Source : The Tribune
Than gayi maut se than gayi. Jujhne ka mera irada na tha…
It was perhaps one of the rarest train journeys for literary people on Sunday that commenced from Shimla with the recitation of famous inspirational poem penned by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Thirty-odd poets who had assembled to mark Baba Bhalku Smriti Srijan Rail Yatra, organised jointly by Himalaya Literature, Culture and Environment Forum and Naval Prayas, Shimla, in memory of Bhalku, virtually turned into a tribute to the former PM. The writers also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the iconic leader.
The poets recited many of his poems, including “Vani leti na viram”, besides their own dedication to the leader. Eminent writer Meenakshi Paul recited a poem titled “Kavi Atal Ke Naam”. Her another poem was on Baba Bhalku.
Bhalku, a shepherd from Jhaza village, near Chail, was titled as an illiterate engineer who helped and guided British engineers in laying the Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge railway line during 1898-1903.
A coach with a seating capacity of 30 was reserved for the writers till Barog. The journey was divided into 14 sessions, where the writers recited poetry, gazals, short stories, travelogue and memoirs. One session each was dedicated to Vajpayee and women writers.
“It was a nice and fruitful experience of six hours of serious poetry and storytelling,” said Meenakshi F Paul, adding that poets also touched sensitive issues such as nature, environment, clouds, floods in Kerala and losses due to rain in Himachal.
SR Harnot, Atma Ranjan, Sita Ram Sharma, Kul Rajiv Pant, Vinod Prakash Gupta and Meenakshi Paul were among the eminent poets and writers who participated in the event. It was organised with the contribution of writers and no other financial aid was involved.
“The idea was to take poetry to open environs in the lap of the nature and we made an attempt to break the old tradition of reciting poems in four walls,” said chairperson of Himalaya Munch SR Harnot, adding that the next poetic destination would be the remote village, Jhaza, near Chail.
It was a unique experience for poets to get down at different stations and reciting and listening to poems.
Kavi Sammelan may not be the longest, but it had the longest route in the serine environment with the toy train snaking past the hill track with greenery all around. Before this, a Kavi Sammelan was organised in an open jail, near Kanda.
Another Kavi Sammelan was organised at Shimla railway station in early seventies when the Railways Committee of Parliament, headed by famous poet Shiv Mangal Singh “Suman” visited Shimla.
