literature lovers of the city witnessed a mesmerising story recital here on Tuesday at Antarang Hall, Bharat Bhavan. Padmashree, author and poet Ramesh Chandra Shah read his story Aasha Ki Kiran under a programme ‘Kahani Path’. Organised under center of literature Vagarth, Bharat Bhavan he recited his stories before the Bhopalites.
This is the first story of Shah second story collection. The story talks about two characters Aasha and Parmeshwari and their conflicts. Asha runs a small shop in village which he took from Permeshwari on rent. Parmeshwari goes town to do job and earns lot of money. After spending some years in city, he returns village and now wants to take his shop back from Aasha. The whole story revolves around this concept.
The plot is full of comedy as well as tragedy to which was read beautifully by Shah with wonderful expression at the age seventy-eight. Before reading story he shared his relation with author Prayag Shukla. He said, “Prayag is very old friend of him and met during publishing his first poem. And it is coincidence, he is with me here. He also said that I was the lover of his stories which is used to published in a magazine ‘Kahani Patrika’ earlier.”
On this aoccasion, well-known city-based author and artists including Vijay Bahadoor Singh, Padmashree Manzoor Ahtesham, Anand Sinha, Urmila Shrish, Sangeeta Gundecha, Nirmla Singha and others were present. It was presided over this programme noted author Prayag Shukla and conducted by Administrative Officer of Bharat Bhawan Prem Shanker Shukla. Shah was born in Almora in 1937 and did his M.A. and Ph.D. at Agra University. After retiring from Bhopal’s Hamidia University in 1997 as Head of the English Department, he headed the Nirala Srijanpeeth till December 2000.
Many novels including Gobarganesh, Kissa Gulam, Poorvapar, Aakhiri Din, Punarvaas, Aap Kahin Nahin Rehte Vibhooti Babu, collected Stories like Jungle Mein Aag, Muhalle Mein Ravan, Maanpatr, Theater, Pratinidhi Kahaniyan have been published. He also won many awards and recently nominated for Kendriye Sahitya Akademi Puraskar. The literature lovers were spotted among the audience and listened to him with rapt attention as he kept on reciting the stories one after the other.