Knit India Through Literature Volume 4 - The North

By Sivasankari

Sixteen years! Seems amazing, almost unbelievable! I launched my project Knit India Through Literature in 1992 and started work in full swing around the middle of 1993 – with the belief that to research each of the 15 official languages recognized by the Indian Constitution (it is another matter that later on it increased to 18 within a single year) and to travel across the country to meet and interview the respective writers, it would take me a year per volume. Add another year for going to print, proof reading and the like, throw in an additional year just in case - you still have only six! This was how I calculated things would pan out when I started work in 1993 but the subsequent events proved my arithmetic way off mark, with the tally at sixteen years finally!
This volume on the north Indian languages includes Hindi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Urdu and also Sanskrit. The reason why I have included Sanskrit in this volume is that for centuries, Sanskrit ruled the roost in the Kashmir Valley more than in any other part of the country. The practice of writing a travelogue that offers detailed and interesting information on the state, before venturing into the interviews with the writers of a particular language, continues in this volume too. I travelled widely in the Hindi belt of north India, across the eight states of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand that have Hindi as their official language, and am glad that I have been able to offer the readers a glimpse into the north India that I was introduced to!
I wish to offer these four volumes - South, East, West and North of the Knit India Through Literature project, lovingly put together over the last sixteen years, as ornaments to adorn Mother India. I sincerely believe that they will add to her beauty and charm and serve to enhance her greatness.
Thank You!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pustaka Digital Media
• Release date: Apr 2, 2021
• ISBN: 6580501806596

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Knit India Through Literature

Volume IV

THE NORTH

Author:

Sivasankari

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface-1

Preface – 2

Preface – 3

Preface - 4

But for whom this project would not been possible...

Jammu and Kashmir

Travelling Through Jammu & Kashmir

Rahman Rahi

Interview

Poems

R. L. Shant

Interview

Earth under your feet

Naseem shafai

Interview

Poems

Neerja mattoo

Transforming gaze - some kashmiri

Modern Kashmiri Literature

PUNJAB

Travelling Through Punjab

K. S. Duggal

Interview

Mummy, When Will This Father Die?

Gurdial Singh

Interview

A House with Two Rooms

Ajeet Cour

Interview

Dead End

S. S. Noor

Interview

Poems

Balbir Madhopuri

Interview

Tale of A Fractured Mirror

Modern Punjabi Literature

URDU

Gopi Chand Narang

Interview

The Indo - Islamic Cultural Fusion and The Institution Of The Qawwali

Qurratulain Hyder

Interview

Memories of An Indian Childhood

Joginder Paul

Interview

Yet Again

Balraj Komal

Interview

Poems

Gulzar

Interview

Raavi Paar

Modern Urdu Literature

HINDI

Travelling Through the Hindi Belt

Nirmal Verma

Interview

The Visitor

Krishna Sobti

Interview

The Encircling Clouds

Ashok Vajpeyi

Interview

Poems

Kamleshwar

Interview

Not by Flesh Alone

Mridula Garg

Interview

The Tree of The Century

Mohan Dass Nemishray

Interview

The Shrunken Man

Modern Hindi Literature

SANSKRIT

Rajendra Mishra

Interview

The Nameless

Poems

R. Thiagarajan

Interview

Aircraft in Ancient India - An Aerial Survey

Modern Sanskrit Literature

About the Author

Foreword

As the last volume of her Magnum Opus 'Knit India Through Literature’ nears publication, Sivasankari is bound to feel overwhelmed by the sense of fulfilment. One can easily gauge how excruciating the task was. Sixteen years, a tapa, of her creative life, has been spent in mapping multilingual literary India. By taking this project to its logical conclusion, she has substantiated Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan's assertion that though we write in many languages our literature is one.

I had earlier read the first three volumes and now am privileged to go through the fourth one, even before it has gone to press. The reading has helped me to learn immensely about the other languages and their literatures. As Sivasankari herself put it, her work introduced me to other fellow countrymen like never before. It is said that Mahatma Gandhi, in order to understand the people of his country, undertook a tour of entire India before plunging into the nationalist movement. Sivasankari's travels across the length and breadth of the country and the interviews with some of the celebrated creative minds assumes similar significance, as they not only project the glorious literary scenario prevailing in India but also throw light on the shortcomings and the problems faced by literature in India.

I have known Sivasankari much before she embarked on this ambitious project. I knew her as an eminent fiction writer. But these four volumes have revealed to me the other facets of her creativity. The brilliant account of her travels through various terrains is so amazing that I am sure, if compiled, the travelogue can be termed as ‘Another Discovery of India.' If the Discovery of India has introduced the history and culture of India in its entirety, Sivasankari's work is a discovery of literary India that thus far was unexplored so exhaustively.

The account of her travel experiences is vivid and descriptions absorbing. She so vivifies her journeys and sojourns as to give the reader a feeling of travelling and meeting people along with her. Laced with anecdotes, folktales and historical sagas, the travelogues are very informative. She has not missed to mention the architectural genius of Robert Lutyens who built the modern city of New Delhi or Le Corbusier, the Swiss architect who designed the planned city of Chandigarh and the marvel of 1,500 – year - old iron pillar near Qutub Minar built by Chandragupta that has not caught any rust so far. She has also enlightened her readers by going to the roots of the names of places, rivers or monuments. How did the Urdu language get its name? From what was the name Kashmir derived? How Bhopal is a derivative of Bhojpal, the kingdom of Raja Bhoj. And Punjab is a Land of Five Rivers. Etymology somehow makes reading remarkably interesting.

Folklore is a record of the socio - cultural history of the people of a region. The selected anecdotes she came across during her travels have been presented in a gripping manner. We are familiar with the legend of Parshurama who created the Gomant - Bhumi (Goa) or the coastal Kerala by reclaiming land from the sea. But here is a totally different story behind the formation of the valley of Kashmir. Jalod Bowa, a demon who hid in a hill - side lake tortured the people living on the slopes of the hills. Kashyap, a sage, carved a hole to the hill in a manner that caused the water of the lake to be drained out. The demon was exposed and then vanquished. The valley created by the drained out lake was allowed to be inhabited by the people living on the slopes and came to be known as Kashmir, after the sage Kashyap. Similarly, the story of King Avanti Verma who streamlined the waters of river Vishishtha to overcome the fury of the floods remind us of Bhagirath who relocated the course of the River Ganges.

Yes! The Qutub area of New Delhi adorns a look of a grazing place for cattle and goats. Why? It is because of the curse of the Saint Nizam – ud - din who was stopped by the emperor Tughlak from constructing a mosque in that area. Yet another tale tells about the barbaric Hun king, Mahir Gul, who drew sadistic pleasure in pushing a hundred elephants off a cliff just because their death cries sounded like music to his ears. The tragic story of Mummal and Mahendra as told in Rajasthan is a heart - rendering one. Princess Mummal of Jaisalmer fell in love with Prince Mahendra of Sindh. Mahendra's father was against the union. The day Mahendra was to go to meet Mummal, the king drove nails into the shoes of the camel he was riding. Meanwhile, Mummal's sister, eager to catch a sight of the prince, accompanied Mummal dressed up as a male drummer. As the time of meeting approached, Mummal started dancing to the tune of her sister's drumbeats. Mahendra's arrival was delayed as his camel could not keep up the pace. Tired, both the sisters fell asleep. Mahendra, enraged by the sight of his love sleeping in the embrace of a male drummer, returned to Sindh never to meet her again. The sad episode has found place in Rajasthani folklore.

The account is replete with attention -grabbing information. The only temple of Lord Brahma is in Pushkar because his wife Saraswati, furious over Brahma's infidelity, cursed him that there would be no temple of Brahma anywhere in the world other than in Pushkar. Kwaja Moin – ud - din Chisti, the famous saint had travelled from Persia to Ajmer in 1192. Sivasankari goes on to describe some strange sights too. While in Bikaner, she visits the Karni Matha temple where, apart from the presiding deity, thousands of rats that are considered as divine, live freely climbing all over the idol, sipping milk in the plates and eating the sweets offered by the devotees.

Sivasankari's travel writings are not mere objective narratives. She is very much subjective in her approach. She opens up her mind to share her personal experiences with the readers. How for example, one feels scared at Manikarnika Ghat of Kasi - Benaras where bodies are being cremated twenty - four hours a day. The sight leads her to confirm her belief that 'the death is the absolute and ultimate truth... the essence of life.' The view of Patna, where the ugly appearance of the large scale unfinished houses, believed to have left half-finished to avoid the taxes, leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth. The appalling state of the city of Gaya shocks her. And the plight of 2000 - odd widows dumped in Brindavan Ashram stings her creative mind prompting her to make a decision to write on this subject at a later date. There is a brighter side to it too when she joyfully describes the pleasant ritual of aarati offered to the River Ganga at the Dasaswamedha Ghat at Kasi. During a boat ride in the serene waters of the Ganga, she has a feeling of being on a time machine... transported several years back in time.

The vivid memories that came back to her of her earlier visits also make interesting reading. Her two visits to Kashmir so different from each other, to Rajpath in Delhi that reminds her of her first visit to Delhi as a student where she represented the State Natioanl Cadet Corps in the Republic Day Parade; to Lucknow where a film was shot on her novel; to Jamshedpur where she was invited to lecture on the evils of drug abuse; to Rashtrapati Bhavan where she met the President, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and most importantly the warm reception she received when she interviewed the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi at the South Block.

The lucid descriptions of places like Pushkar, Sanchi, Kasi, Ladakh are greatly absorbing As I read them I myself revisited many places like Shimla, Kulu - Manali, Sanchi, Agra, etc, and developed an urge to visit those I have missed. Sivasankari's compassionate appeal to writers to visit the places like Delhi, Kasi, Ladakh amply proves her faith in sharing.

***

Sivasankari is a literary activist. And she is an adventurer. She believes in first - hand experience of every slice of life, not missing any novelty. I may share some advice she once gave to me. On one of her visits to Goa she wanted to visit Caravela, the off - shore casino of Goa. She wanted some details from me. When I told her that I have not visited the casino nor can I afford to visit it, she promptly told me, Damodar, you are a writer. You must experience the night life aboard the casino, just once. You may find the cost exorbitant. But it is an investment. Yes! I changed my attitude since then.

Each language has its own historical past and geographical present. My own language Konkani has a history that created the geography of Konkani. The exodus of the people from in and around Goa in the 13th century threatened by the invasion of Alla – ud - din Khilji and later in the 16th and 17th centuries to escape the conversions and soon thereafter to flee from the clutches of the ecclesiastical law of Inquisition. The consequence is the present diaspora of Konkanis settled in Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. This also posed a threat to the language. As I go through the Knit India Through Literature I find similarities in the languages like Sindhi, Kashmiri or Nepali. Even languages like Punjabi and Urdu have suffered the pangs of history. The silver lining to this dark cloud is the strong desire to develop the languages and scale new heights in literature.

As the project comes to an end, Sivasankari will have covered eighteen languages and nearly a hundred and odd writers. The range of writers and their works is as extensive as their geographical distances, their background of histories, and the social diversities. She has so brilliantly presented us the prevailing sensibilities not sparing the Women or Dalit susceptibilities. The life of Dalits of India is full of deprivation and segregation, of rejection and rebuff, of pain and agony. It has been a life that has no signpost. As I read Mohandass Nemishray's outburst I felt guilty for the wrongdoings of our forefathers. I am glad that the Dalit voice of dissent and protest against the injustice is finding an expression in literature today and more importantly, that it is taken very seriously. Nemishray's concern for his community is admirable. Asserting their right to equality he says, Reservations must continue until all attain equality. He himself has refused to avail of the reservations for himself, his wife or his three children, so that more deserving Dalits may get the benefit.

The most loud and clear is the Kashmiri resentment over their language and their land. It is sad that the land where Sufism progressed is now getting an image of a terrorist state, just because of the few playing spoilsports. The interview of Naseem Shafai is very touching, emotionally depicting the sensibility of Kashmiri women. The poet aptly describes the woes of Kashmiri women in the following words. Imagine a mother's state of mind when, of her six sons, three are good, two non - committal and one bad... we are in the same frame of mind. Kashmir has never in its history sported any fundamentalism. Women were never discriminated against. Yashomati, a Kashmiri ruler, is considered to be the first empress of the world. It is also astonishing to know that sex education was imparted to women in the olden day Kashmir. The poet saint Shaikh – u - Alam, also known as Shaikh Nuruddin Noorani, is adored by all Kashmiris and is called as Nundh Rishi.

***

In the course of my reading this volume, many unexpected facts have been revealed to me for the first time. That the enunciator of Gayatri Mantra was Vishwamitra, or that the 4th century sage, Bharat Muni, the founder of Natyashastra, lived in Kashmir or that Ram Kumar Verma, the famous painter is the brother of Nirmal Verma was not known to me so far. That the first woman in India to obtain a pilot's license was a Muslim or that one of the twelve Jyotirlingams of Kasi Vishwanath is open to all the entrants irrespective of caste, creed or religion is something amazing. That the Sikhs known to be more progressive than many, still observe the caste discriminations to the extent they have separate gurudwaras for the so - called low caste Sikhs. And that the Benaras Hindu University begins its convention by facing towards Kashmir and bowing to it respectfully in recognition of Kashmir's contribution to Sanskrit.

We all are proud of Sanskrit, which has gifted us with marvelous classics. But I am surprised by the overwhelming enthusiasm expressed by the Sanskrit scholars in sharp contrast with the Kashmiri resentment. The Sanskrit writers are hopeful of soon regaining its past glory. The strong belief of the Sanskrit scholars that Bharat Desh and the Deva Bhasha of the ancient times had spread over vast distances. Dr. Thiagarajan contends that Kapilaranya mentioned in Ramayana is none other than California of today. Furthermore, the Yuga - Mahayuga calculations are mind - boggling. The scholars understandably felt offended when told that their language was often referred to as dead language. Yet, I found it difficult to believe that an estimated fifty lakh people in India SPEAK Sanskrit, though we are all unanimous that Sanskrit must be preserved and allowed to grow at all cost.

The fourth volume covers five languages: Hindi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Sanskrit and Urdu. Each language has issues that trouble the creative writers. Punjabi, Urdu and Kashmiri have faced politicisation of the highest degree. The British policy of ‘divide and rule’ is now history. The Sikh Punjabis were told that they should follow their Gurmukhi and the Muslim Punjabis were told to follow the Perso - Arabic script for Punjabi, while Hindus were coerced to adopt Devanagari and declare their mother tongue as Hindi when the spoken language of the territory was Punjabi. It is a known fact that the language belongs to the soil. The language spoken in Tamilnadu is Tamil and the one in Bengal is Bengali by default. How can religious affiliations decide the language? In Goa too, there were politicians who tried to divide the people, contending that the language of the Christians is Konkani and that of Hindus, Marathi, when cent percent of the people spoke only Konkani. How can Urdu be an Islamic language or Punjabi belong only to the Sikhs? This is stark communalisation of languages. Why were the Urdu - speaking students denied the option of Urdu as even the third language? Prof. Gopi Chand Narang attributes the rise in Madarsas to this denial. Why should elementary education in Kashmiri be denied to the Kashmiris? Why should Urdu be branded as the language of Pakistan when it has flourished in our country? Why should Gurmukhi be called a Sikh script just because it is the script of Adi - Granth? Such fallacies help the process of extinction of languages. What is most disturbing is that even today our educationists and the policy makers are not waking up to the call of globalisation.

The script imbroglio has haunted many languages, particularly those who were late in gaining the official recognition. Kashmiris and Sindhi are at the worst receiving end, with my own language not lagging too far behind. The Kashmiri pandits use Devanagari, while the Muslims write in Persio - Arabic script. It is fair enough that the Kashmiris have settled with the Persio - Arabic script, as they are familiar with the script of their official language, Urdu. We must bear in mind that no language can afford multiple scripts. It creates divisions, reduces the readership and confuses the speakers who prefer to shy away from the language, thus hampering its growth. The fear of extinction looms large as expressed by the Kashmiri writer, Rattan Lal Shant, who says, They do not evince much interest in learning Kashmiri. Reality is such that those languages (Urdu, Hindi and English) are more useful to them in getting job opportunities and migrating to other states and foreign countries. Well, this is not only true of the developing and the marginalised languages but also true of the developed ones that face the brunt of globalisation which is set to pounce upon the regional languages. The Malayalam speakers may be the first to react to this process. They have started the "Save Malayalam’ movement to check the trend of switching over to the English medium primary schools.

Hindi is our national language. With the kind of official patronage, she is getting, Hindi is bound to flourish. The late Kamleshwar said, ‘The Hindi language has the potential to bring about a change, not just in literature but across the country as well.' I remember when I was helping Kamleshwar for his Shikhar Kosh anthology, in one of my letters, I wrote to him apologetically asking to be excused for mistakes if any. He wrote back stating that it is the Hindi writings of the non - Hindi people that will enrich Hindi. The readership of Hindi may be the largest in India. Yet, Ashok Vajpeyi goes on record that 'the scenario in Hindi is very depressing.' The books of poetry do not sell though fiction sells well. No attempt is made to attract the youth towards poetry, he feels. This may be the case of ‘ye dil mange more.'

Urdu and Hindi are siblings, believes Prof. Narang. Hindi has a popular patronage, firstly, because of the enormity of the Hindi belt and secondly because it serves as a language of communication. Urdu has a glorious past. There is no argument that close interaction between Hindi and Urdu is complimentary to each other. Urdu is an extremely standardised language that prefers to remain consistent with its rich tradition. This puritan approach of the old guard has maintained a guarded distance from being influenced by other languages. On the other hand, the Hindi movies in particular and the mass media in general have made such excessive use of the Urdu idiom and expressions that people have taken it for granted as Hindi. As a consequence, it is Hindi that stands to benefit the most.

I remember having heard late Sardar Jafri saying that Urdu and Hindi have hardly any difference. ‘You write in Persio - Arabic and it is Urdu, you write in Devanagari and you call it Hindi!' Both these languages have a common base. Yet we have to agree with the scholars that they have their own identities. Similar is the case of Punjabi visa - vis Urdu and Hindi together.

The economics of writing also need to be considered. The scenario for the regional languages is far from encouraging. Except for the writers of great stature like M. T. Vasudevan Nair or Sunil Gangopadhyay, it is difficult for the writers to live off their writings. Unless writing becomes a commercial proposition you cannot expect sustained efforts from the writers. The dwindling reading habits due to aggressive mass media is also a matter of anxiety. Ashok Vajpeyi expresses such concern even over the Hindi belt. ‘Hindi society is not a book - loving society unfortu – nately’ he says. Balraj Komal, ‘a poet of intimate experiences of life', presents a gloomy picture of the writers not getting paid by the few magazines that are struggling to survive. They get paid only when they are translated, he says. Punjabi's problem is different. All the Punjabis speak Panjabi at home. But many creative writers prefer to write in either Hindi or Urdu besides English. The plight of Kashmiri is understandable. There are other languages too facing similar problems. However, unless there is political will it is difficult to catch up with the front ranking languages. Only popular support can influence the political bosses and precisely this is not happening.

***

The Knit India project provides us with an opportunity to know the glorious past of our heritage and varied problems faced by us today. In her endeavor Sivasankari has showcased the entire literary culture of India. Manners and means, cuisines and customs, landscapes and lifestyles give rise to a variety of cultural habitats that are vividly evident in her work. All the languages and the literatures represented here provide a wide spectrum of opinions and comments, views and voices, the cumulative effect of which is incredible. The reading gives you a feeling of being on a literary pilgrimage where you meet the sages, rishis and sadhakas. The discourses are like taking a holy dip into the vastness of creativity. It also reaffirms our belief that spiritual India is unparalleled.

The research and the homework she has done before interviewing the writers is amazingly in - depth. The nonagenarian writer Kartar Singh Duggal was so impressed by her pointed questions that he instantaneously complimented her with Wah Re Wah!

Interviewing requires a skill and Sivasankari has it in abundance. Her provocative queries have succeeded in eliciting the required information. At times she has made the reticent writers, like the late Nirmal Verma, known as 'man of few words', to talk at length. Her interviews with Krishna Sobti, Gopi Chand Narang or Joginder Paul have been excellent explorations of the ingenious minds.

There has been occasional contradictory, yet scholarly proclamations. For example, the octogenarian Urdu writer Joginder Paul, while countering the criticism that Premchand never bothered about the language and its grammar, says, You don't write language. You write literature... creative experience is the essence of literature. Whereas the veteran Hindi writer, Krishna Sobti, who is known for her eloquent language, maintains that language is power. It is for the writer to mix the different elements of linguistic weave.

The wizardry of the creative personalities has been aptly put forth. As a short story writer myself I instantly identified with Nirmal Verma's articulation that a short story is born out of a desire to expand on a poem and express it in the narrative prose of the novel. The noted Urdu poet and a film maker, Gulzar, is a voracious reader. He believes that in order to understand your language, you need to read the literature of other languages as well. The more you read and internalize, the more your literary horizon expands, says Gulzar. Literature and knowledge are the two sides of the same coin of creativity. Octogenarian writer Joginder Paul wants a healthy environment everywhere - at home, in colleges and the society, so that when all come together it leads to growth in knowledge. Some have expressed their apprehensions over the under - indulgence of the youth in literature. Is it to be attributed to the lack of interest? The concern expressed by many veterans over the apathy displayed by the youth is grave. As the famous Urdu Critic and the then President of Sahitya Akademi, Gopi Chand Narang says, A living language is like a growing organism... The young people simply need to be more aware of their lingual roots and take pride in their heritage. Veteran Punjabi writer, Kartar Singh Duggal, expresses faith in the younger generation. He thinks that constructive efforts are required to augment interest in language and literature.

Literature is the voice of the soul of humanity. It is interface of culture which also serves as guardian of human values, says Gopi Chand Narang. Certainly young people are interested in language, he further states, The younger people presently are using a mixed idiom blending languages and evolving a raw code for communication.

"When a language is not prepared enough to express the actual and real world that has a brighter as well as darker side to it, new phrases have to be found. The Kashmiri scholar, Rahman Rahi feels that the ‘new creative sensibility' is an answer to it. The mixed code language has become the order of the day. The FM and the TV channels widely use this mixture as if it is difficult to express sticking to your own language. A conscious effort is needed to adopt this new creative sensibility in order to understand and capture new ideas and expressions in one's language

It is said that a writer makes the reader aware of his moral failure thus forcing him to be self - critical Sivasankari's Knit India Through Literature is bound to help the writers’ community to be self - critical. It is a contemporary history of the pan - Indian literature, the most authentic map of literary India. The ambitious project has taken the most creative years of her life. She has worked with a missionary zeal. It is a paradox that Sivasankari who herself is a creative writer had to put on hold, writing fiction, in order to give undivided attention to the fieldwork of this literary project expected to go a long way to inspire the writers.

***

There is a lacuma that needs to be mentioned. There are many more languages which He left out of this project. When Sivasankari planned the project there were eighteen Languages recognised by the Constitution of India. However, more languages have later found their way in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Besides, Dogri and Rajasthani are the literary languages recognised by Sahitya Akademi. And what about the Indian English? In view of this, expectation of another volume is not inappropriate! Also I may say that since evolution is a continuous process the new patterns and trends will evolve in Indian literature over the years. My humble suggestion is that a project of this kind be taken up every twelve to fifteen years.

This volume gave me an opportunity to meet afresh some of my old acquaintances in reading. I also recollected a few of my friends who are no more. Kamleshwar and Nirmal Verma came alive as I browsed through their interviews. Sivasankari has immortalised them, I may say.

I am short of words to thank Sivasankari for entrusting me with the foreword to this prestigious volume. I was reluctant initially to accept the offer. But she was insistent. I didn't have the courage to let down her confidence in me. I agreed. I now most humbly submit, I feel honoured.

As I conclude, I cannot avoid mentioning my distress that the national media has not taken due cognizance of Sivasankari's magnanimous work. Even the literary circles nation - wide have failed to give the necessary encouragement, I feel. This can be done away with, by following what Gulzar has wished. After the fourth volume of Knit India Through Literature is published, all the four volumes must be made available to the public at all the libraries of the country. I may further add that, in view of the increasing curiosity among the foreigners to know India, the works should be publicized and made available worldwide.

Damodar Mauzo

Goa

August 2008

Preface-1

(Volume 1 - The South)

As a young girl, I had often heard my mother narrate this little tale:

Once upon a time there was a kind - hearted girl who lived in a small village. The girl was a poor orphan, but she always wanted to help people around her. While saying her prayers one night, she wished for a money - bearing tree that would allow her to help a lot more people. When she woke up the next morning, she found a huge tree near her little. Instead of fruits, the tree bore gold coins. Passers - by wondered who had sown the seed from which the tree had sprouted. The girl had no answer to the question, but she continued to pluck the coins and distribute them to people around. As a result, poverty was removed from her land.

Thinking back on this story, I feel that the latter half of it in particular describes my own situation quite accurately.

I do not know who sowed in me the seed that has today grown into the Knit India Through Literature project. But, blessed with the right type of soil, water and fertiliser, the seed has grown into a huge tree that abounds with fragrant flowers and luscious fruit. Yet, I do not want to enjoy them all by myself, but I would rather share this bounty with my countrymen.

Even as I sit down with pen in hand to write this preface, I beget memories of bygone times. About ten years ago I was in Mysore, to participate in a literary meet that attempted to analyse a novel written by a Black American woman writer. Around twenty writers from different parts of the country had gathered there to analyse the work in minute detail. Dwelling on the discussions on my journey back, I was suddenly struck by the incongruity or irony of the whole situation. While we had sufficient knowledge of world literature - Black, Latin-American or European - to be able to thoroughly analyse it, we were woefully unaware of our very own literary treasures.

Let alone the people, even our learned writers do not have much of a knowledge of the literary works in Indian languages other than their own! What could be the reason for this? The fact that there had not been much effort to translate literary works into other languages could be a possible reason. Was it this thought that sowed the seed for the Knit India Through Literature project in me? Thinking back, I believe that may well be the case.

On yet another occasion, when I was in Sikkim for a writers' meet, I found that the writers who had congregated there had heard about Tamil Nadu's idli / sambar (a traditional breakfast food) and her silks but knew next to nothing about her literature. This had quite an impact on me. There is also another aspect to this issue. While it is true that others do not know much about us, isn't it also a fact that we know hardly anything about them? Calcutta is synonymous with rasagollas, Rajasthan with marble and Kerala with coir. How much do we Indians know about the literature created in states other than our own, and what sort of an effort have we made to get to know their traditions, their customs, their joys and sorrows?

I am not saying that there haven't been any cultural exchanges amongst us at all. A dweller of Kasi (Varanasi) may name his son 'Ramnath' after the presiding deity in the southern temple town of Rameswaram. Or a Tamil girl could be named 'Vaishnavi? after the goddess who dwells in the foothills of the Himalayan ranges. Meera bhajans are sung in the South and Kathakali is performed in Delhi. Religious, cultural or even political links have been established over time. But are they sufficient to strengthen the unity and integrity of our nation?

What is the role of literature in this effort to knit people together? Very many years ago our former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan said that while it may be written in different languages, Indian literature is one. Does his belief hold good today? How many Indians know of the Assamese writer Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya, Karnataka's Shivarama Karanth or West Bengal's Mahasveta Devi, who are till today engaged in efforts to enrich their people's thought processes? Should not language function as a bridge to introduce people to their treasured heritage?

It is probably these questions and thoughts that have nurtured the seed of the ‘Knit India' project within me. Plagued by all these questions, I continuously wondered if I could do something about it.

India is an ancient land

We are its citizens

United we will all live

Divided we will all fall

Inspired by these words of the turban - clad Tamil Poet Bharati, I began work on the Knit India Through Literature project four years ago. This literary tree, that this volume is the first part of, is what grew from the seed I began nurturing from that time.

The English Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 18 official languages. This project's goal has been to learn more about the culture, history and literature of the people of each state and introduce them to their fellow Indians through the works of a few writters selected from each of these languages. The ultimate aim is to publish the analysis in four volumes.

When I attempted to implement my plans I was beset with several doubts. Would it be possible for a single woman to go alone to Manipur and Kashmir to meet writers? How could I arrange the finance required for the project? Would it be possible for a lone individual to function on three planes simultaneously - could I, while engaged in the preparations for one language, travel for another language and also translate yet another language? Before long I became thoroughly demoralised when both the Central Government and other organisations that claimed to support the cause of national - integration turned down my request for financial assistance. While they praised my project, saying that it was unique and innovative, they also said that their rules did not permit them to support my efforts financially. I also had to contend with the indifference of some writers, who did not respond to repeated letters, and literary organisations which did not provide me with information I needed. But somehow the ‘plant’ within me continued to grow.

If today this first volume of Knit India Through Literature is in your hands, it is entirely due to the grace of God and the good wishes of many kind souls. And even as I write these lines, the second volume, on the eastern languages, is just about nearby to go to print and I have started meeting the writers of the western languages for the third volume.

Since I felt that it would distract my attention from the ‘Knit India' project, I have put my fiction writing on hold. I am not sad about this. For the awareness and knowledge I have gained from my experiences over the last four years, meeting with the writers in ten languages and journeying through their states, to get to know the people and their traditions, has been truly amazing. I sometimes wonder at my good fortune and I am increasingly eager to share with my fellow Indians the knowledge I have gained.

I think I should elaborate here on the ways and means by which I went about choosing suitable writers in each language. First, I wrote to literary associations and leading magazines asking them to identify prominent writers in each language. From the replies, I picked out the common names, corresponded with them and followed this up with personal interviews. I can assure you that this literary bridge, built with the help of worthy litterateurs, is truly strong. As far as possible, I have tried to include the views of the younger generation as well.

Some of the writers I have met for this project are quite old. And yet their memory, commitment and clarity of thought and speech amazed me. If I had the required facilities, I would have video - taped all the interviews. As of now, I have confined myself to photographs and audio - tapes. The interview I had with the renowned Malayalam writer Vaikkom Mohammed Basheer needs special mention. He was stricken by illness but still maintained a cheerful countenance and readily obliged with a fairly long interview. Just months later, he passed away. When I think of this I really regret not having been able to video - tape my interviews with these 'walking encyclopaedias'.

I have attempted to use the writers' very own words when recording their responses to my questions. If there are no answers to some questions, it is because the writers in those instances did not allot time for me despite my repeated requests.

I have included a short travelogue of each state before going on to the interviews with the writers of the language of the state. Since the objective of this work is to introduce Indians to their fellow Indians living in other states, I have included these essays as bait to draw them into the literary experience. If even just a few of my readers become desirous of knowing more about the people, the language and the literature of any of these states after reading my interviews, I will be extremely happy at having achieved my objective.

There is a Tamil saying about an entire village coming together to draw the temple chariot. I think this project is a perfect example of that. Although I functioned as an individual, if I had the support of my fellow writers and many others, my dream of knitting Indians through literature would not be a reality today.

Many of you might wonder if national integration can be fostered merely by publishing these four volumes. No, I certainly don’t have any such Utopian ideas. I am aware that we have miles to go before we reach our goal and only wish that this effort helps us cover atleast the first few miles of our long journey. I quote an incident from the from Ramayana here

All of you, I ama sure, know about the contribution made by the squirrels when Rama was building the Sethu bridge to get to Lanka Each squirrel dipped its body in the ocean, came back to roll on the sands, went back to the site where the bridge was being built and shock the sand off its body. Thus, was accumulated enough sand for the bridge to be built. Although their efforts cannot compare with those of mighty Hanuman they did contribute. I wish to be like the squirrel and chip in with my own effort Knit India Through Literature - to help preserve the unity and integrity of our great country.

This is the land of my forefathers

Where they lived and loved happily.

This is the ancient land where

Our forefathers have lived for thousands of years.

This is the land in which they flourished

With their diverse and rich thoughts.

Keeping this in mind

How can I not praise my land,

How can I not bow down saying

Vande Mataram.

- Bharati

Sivasankari

CHENNAI

November 1997.

Preface – 2

(volume 2 – The East)

It was in 1998 that the first of the four-volume series of the Knit India Through Literature project - the volume on the South Indian languages - came out. I certainly did not then feel the fear and trepidation that I do now, as I stand on the threshold of the second volume being published, this one on the East Indian languages.

I have had a lifelong acquaintance with the South Indian languages of Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil, through the several trips made to the neighbouring states during school holidays to visit numerous relatives. Hence, I did not feel any discomfort during my trips to Hyderabad, Trivandrum or Bangalore to meet with the various writers I needed to meet for the first volume. On the other hand, the trips that I undertook for my research on the eastern languages left me utterly be wildered most of the time. Apart from the usual problems like an unknown language, an unknown language, an unknown region and unfamiliar food habits, I was faced with many a practical difficulty on account of the work itself. There was the problem of communicating with some writers who could not understand English. Then there was the problem of transcribing the cassettes of the interviews several times on account of the different pronunciations. Worse still were the additional trips I had to undertake to far off places like Darjeeling and Imphal when I found that the interviews had not yielded sufficient material or there were doubts that had to be personally clarified with the writers.

The project was basically accomplished in three phases. The initial spade work involving research on the language, the field work that involved travelling to the homes of the various writers and interviewing them, and then the work of transcribing the tapes on my return to Chennai and editing and writing them up. In this elaborate procedure, I took the assistance of others only to transcribe the tapes. While my assistants found the job of transcribing the tapes containing the interviews of the South Indian writers easy on account of their familiarity with the languages, they were somewhat challenged when it came to the Eastern language interviews. There were those who even returned the tapes compressing their inability to transcribe the tapes, what with the names, literary works and the situations described being totally unfamiliar, apart from the difficulty with the pronunciations. A whole year passed by before I could with new help from time to time complete the task successfully! (I anticipate the same problems to crop up in my work with the western and northern languages as well).

I am glad that despite all these problems this volume is being released at least in 2000, instead of 1999 as originally planned, for at times I despaired of even my best possible efforts

Some of you may wonder why I say my best possible efforts. Let me explain. Although I maintained a continuous correspondence with the writers, some of them were unavailable on account of trips abroad or elsewhere. In some cases, the responses did not reach me in time and as a result, there may be a few minor factual mistakes in this volume. Also, there were many discrepancies in the notes that I collected in terms of dates, names etc., and this could be responsible for errors. I would like to cite a few examples here: the name of the river Hugly is spelt as Hooghly elsewhere one book refers to the land area of the Sunderbans as 9630 sq. m. while another refers to it as 2608 sq. m; and one version has Shantiniketan being started by Tagore in 1901, while another has the poet starting the Brahma Vidyalaya in 1890. Similarly I can go on about the other languages as well.

As a result of lack of proper communication, the interviews of some important writers have unfortunately been excluded from this volume. Despite sending him two letters, I could not get in touch with the Jnanpith Award - winning Oriya poet Sitakant Mohapatra. I probably had the wrong address and, as a result, the letters possibly never reached him.

In the years that have gone by between my fieldwork in the eastern region and the release of this volume, there have been many changes, many losses. Dr. Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya and Dr. Jagat Chhetri, who accorded me such a warm welcome and hospitality in Guwahati and Darjeeling respectively, are no longer with us. Mr. Subhas Mukhopadhyay, who was so encouraging, is today able to communicate with others only with others only with the help of a writing board. Although I grieve these losses, I am happy that I was able to interact with these people when they were at their cheerful best.

All the trials and tribulations that I had to face in the course of this work are of no matter to me now that the book has been published, after systematic and honest research and through the co - operation of all the esteemed writers.

The foreword written by the Jnanpith Award - winning Malayalam writer M. T. Vasudevan Nair is an ornament that serves to embellish this volume. I am thankful to him and all the others who have made this work possible.

My inner soul calls to me at his juncture, cheering me at this halfway mark and encouraging me to proceed undaunted with my efforts to complete this Herculean task. I am confident my inner grit and determination will see me through the tasks of completing the work on the western and northern languages shortly.

Sivasankari.

CHENNAI

31.3.2000

Preface – 3

(Volume 3 - The West)

It was my intention to publish this third volume of the Knit India Through Literature project. compiling works from Konkani, Marathi, Gujarati and Sindhi languages which are spoken in western India, in the year 2002. There are three primary reasons why this did not happen. The first reason was that I was actively involved in serialising my novels om Madras Doordarshan and Sun TV, which were received very well by the public and even won the Best Serial awards. With a view to adding to the glory of the Tamil language, I went about the task of compiling the best short stories of Sixty senior Tamil writers, the unique feature of which was that the short stories were selected as their best by the respective writers themselves, and publishing them in two volumes. This is the second reason. There is yet another reason, which I shall come to later. Although both the earlier mentioned tasks were accomplished in a most satisfactory manner, I was really unhappy because my attention was diverted, and the tat resulted in the progress of The KNIT INDIA THROUGH LITERATURE project is indeed right. However, at this juncture when this volume compiling the western languages is ready for release, it heartens me that I have already finished my interviews with the Punjabi writers and begun preliminary work on the Kashmiri language as well. This gives me hope that my volume on the north Indian languages will be released as per schedule

As I sit down to write the preface for this volume, my thoughts go back to the pain of a loss - the sad and sudden demise of Sri. G. K. Moopanar - that I suffered two years ago. It was the Late G. K. Moopanar who was a great source of encourage - ment to me and proclaimed at the launch of the Knit India Through Literature project, that my victory was his own. His support was not merely verbal and in fact he supported the publishing of the first volume of Knit India Through Literature financially and also bought three hundred copies of the volume and distributed them to school libraries at free of cost. I wish to acknowledge his contribution at this stage and also pray that his blessings will help me bring out the fourth volume successfully too.

I have already elaborated, in the prefaces to the earlier volumes, the difficulties encountered in going and meeting the different language writers in their own homes, interviewing them and then transcribing the tapes. Differences in pronunciation and other problems caused a few factual errors to creep in when the volume on the eastern languages was published and this was pointed out by the concerned writers. In order to avoid this, I made it a point to send the compiled interviews to the concerned writers requesting them to check for factual errors. Most of the writers were gracious enough to respond to the request immediately and sent back the corrected interviews at the earliest. Yet, I am sorry to say that some of the interviews have not been returned to me till this very minute as the book goes to print, almost eighteen months after they were sent in February 2002, even after four letters and numerous reminder telephone calls. This is the most important third reason for the delay in this volume being published. After taking a prior appointment with Vijay Tendulkar, the outstanding senior Marathi playwright, I went to Mumbai, stayed there and reconfirmed the appointment over phone, went and met him and had a very long discussion with him, returned to Chennai, transcribed the tapes, compiled the interview and sent it to him for correction of any errors. Even after several reminders, I was asked for more time. I understood the difficult situation he was going through and patiently waited. But, almost eighteen months later, I was informed last month that his interview should not be included in the volume as he did not have the time to make the corrections. This is not a charge that is being levelled against him, but, I am regretfully having to inform my readers why an interview that was done with great difficulty is finally not being included in this volume.

Of the writers whom I met in western India, the affection and care displayed by the Konkani and the Gujarati writers is truly unique. Having realised that it was quite expensive to have to travel to each state atleast thrice or four times, the Konkani writers invited me to attend a literary meet organised at Goa and address the gathering, For that particular visit they even paid for my travel and stay through their literary association. I am thankful to the senior Konkani writer, Chandrakanth Keni, for this.

Amul also to the senior Gujarati writers Bholabhai Patel and Raghuveer Choudhary, who organised a special meeting of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad to enable me to meet all the writers there.

Senior Oriya writer Manoj Das’ information - filled foreword lends to the quality of its volume. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to him and all others who have supported me and extended their co - operation in the publication of this volume.

Sivasankari

CHENNAI

August 2003

Preface - 4

Sixteen years! Seems amazing, almost unbelievable! I launched my project Knit India Through Literature in 1992 and started work in full swing around the middle of 1993 – with the belief that to research each of the 15 official languages recognised by the Indian Constitution (it is another matter that later on it increased to 18 within a single year) and to travel across the country to meet and interview the respective writers, it would take me a year per volume. Add another year for going to print, proof reading and the like, throw in an additional year just in case - you still have only six! This was how I calculated things would pan out when I started work in 1993 but the subsequent events proved my arithmetic way off mark, with the tally at sixteen years finally! But, like the Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo has mentioned in his foreword, this has been some sort of a penance! I have been immersed in a sea of literature - a sea consisting of the works of eminent writers from 18 Indian languages. To have retrieved four pearls in the form of these four volumes has certainly been not only a great penance, but also a literary Yagna!

The high points of these sixteen years has been the personal meetings with eminent, stalwart writers from the various Indian languages, many times in their homes, the multiple trips I have undertaken across the length and breadth of this ancient country, visiting its historic places that have a hoary past! When I think of how rare such an opportunity is, I am filled with immense pride and joy!

This volume on the north Indian languages includes Hindi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Urdu and also Sanskrit. The reason why I have included Sanskrit in this volume is that for centuries, Sanskrit ruled the roost in the Kashmir Valley more than in any other part of the country. The practice of writing a travelogue that offers detailed and interesting information on the state, before venturing into the interviews with the writers of a particular language, continues in this volume too. I travelled widely in the Hindi belt of north India, across the eight states of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand that have Hindi as their official language, and am glad that I have been able to offer the readers a glimpse into the north India that I was introduced to!

In the previous volumes, I made sure that I interviewed not less than four writers from each of the languages. In this volume, I have been able to speak only to two Sanskrit writers cum scholars. One of the reasons for this is that, despite my best efforts, I could not get the introduction of more number of suitable Sanskrit writers. Also, waiting indefinitely meant delaying the publication of this volume. Yet, I take consolation from the fact that I have been able to offer a fairly comprehensive overview of Sanskrit language and literature through the works and interviews of these two writers.

Though I have operated as a one – woman - army in planning and executing this task satisfactorily, I owe to the blessings of God, my elders, the good wishes of my associates and friends and of course, consistent hard work! There are a few magnets though - writers like Qurratulain Hyder, Nirmal Verma and Kamleshwar, who extended such warmth and kindness to me during our interviews, are no longer amidst us, at the time when this volume is being published - as also my mother, who blessed me joyfully throughout these sixteen years ever since I took on this task, and who was a constant companion till recently, is not by my side as I complete my penance with the publication of the ‘North' volume.

My heartfelt gratitude and thanks are owed to the Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo, who spared time to read the entire volume including all the interviews and travelogues and wrote such a wonderful foreword to this volume.

I have made an effort to travel across this great country, which Bharati - the great Tamil poet - hails thus - India is an ancient land and we are its citizens. I have made an effort to understand and analyse, to the best of my ability, the literature from the various Indian languages, which our former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan describes as 'one, even though it is written in different languages'. I wish to offer these four volumes - South, East, West and North of the Knit India Through Literature project, lovingly put together over the last sixteen years, as ornaments to adorn Mother India. I sincerely believe that they will add to her beauty and charm and serve to enhance her greatness.

Thank You!

Sivasankari

CHENNAI

September 2008

But for whom this project would not been possible...

Govt for being with me in my thoughts and deeds always.

Mr. A. C. Muthiah & Mrs. Devaki Muthiah: For organising a safe and comfortable stay at the SPIC Guest House in New Delhi and enabling me to interview the writers from there.

Dr. T. Ramasami (Secretary, Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India): For organis - ing my stay at Jammu and Srinagar when I travelled there to interview the Kashmiri writers.

Mr.G. Narayanan & Mrs. Priya Narayan: For helping and accompanying me in all my Hindi belt travels and also for making me feel like I had a second home at Delhi, when Mr. Narayanan was a member of BIFER for five years.

North Indian Writers: For being extremely friendly and cooperative during the interviews and answering all my questions smilingly.

Prof. Sanchithananthan: (Former Secretary, Central Sahitya Akademi): For permitting me to include in this book the research articles published by the Akademi.

Mr. Damodar Mauzo (Konkani writer): For gladly accepting to read the entire volume and provide me with an excellent foreword, despite having undergone a bypass surgery recently.

Mr. Thotaa Tharani: For conceiving such a wonderful cover design for this book. using the alphabets in the various Indian languages.

MCS Communications (P) Ltd.: For designing the page layouts attractively using the maps of the various states and also appropriate photographs.

Gangai Puthaka Nilayam: For bringing out this book beautifully.

Mrs. Janaki Viswanathan: For translating the interviews of the Kashmiri, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and Sanskrit writers into English.

Mrs. Lalitha Venkatesh: For offering to be my right hand throughout the project, whether it was looking for books in the library and making notes, translating them if necessary, organising my travel itinerary, or proofreading.

My family: For supporting me through and through with pride and joy glittering in their eyes.

My Readers: For wanting me to succeed in my effort and agreeing to wait for me to return to fiction which I have stopped writing for the last sixteen years.

Apart from these people, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to all those involved in bringing out this publication and to other friends.

- Sivasankari.

Jammu & Kashmir

Traveling Through Jammu & Kashmir

It we were to visualise the Indian nation as Mother India or Bharat Matha and the various States as the ornaments that adorn her, then the state of Jammu & Kashmir is certainly the crown that sits on her majestic head. It is surrounded by China on the north, Tibet on the east, Himachal Pradesh on the south and Pakistan and Afghanistan on the west. Spread over 2,22,000 square kilometers, the state is divided into 14 districts that fall into the three important provinces of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Rajatarangini, the book written by historian Kalhan, who lived in Kashmir in the olden days, chronicles the history of the state in an impressive manner. The ancient book Nilmat Puran, contains an interesting reference to the Kashmir of the Vedic era. A demon by name Jalod Bowa, lived in the lake that was then called Satisar. He tortured the people who lived on the slopes of the hills, often devouring them. This came to the notice of the Saint Kashyap, when he visited Kashmir. He then used all his powers to carve a hole on the Varahamulla (Baramulla of today) hill that bordered the lake, causing all the waters of the lake to be drained out. As the Lake emptied, the demon was revealed, and he was then vanquished by the sage. Thereafter, the sage also had people from India relocate to the valley that was created as a result of the lake's waters being drained out. The people rejoiced at