Thursday, December 3, 1998
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REGIONAL BRIEFS | Thursday, December 3, 1998 |
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Marvel of a bygone era faces neglect Poised beside a hill at an altitude of about 10,000 ft is the seventh century temple of Ma Shakti at Chattrari. It's an arduous 8-km trek from Luna in the tribal area of Bharmour in Himachal Pradesh. The trek passes through terraced fields. As one wades through the alleys, an aura envelops the air, tempting one to reach the destination at a faster pace lest one misses out on something. The most noteworthy feature of this temple is that initially it was supported on one wooden pillar, although today, succumbing to pressures of time and harsh weather, it has been altered with support of additional wooden pillars. It is really a pity that one is wonder-struck at the architectural marvel of the temple but feels distressed on seeing the chipped idols and carvings within the temple. A constant threat to these temples is under way. One gets miffed on seeing the attitude of the authorities. The work ahead is enormous, time is inadequate. Yet if some sections take up the cudgels and act as custodians of this heritage, future generations could admire this stupendous work of artisans. The wooden carvings on the ceiling, walls, pillar of the structure leaves one mesmerised. Besides the inner corridor is splashed with colourful paintings based on varied themes centring around Radha-Krishna. For art lovers, it's heart-rending to see such masterpieces withering away. Within the four walls of the compound is the temple of Shiv Parvati, almost left unattended with occasional visits by stray dogs! Every September, a masked dance festival is held, which attracts a large number of tourists from far and wide. All talk of maintenance of these temples by locals is sham. Every five years a family from the village is given an opportunity to carrying out day-to-day chores of such as chanting prayers twice a day and collecting offerings made to the goddess. Needless to say if maintenance is neglected further, this marvel of a bygone era would crumble. A guide to rural women Mrs Santosh Machra, a young woman from Bhattu Kalan village of Fatehabad district, is a lady committed to the uplift of women. Mrs Machra is a familiar face, who can be easily located in the area, guiding the village woman-folk during open darbars. Mrs Santosh Machra (25) is a daughter of a armyman from Barmandori village in this district. Married to a government official at the age of 17, she joined college after marriage and contested the post of president of the college students’ union. In a backward area like Bhattu Kalan, Mrs Machra was the first woman to have contested the election for the students union. Since then there has been no looking back for her. Though a mother of two, she has been playing an active role in women’s literacy and their uplift in society. In the Bhattu Kalan area, Rajput women never ventured out of the four walls of their houses. Even water for the household was fetched by their men. She succeeded in motivating those women to come out of the four walls of their houses and see the world outside. She has also fought with the authorities to bring water supply to their areas. The Rajput women now fondly call her “Paaniwali Machra”. She accompanies widows, destitutes and the handicapped to the administrators for redressal of their grievances. A writer for Dalit cause Five books — three in Hindi and one each in English and Punjabi — 45 articles including research papers and two presentations. These are the achievements of Dr Chaman Lal, a reader in the Hindi Department of Punjabi University, Patiala. A recipient of the Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Akademi Award, Dr Chaman Lal published a book “Punjabi and Dalit images in Indian literature” in January. Next month another book “Kabhi Nahi Socha tha”, a compilation of Surjit Pattar’s poetry in Hindi, was released. In March on the martyrdom days of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Paash, another book, “Lahu hai ke Phir bhi Gata hai” — consisting of a translation of Paash’s poetry, was published. He followed this up by “Dalit Sahitya ke Agardoot — Guru Ravi Dass” — a compilation from the Dalit perspective. Another book “Kala Sahit te Sabhiachar”, a translation of Chinese writer Lu Xun’s essays in Punjabi was published by Punjabi University. Dr Lal has also translated the works of Surjit Pattar and Waryam Singh Sandhu from Punjabi to Hindi as well as those of Katyani, Taslima Nasreen and Bai Jui and from Hindi to Punjabi. (Contributed
by: Sangeeta Chawla, Sushil Manav and Jangveer Singh. ) |
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