Remembering Kedar Nath Singh

At the Smriti Sabha of Late Kedar Nath Singh in Kolkata

24 March 2018: Today evening a Smriti Sabha in honour of late Shri Kedar Nath Singh who passed away on 19 March was organized by Kalam East Kolkata at the office of Taaza TV.

I have known Late Kedar Nath Singh for many years. He was a pillar of Hindi poetry. He was also an eminent critic and essayist. He had won the Janpith Award in 2013 and earlier felicitated with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1989. He used to, through his poetry, convey complex themes in an easy and simple language.

A group of academicians, journalists and litterateurs of Kolkata met and paid their tributes to the great poet Kedar Nath Singh whose demise marks the end of an era in Hindi poetry and literature in India.

Among many others, Bishambar Newar and critic, Srinivas Sharma, Dr Amarnath, Anil Kumar, Jitendra Jitangshu, Jitendra Dheer, Kaliprasad Jaiswal, Usha Shaw, Shakun Trivedi, Laxman Jha Sagar were present. A two-minute silence was observed by the members.

With Shamlu Dudheja

Similar memorials are being observed by the local associates of Kalam in other cities like Jaipur, Patna, Raipur and so on.

Before the Smriti Sabha, I went to the Kalamandir to attend a play by the tiny tots of Kangaroo Kids School as a part of their annual concert. The theme of the play was “peaceful coexistence” between animals and humans performed by children between two to six years old.

The event, which was a sheer cuteness wrapped in innocence and colours, was attended by Mallika Varma, the school’s administrator, Shamlu Dudeja, Ambica Beri and Gauri Basu. I had the honour of felicitating Shamlu Dudeja. The play was a magic relief from the daily humdrum.

I am looking forward for my first visit to Raipur at the end of the month to attend the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Kalam Raipur with guest author Devdutt Pattanaik.

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