the later Rama literature consisting of numerous dramas and poems is indebted to Valmiki. These works, therefore, have no independent value of their own, so far as the historicity of Rama is concerned.
India's religious history is woven around two great epics of India; Ramayan and Mahabharat and most theerth sthal( holy places) are connected either to the one or another. 
Chitrakoot is a holy place famous both for its natural scenery and its spiritual altitude. A tourist is as much thrilled by sighting its beautiful waterfalls, playful young deer and dancing peacocks as a pilgrim is overwhelmed by taking a dip in the Payaswani/ Mandakini and by immersing himself in the dust of the Kamadgiri. From times immemorial, the Chitrakoot area has been a live center of inspiration for cosmic consciousness.Thousands of mendicants, hermits, sages and saints have attained higher and higher spiritual status and have exerted a beneficial impact on the world through their penance, sadhana, yoga, tapasya and various arduous spiritual endeavors. Nature has been very generous in bestowing over the area all the gifts in her power, which enable it to attract pilgrims and tourists alike from all over the world. Atri, Anasuya, Dattatreya, Maharshi Markandeya, Sarbhang, Sutikshna and various other sages, seers, devotees and thinkers have lived in this area through all the ages; and knowledgeable people say that many of such figures are still engaged in tapasya here in various caves and little known places. This lends the area a spiritual aroma which permeates its entire atmosphere and makes it spiritually alive to this day. 
Thousands of pilgrims and seekers of the truth from all parts of the world resort to this place impelled by an irrepressible desire to improve and elevate their lives.This lends the area a spiritual aroma which permeates its entire atmosphere and makes it spiritually alive to this day.Celebrated in the entire Indian literature and sacred books; the abode of Lord Ram, his spouse Sitaji and his brother Lakshman during their exile for about eleven and a half years; Chitrkoot is capable of purifying the human heart and attracting the tourists and worshippers alike by its natural beauty.
Dashrath, the king of Ayodhya had the skill to aim his bow against unseen targets by sound only. One night he went on his chariot to hunt for a prey by the banks of river Saryu. There was total darkness. He waited patiently for some wild animal to come. Suddenly he heard a gurgling sound as if a thirsty deer is drinking water and he immediately arched the arrow in the direction of the sound. He was horrified when he heard a human voice crying out in great pain instead of an animal. He hurried immediately to help whom his arrow had pierced and found a young boy lying in the pool of blood. 
I pulled a hummingbird out of the sky one day
