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Valley of Words travels south

By
Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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Ending 2022 on a high note the Sixth Edition of the Valley of Words International Literature and Arts Festival travels to Chennai to host its English vertical in partnership with Chennai International Centre.

The event will be held the weekend before Christmas i.e. 17th-18th of December at Rukmani/Arundale auditorium Kalakshetra and CLM, Sishya, OMR School respectively.

Over a dozen authors, reviewers, moderators, translators, panelists and students will join in as we celebrate the written word, down south.

Telling us more about the event, Director Chennai International Centre Dr. C. Chandramouli said, “The Chennai International Centre (CIC) has been conceived with an objective of creating an intellectual hub for the city’s intelligentsia to meet, share, discuss, and evolve transformational ideas. It aspires to be a spa for the mind and soul.” He further added,    “The Chennai Literature and Arts Festival in collaboration with the Valley of Words is a maiden attempt. We hope it will blossom into an annual feature in the social calendar of Chennai.”

VoW Director Sanjeev Chopra complimented Dr. Chandramouli of CIC for inviting Ex-Governor of West Bengal Gopal Krishna Gandhi and the former editor of Hindu N Ravi to the inaugural program.

With an interesting line up on day one: celebrating marathon writer TN Murari; followed by an engaging session with Author Peggy Mohan and Thomas on The Language and Commerce of the Empire with AV Paneerselvam. Hem Mahesh and Peer Mohammad Azeem, Prabha Sridevan and TM Yesudasan will discuss the nuances of translation in Saluting the Tradition of Translation session; while Vidya Singh and Pradeep Chakravarti will discuss Kunti and Durgavati: Queens Across Ages the latest from authors Koral Dasgupta and Nandini Sengupta. Dr Sanjeev Chopra’s book We the People of the State of Bharat will be discussed at Maps & Milestones in the Making of Bharat with TS Tirumurti and C Chandramouli.

Day two i.e. 18th of December is dedicated to young minds. Students of Sishya, OMR School and others will join in to host, participate in book reading and enactments based on Pinkoo Shergill: Pastry Chef, Wild and Wilful, Tales from The History of Mathematics and The Making of Heroes Book 1 of the series The Adventures of Zoe and Scruffy books penned by authors Vibha Batra, Neha Sinha, Archana Sarat and Mamathi Chari respectively.

Talking about Valley of Words event in Chennai, Director Dr Sanjeev Chopra said, “VoW is delighted to collaborate with the Chennai International Centre for  the English language and Translations vertical on the 17/18 December. The partnership between two not for profits – the VoW Foundation and the CIC augurs well for readers and writers – the purposes of both organisations is to spread the word in all its manifestations.”

Copenhagen Business School & Himalayan School of Management Studies strike friendship

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Students from Copenhagen Business School, one of the largest institutions of higher education in Denmark and one of the largest business schools in Europe, got an opportunity to interact with students of the Himalayan School of Management Studies, Swami Rama Himalayan University.

SRHU campus was abuzz with fun and camaraderie when students from as many as eleven countries came together on a single platform. Apart from exchanging views on business learning, relevant to their careers and personal development, the students got a rare opportunity to know and appreciate each other’s ethnicity and rich cultural diversity.

The foreign guests, who were at SRHU for a week, were especially taken in by the Yoga and meditation sessions that left them feeling rejuvenated both mentally and physically. They expressed confidence that they would carry the newly acquired insights from India to work with renewed zeal on their master and other degrees. “The purpose was to come to SRHU for a week, and reflect about the lived experience and process it in a way that achieves maximum learning and put it in right perspective,” stated a team member from CBS.

“All this was possible because it’s a beautiful campus, with a lot of green space that provides the right energies to reflect and go deep into our minds to understand our purpose in life,” stated another student.

“We came here to reflect. And this has been a perfect place, quiet and calm. The Yoga sessions have been wonderful and it was so nice to integrate with the students studying here. There was a lot of cultural element that has broadened our knowledge of the world,” stated another group member from CBS.

Dr Vijay Dhasmana, VC Swami Rama Himalayan University interacted and exchanged notes with the guest students and was elated to observe the ease with which the young members of the world were adding to their ‘global perspective.’ “I am confident that the exchange will greatly add to the value to their lives and help them create new networks,” he underlined.

Amongst the highlights of the visit was a talk delivered by Prof Sudhanshu Rai on the significance of ‘Business Skills’ relevant to contemporary times. Dr Amit Nautiyal, Dr Som Aditya Juyal and Prof Amar Sathe coordinated the visit.

Taking forward the art of Dhol and Damaun

By
Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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The meaning of life it to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away

:Pablo Picasso

And that is exactly what 55-year-old Sohan Lal the drummer from Pujargaun a village in Tehri district has been doing. An art form passed down from one generation to the other, Sohan learnt the art  of playing the dhol/drum from his father Granthi Das.  “Without any formal training we are all amateurs, spluttering, unsteady and muddled! But with dedication and practice I have learnt a few things,” says Sohan Lal today.

Once a common sight and sound in Garhwal, especially during festivals. Today a vanishing art form:  Dhol and Damaun  have been an integral part of every ritual, ceremony and festivity in the hills. Sohan Lal is among a few drummers who have kept the art form alive. Though every village in Garhwal still has a drummer family residing in it. Most of them have all together given up. For there is neither status nor money in this vocation.

Sohan Lal with his tools of the trade the drum around his neck and drumsticks in hand has worked relentlessly on passing on the tricks of the trade to over four dozen drummers or dholis.

Sohan lal receives honoris causa by Garhwal University.

The Department of folk performing art and culture, in Srinagar, Garhwal has tried to archive and propagate Garhwal’s rich tradition with courses like theatre, folk music and folk forms imparted by the likes of Sohan Lal, masters in their fields. Prof. D.R. Purohit, has been relentlessly working for over three decades now patronizing drums and drummers:  ‘We have put in our sincerest efforts to pass on vanishing art forms onto the new generation. We have been training our students by the masters of traditional folk arts themselves, who in turn get an opportunity to show case their talent and get monetary benefits as guest faculty.”

He further adds, “A master of 18 beats of Naubaat, 12 beats of wedding and all the beats used in Pandava, Goril, Bagdwal, Disha Dhankudi, Naagraja, and Aachchahri  dances. He has also mastered the narrative singing of all these forms, besides the songs of Narsingh, Bhairava, Nirankar, Chaitvali, Saidwali, Ranbhut, Ghar Bhoot, Gandiyal and many other ritual dance traditions of Uttarakhand.”

Today an appointed Visiting Faculty to the Centre for Folk performing art and Culture of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University to being a Visiting Faculty to Cincinnati University, US, Sohan has reached greater heights. He was recently awarded the honoris causa by Garhwal University.

Amongst the last maestros of this dying art, Sohan Lal is a beacon of hope for the sound of the drum to beat out a rhythm in the hills and valleys of Uttarakhand, for generations to come.

Abhilekh Sati: SRHU scholar bags first spot at “ICAMTHEC – 2022”

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Abhishek Sati

Dateline Dehradun: Abhilekh Sati, Research scholar from the Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, bagged the first prize for Poster presentation, at a conference titled “International Conference on Advances in Materials for Health, Environment, And Circular Economy (ICAMTHEC – 2022)” held on 25-26 November 2022. The conference was organized by Uttaranchal University, Dehradun.

The theme at the event focused on various domains of advanced material science, nanotechnology, green chemistry, health sciences, agriculture, food sciences, computational and mathematical methods along with circular economy.

Abhishek Sati

Abhilekh Sati presented his research work on sustainable approach, to optimize the entrapment efficiency and effectiveness of essential oil with future perspective, titled “Sustainable and advanced approaches for the drug-delivery system, their applicability as regenerative medicine for tissue remodelling.” He presented his work under the supervision of Dr. Archana Dhasmana (Assistant Professor, HSBS) with the collaboration of Dr. Sanjay Gupta (Professor and Principal, HSBS) and Dr Geeta Bhandari (Assistant Professor, HSBS).

This research endeavour aims to develop cost-effective material with natural bioactive component and produce a consumer-friendly product.

“It is a matter of pride that through, this wonderful platform our team contributed to the area of innovative ideas and I am confident that the ongoing research being conducted by the Himalayan School of Biosciences, in the field of Biomedical Sciences will be an important milestone relevant to humankind“, stated Dr Vijay Dhasmana, VC Swami Rama Himalayan University.

SRHU bags first position at Kauthik 2022

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The winning team

Dateline Dehradun: Students of Swami Rama Himalayan University bagged the first position at Kauthik 2022 cultural festival organised by Akhil Garhwal Sabha.

Kauthik is a noteworthy event organised every year to give a fillip to cultural activities amongst the youth. Students from various universities from all over Uttarakhand participate in the event in large numbers.

A team of of Himalayan College of Nursing, SRHU participated in the event. HCN students presented a traditional group dance to the beat of popular folksong, ‘Pando Khela Paso’ to thunderous applause. The presentation went on to win the first prize at the prestigious festival. Earlier in 2017 too, SRHU students had won in the similar category.

B.Sc Nursing students Sakshi Bhatt, Ati Bhandari, Ati Kothiyal, Riya Guha, Deepshikha, Himani Pundir, Megha Chauhan, Gaurav Parcha, Neha Kumari, Diksha Rawat, and GNM students Sonia Rawat, Neha, Shivani Mehra, Priya Negi were part of the winning group.

Vice Chancellor, Dr Vijay Dhasmana congratulated the triumphant students and stated that, “Apart from skill and value based education, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities form the fulcrum of the academic edifice at SRHU. We are proud that our students are carrying forward a wonderful legacy in this regard.”

MoU Signed between RCUES & SRHU

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Dateline Dehradun: A MoU was signed between Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES), Lucknow and Swami Rama Himalayan University (SRHU), Dehradun on 18.11.2022 at the University Office, SRHU for enabling efficient knowledge sharing and information exchange for enhancing institutional capacity in training, implementation and skill development.

RCUES was established by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Govt. of India in 1968.

Er. A. K. Gupta (Additional Director, RCUES, Lucknow) Dr. Alka Singh (Deputy Director, RCUES, Lucknow) Dr. Nasruddin (Astt. Director, RCUES, Lucknow) from RCUES, Lucknow (UP) and Dr. Vijendra Chauhan (Pro- Vice Chancellor, SRHU) Dr. Susheela Sharma Registrar SRHU, Er. H. P. Uniyal (Honorary Advisor, SRHU) and Dr. Rajendra Dobhal (Director, Strategic Planning and Research & Development, SRHU) were present on the momentous occasion and addressed the gathering.

KRC (Key Resource Center for JJM), WATSAN and RDI Team of HIHT briefly introduced and shared about their recently accomplished training and capacity development programs under Jal Jeevan Mission and various other programs of State and central Govt.

A K Gupta Additional Director RCUES informed that they have signed a MoU with Govt of Uttarakhand today, for training and skill development of officials of Urban local bodies, under AMRUT -2 a prestigious Urban development programme of Govt of India.

All the training and skill development programme will be done in SRHU campus only, with proactive partnership of SRHU, stated Dr Vijay Dhasmana, VC SRHU.

Similarly other such programs will be organized jointly in the future.

This MOU has been signed at the initiation of HP Uniyal, Honorary Advisor SRHU.

Literary Festival Valley of Words, 2022 concludes in Dehradun

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VoW 2022 Winners and Dignitaries

The 2nd day of the Sixth Edition of the Valley of Words began with soulful recital of Raga Bhatiyaar and Raga Bhairavee at the Morning Raga session by artists of ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Taking que from a successful run the previous day i.e. 12th of November, authors, panelists,  artists, guests, judges and jury, students and teachers returned to celebrate the written word.

The wide octaves and high crescendo of schedule left little to the imagination as there was something for every age group to choose from.  

Six finalists hit-it-out at The National School Debate on the topic “Ukraine war is for economic dominance rather than a regular war.”

The session by VoW Awardee Mamta Nainy in conversation with Ratna Manucha had a full audience with  finalist for the Book Reading session Aaryav Verma from Mondrian High and student of Doon International School, Junior Wing enacting Aai and I on stage.

VoW Awardee Neelaskhi Singh’s book Khela was discussed by Anjum Sharma who highlighted the nuances of the book.

Classical dancers Vikiraj Kadale and Prashita Surana left the audience spellbound with their performance during Iti Nritya, a classical dance competition curated by Shalini Rao, an acclaimed dancer herself.

 In a session chaired by Sharmila Bhartari, Dr Sanjeev Chopra, Festival Director discussed Amader Shantiniketan with VoW Awardee Ira Pande, while Someshwar Pandeya discussed Jeete Ji Allahabad with award winning author Mamta Kalia in a session chaired by Director, IIP, Dr Anjan Rai. 

The Military History and Strategy, knowledge vertical curated a session around Living Legends of Dehradun: Lt Gen Shakti Gurung; Lt Gen PJS Pannu; Vir Chakra Brig JNS Bisht; Col DPK Pillay. This was followed by a discussion on Air Commodore Nitin Sathe’s book  War Stories: 1971-1999 with Maj Gen PS Dahiya, DGP Ashok Kumar and Ira Chauhan moderating the session.

Simultaneously Mona Verma’s book  The Daivya Sutras was discussed with Dr Harshali Singh in a session chaired by Avinash Joshi. Author Venu Arghari Dhingra convened a reading from  ‘Our World: A Symphony of Drabbles by Three Generations’ with mother and daughter duo author Ruchi Ranjan & Ishika Ranjan.

Students of Him Jyoti School preformed ‘Deepdaan,’ the play that stood first in Iti Natya vertical which the audience enjoyed. The Hall of Words came alive with Valley of Words,  VoX Populi: A Parliamentary Debate where MPs from across the political spectrum came together virtually for a pre-recorded conversation, convened by Dr Amna Mirza.

There were two back-to-back book launches:  Indian Mythology through Classical Dance and Kathak Lok: Mandir, Parampara Aur Iteehas by Shovana Narayan & Geetika Kalha.

Arif Mohammed Khan brought to the table, Text, Context and National Interest.  Hon’ble Governor of Kerala, talked about making an Ideal Society through eternal values.  He was joined by renowned journalist Shekhar Gupta and Festival Director Sanjeev Chopra on the stage. The Governor quoted from the Bhagwat Geeta, saying “Humanity should be our Religion and every Human should be our God, this world should be our Temple and doing good to fellow Human should be our Prayer.”

While the session Legends Of Doon started with a book launch on Dehradun’s own Rash Behari Bose by Prasun Roy. Historian and Authors Pradeep Singh and Kulbhushan Kain along with Prasun Roy shared insights about legendary Rash Behari Bose, a revolutionary freedom fighter and the founder of the Indian Independence League.  They also spoke about MN Roy,  an Indian revolutionary, radical activist and political theorist, as well as a noted philosopher in the 20th century in a session chaired by Anthropologist Dr. Lokesh Ohri.   The Hall of Words curated a session around Author Shiv Kunal Verma’s book, Life of an Industani, that was introduced and discussed with Sana Durrani and Anoop Seth , chaired by RP Devgan.

Latest from the pen of author Ruby Gupta The Secret of Leifeng Pagoda was launched with author Bijoya Sawian chairing the session and Dr Shachi Negi discussed the book with the author. The Making of a Book Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan (BHAVAN) in Dehradun a topic close to the heart of valley authors Aloke Lal, Maanas Lal & Arvindar Singh was discussed at great length.

The Sixth edition of the Valley of Words, Literature and Arts festival  came to a befitting end with a  Garhwali performance by college students followed by felicitation of the Valley of Word, 2022 winning authors presided over by Shekhar Gupta who congratulated the winners saying that they had earned it and enriched us by their work and presence, he also added that, “in its sixth year now Valley of Word was already an institution.”

Abhinav Kumar, DG Information, Uttarakhand government and ADG to the Chief Minister, Shri Pushakar Singh Dhami stated, “Dehradun has a critical mass that is interested in Art, Literature and performing arts and there is no reason why the Uttarakhand government should not be committed and  continue to support the Valley of Words.”

DGP, Uttarakhand Ashok Kumar added, “ how Valley of Words had worked over the past six years in bringing Dehradun onto the literary circuit,” he wished the organisers many more successful runs.

Signing off, one of the Board Members of Valley of Words, Robin Gupta summed it up saying, “The roots of the festival being firmly based in scenic Dehradun have held aloft and carried forward the light of literary awakening in Uttarakhand.”

The Sixth Edition Of Valley of Words Begins in Dehradun

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Release of the First Day Cover

Dehradun: The Sixth Edition of the Valley of Words began with music from the mountains resonating in the Dehradun Valley. Under a bright blue sky, the colours of VoW 2022  set the perfect stage for authors, panelists, winner, artists, guests, judges and jury, students and teachers who all came together to celebrate the written word.

The music of Dhol Damaun set things in motion as the Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand, Lt. Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh gave his inaugural speech. This was followed by him launching the Valley of Words 2022 ‘First Day Cover’,  along with launching editions of the magazines The Book Review and Tadbhav, which carry English and Hindi reviews of all the forty shortlisted books under eight categories of 2022. Present on the stage were Director of Uttarakhand Cultural Department,  Beena Bhatt,  Uttarakhand Chief Post Master General Amitabh Kharkwal and NABARD Director Bhaskar Pant. In his Inaugural Speech, Hon’ble Governor spoke about the power of words and his association with VoW. He encouraged the audience to write and  read and elaborated on the power of the written word. He also spoke in detail about the value of being able to think deeply and engage with topics. “If you see the word “speak” and remove the first letter S, then you have “peak” and that is where words can take you. Speak when you must, and speak well!” His rousing speech about the importance of engendering a spirit of service was well-received by all.

This was followed by a wonderful dance performance and mime by students from the Bajaj School of Learning who got everyone’s feet tapping and left a smile on the audience long after their performance got over.

Post the Inaugural session, there were multiple panels in the Plenary Lawn, including the finale of the College Mantrana debate, Iti Nritya  by classical dancers Nirmuktha Arun and Esha Nanal, followed by a Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira, a detailed discussion on Film Industry as the Growth Driver of Uttarakhand’s Economy with Satish Sharma, Kunal Malla, and Abhinav Kumar;  the last event here was a soulful musical performance by artistes from the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Simultaneously, sessions were being held at Hall of Words with the launch of Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee’s translation of the late Samresh Bose’s book In Search of Pitcher of Nectar in conversation with Deepankar Aron and N Ravishanker, followed by a scintillating discussion between Satish Aikant and VoW Awardee Rudrangshu Mukherjee on his book Tagore and Gandhi: Walking Alone, Walking Together. Professor Mukherjee was also the Chair of the next session, which was a conversation on the Indian texts which have shaped our nation, between  panelists Raja Sekhar Vundru, Pradeep Singh, Kulbhushan Kain, Ira Pande, Badrinarayan, and Sanjeev Chopra.

There was something for the younger audience as Ratna Manucha and Richa Jha had a book discussion on When Mommy was a Little Girl with VoW Awardee Mamta Nainy chairing the session. Poet Rati Agnihotri brought together a galaxy of hand-picked poets from Dehradun: Kaushik Ghosh, Deepanjali Singh, Sharmishtha, Bitopi Dutta, Vrinda Rattan, Lakshika Bajaj,  and Samridhi Juyal, to participate in a beautifully curated Poetry Café.

To add on to the various activities, there was a third venue for Conversations in the Valley. A set of discussions were scheduled on the 12th of November. The first event held there was the conversation on the book, Yaadon Ke Bikhre Moti: Batwaare ki Kahaniya, which is a translation of Aanchal Malhotra’s Partition-based book. Sushil Upadhyay was in conversation with translator Brig Kamal Nayan Pandit, and the session was chaired by Anil Raturi.  Following this was a book launch session for Uttarakhand ki Patrakarita: Swatantrata Andolan se Vartaman Tak. Upendra Kumar Sharma chaired the session, and M.R. Saklani was in conversation with Arun Pratap Singh and Jitendra Anthwal.

Dr. Anita Jain Bhatnagar brought her remarkable collection of books: Dilli Ki Bulbul, Baal Kahani Chauri Chaura, and Miss Sehat, which were launched and discussed with Palak Jha, Sachin Chauhan and Anjali Rana. Lovers of Hindi literature were in for a treat as the organisers  organised a conversation on contemporary writing in Hindi. Celebrated authors Mamta Kalia, Budhinath Misra, Akhilesh discussed the subject with Sushil Updhyay. The conversation was followed by book launches of Pratinidhi Kavitayeen by Badrinath Narayan.

Gunje Anhad Naad by Geeta Gairola was another book  launched on the first day of the festival and the author conversed with Abhishekh Aggarwal in a session chaired by Avinash Joshi. Author L. Aruna Dhir talked about her book Hotel Adventures with the Stars, with Ira Chauhan and Pooja Marwah. This session concluded the first day of VoW International Literature and Arts festival.

NABARD organized a special exhibition featuring several stalls and the GI products of Uttarakhand, including the beautiful art form Aipan. Iti Lekh exhibition showcased multiple book stalls. And the Iti Smriti showcased sustainable VoW Memorabilia products, along with volunteers that set up their own exhibition showcasing their artistic endeavours!

Swami Rama Himalayan University hosts FETOCON- 2022

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Dateline Dehradun: The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Himalayan Hospital, Swami Rama Himalayan University, in association with Uttarakhand Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, organised UK-FETOCON on 6th November, in the Nursing College Auditorium. The spotlight of the conference was fetal health.

Dr Anchal Agarwal, Assistant Professor, OBGYN, HIMS introduced the event. Thereafter Dr Ruchira Nautiyal, HOD OBGYN, HIMS presented the welcome address.

The lighting of the lamp by all the dignitaries followed this. The felicitation ceremony and address by Principal HIMS, Dr AK Deorari set the momentum of the day.

Thereafter VC SRHU, Dr Vijay Dhasmana in his address stated that SRHU is committed to promoting research and education in the field of fetal health, and to this end is motivated in organizing lectures and interactive discussions with stalwarts in the field. UK-FETOCON is therefore a milestone in the above context.

Guest of Honor, Dr Meenu Vaish, President Uttarakhand Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists congratulated the organizers for a splendid event. In several sessions spread over the entire day, the participants had the privilege to learn from guest speakers.

The first presentation titled ‘Approach to an anomalous fetus: Counseling and Prognostication’ was made by Dr Prashant Kumar Verma. Dr Ruby Bhatia and Dr Pawan Preet Mann chaired the session.

In the next presentation Dr Harpreet Kour Ishar put forward her valuable insights on the topic ‘Soft Markers: All an Obstetrician needs to know,’ with Dr Anjali Nautiyal and Dr Ruchi Gupta as chairpersons.

Then followed a panel discussion on ‘Multidisciplinary approach to the Perinate.’ Panel chairpersons were Dr Vineeta Gupta and Dr Girish Gupta; Dr Ruchira Nautiyal was moderator and the panelists included Dr Om Kumari, Dr Arti Luthra, Dr Anjali Choudhary, Dr Saikat Patra and Dr Yasir Ahmad.

The Poster Judges were Dr Anupama Bahadur and Dr Chitra Joshi.

A state level PG Quiz was a special highlight of the day, held under the chairmanship of Dr Anoosha K Ravi and Dr Archna Singh.

The conference ended with a workshop on Medical Genetics conducted by Dr Prashant Kumar Verma.

Dr Ruchira Nautiyal delivered the vote of thanks.

Raj Kanwar with malice to none

By
Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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Raj Kanwar

Dateline Dehradun: When I joined mainstream media in early 2000 I heard about Raj Kanwar, the legend of Dehradun, whose encyclopedic knowledge about Dehradun was phenomenal. Our resident-chronicler was proud of his city which in-turn showered him and his close-knit family with love and affection. 

A thorough gentleman, I remember him walking up to the stage to escort Mrs Colleen Gantzer off the stage and to her seat when she was felicitated at an event by Garhwal Post. They don’t make them like him anymore. He lived by his values and made it a point to remember everyone by name right from my parents down to my daughter, he had a personal rapport with all of them. He never missed Diwali greetings accompanied by a gift of love.  

 I last connected with him in early April regarding ‘Authors from the Valley’ a monthly session with an author from Dehradun hosted at the VoW Cafe – Gallery – Studio.  He replied in the affirmative instantly. He worked everything to the detail from his list of guests, to the seating arrangement, the high-tea to be as perfect as him and his wife Amber.  He visited the café twice: first to make sure he had the correct location and then, the second time, for the event.   

The octogenarian author made an instant connect with his audience across all age groups as he shared his encyclopaedic knowledge about his home-town. He brought alive iconic institutions such as Forest Research Institute, Indian Military Academy, Survey of India, RIMC School, Dehradun Railway Station interlaced with humor, anecdotes, datelines and carried on the session the spilled well over an hour.   

I am sure, Raj Kanwar must be in heaven as our in-house chronicler regales his audience with stories of his home, those whom he met and loved.   

We will all miss you dearly! 

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