Vatayan International Award for Dr Nishank –his contribution to literary and poetical works is matchless- Prof Tiwari
Professor Raghvendra Prasad Tiwari
Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has got another prestigious award for his outstanding contribution to literary and poetical works and this award will be an addition to the list of many other national and international awards and honours conferred to the Minister for his contribution to poetry and other literary genres and for this every Indian will feel dignified. Education Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, who implemented the New Education Policy in India, is being honoured today by the Vatayan International Award by the Vatayan-UK organization. This is a rare achievement and previously the renowned personalities like Prasoon Joshi and Javed Akhtar have been conferred with this award.
This award was established at the Royal Festival in South Bankhall by Dr. Satyendra Srivastava, a Reader in linguistics at the University of Cambridge. Vatayan-UK organization has contributed significantly to the promotion of the coordination of international literary organizations. To realize this objective this organization has planned a series of events on the lives and achievements of prominent writers and for this they have sought the cooperation of United Kingdom Hindi Association and International Hindi Family Organization.
Vatayan-UK Samman will be held virtually on 21 November and Dr. Amish Tripathi, renowned writer and director of the Nehru Center, London will be the special guest on the occasion. Mira Kaushik, Chairman Vatayan, will also be present on the occasion.
The journey of Ramesh Pokhariyal from fearless to courageous and to Nishank
Dr. Pokhriyal was born in a very poor family in Pinani village, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand to Paramanand Pokhriyal and late Vishambhari Devi. In 1980 he started the struggle for a separate Uttarakhand and in the year 2009 he became the youngest chief minister of Uttarakhand. From 2014 to 2019 he served as the chairperson of the Government Assurance Committee of Lok Sabha and presently he is serving the nation as the Education Minister of India.
The first anthology of poetry by Dr Nishank was published in 1983. Perhaps no other country in the world has such a highly educated, visionary and literary education minister who in addition to his political and social contributions to the nation is energizing the country with his great literature. Dr. Nishank has authored 14 anthologies of poetry, 12 collections of short stories, 11novels, 4 travelogues, 6 books of children literature, and 4 books for self-cultivation. In all he has got 65 of his books published. In addition to foreign languages like German, Creole, Spanish, English, French and Nepali, his works have been translated into the Indian languages like Telugu, Tamil, Malyalam, Kannad, Gujrati, Bangla, Sanskrit and Marathi . Sixteen major and minor research projects have been completed on the works of Dr Nishank in India as well as abroad. The then, President of Mauritius, Sir Anirudh Jagannath, and then, Prime Minister Dr Naveen Ramgulam have given the honour to Dr Nishank by calling him a writer whose literature has reflected on the living conditions and problems of life in Himalayas, and in whose writings humility, sensitivity and the love for the nation are clearly visible.
The former president of India Dr Gyani Zail Singh had said that in the poetry of Dr Nishank the restlessness to serve the nation is clearly visible. By implementing the New Education Policy, Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has done what Dr Gyani Zail Singh had predicted 34 years back. It is not the first time that Dr Nishank is being honoured. Before the Vatayan International Award the then president of Yuganda, Sh. Ruhkana Ruganda and the Prime Minister at that time Dr. Naveen Ramgulam had honoured him with the Human Excellence Award. Today, when Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank will be honoured with the Vatayan International Award by the Vatayan-UK organization, every Indian will feel proud of him. Two lines from Dr Nishank’s poem from his anthology Srijan ke Beej will always inspire us:
Those who do not waste time, and do not stop halfway.
Those with a passion in hearts, who sing by swinging
By sacrificing everything, they will attain success.
This will inspire all the Indians to overcome all the adversities, challenges and struggles of life and transform the opportunities into achievements with their consistent efforts and courage.
Note-
The writer is Professor Raghvendra Prasad Tiwari is a Vice-chancellor, Central University of Punjab and Member, University Grants Commission, New Delhi
November 20,2020
