“What we are doing to the forests of the world, is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” As Chris Maser said. Now more than ever, our planet needs us to step up and take action towards cleaning up the mess we have created due to our selfish nature. Unfortunately, people are living in survival mode, the importance of our environment has taken a back seat. Reflecting on the severity of the problem through the fear of annihilation, is what brings us together here today at Conference Hall Gaitey Theatre, Shimla, on World Environment Day by releasing Dr Vidyanidhi’s and Dr Rama’s vision of how nature has a direct bearing on us – “Your Seasons My Season; Badla Mausam Badal Gaye Hum.” The event was organized by Keekli Book Club and the four young reviewers are members of the Club who are mentored by noted writer Minakshi Chaudhry. The chief guest for the occasion was Sh Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary Language Art & Culture Department, HP and the guest of honour was Dr Pankaj Lalit, Director, LAC; Ms Aasha Sohonee, mother of late Dr Rama Sonohee; along with an august audience of eminent writers, authors, professor such as Dr Rekha Vashist, Sh Srinivas Joshi, Sh Sudarshan Vashisht, and respectfully the list goes on.
Kanwar congratulated the young readers and said that more such programmes should be organized which are children oriented and books that are written for children should be made widely available. He narrated a few ancedotes about his tryst with book reading and shared his experiences as to when and how he became an avid reader.
The young speakers for the day were Gauri Chauhan, a student of Class 5 from Jesus & Mary, Stavya Pandit, a student of class 7, St Edward’s School; Anandya Shilpa Jhingan, a student of Class 7, from Loreto Convent Tara Hall & Pritha Doegar, a student of Class 8, from Auckland House School. The eminent writers following the juniors to share the critique about the book were Prof & Principal Meenakshi F Paul, Sh Kul Rajeev Pant, Dr Kamayani, and Sh Atma Ranjan.
The conception of any book is very important – here it was… three close buddies, three continents, three languages, three writers, and three stories. Dr Vidyanidhi from India; Dr Rama Sohonee from US; and Ms Neera Deshpande, from Australia who worked on the Marathi translation, which too shall be released soon.
An MPhil & a PhD from JNU, Dr Vidyanidhi found roots in Himachal as she spent her formative years in Dist Shimla as a teacher. She started her career as a journalist and has translated literary classics of Emile Zola, Paul Carus, Pushkin, Gorky, and many Indian authors. She has conceptualized, collected and edited 11 volumes of Kaante ki Baat by Rajendra Yadav as well as published research papers, book reviews, and articles in leading journals. Currently, living a peaceful life in Shimla, she engages as a critic and mentors young readers like us.
Late Dr. Rama Sohonee from Kanpur; worked as a Supervisor at Foreign Service Institute for more than 25 years. She did her M.Phil. from JNU and Ph.D. from Stony Brook, State University of New York. Proficient in many languages namely, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Marathi, and English, she was a versatile creative artist. She published ‘An Ordinary Gentleman and Other Stories’ and two ebooks — one of the limericks named ‘The Sphinx’, another ‘Aesop Fables’. She left for her heavenly abode in 2020 after a brave struggle with cancer.
Everyone shared an in-depth analysis about the book and the three stories featured in it. Their meaning, their importance; how life can be interpreted through Seasons, and how they impact each other in reality. This one is a definite pick for young minds as these reminds ones of the famous old fables and Panchatantra Stories, the book is available at Shimla Kitab Ghar for sale and on Amazon & Flipkart.
