Shimla - As many as 35 writers from across India are set to take the toy train on the Kalka-Shimla railway track, a UNESCO heritage site to pay their homilies to a renowned Bhalku Ram, an unconventional engineer and other workers who played leading role in the construction of the track and the Hindustan-Tibet Road during the British rule.
These writers are participating in the fifth Baba Bhalku Smriti Literary Rail Yatra, a national-level event being organised by Himalayan Literature, Culture, and Environment Forum on July 8th and 9th, 2023 here.
This literary extravaganza promises to be a memorable event that celebrates Himalayan literature, culture, and the beauty of the region, while fostering literary connections among writers from different corners of the country.
The literary tour will take place aboard the renowned Shimla-Kalka moving train, recognized as a World Heritage site.
Dr. (Col.) Dhaniram Shandil, the Health Minister of Himachal Pradesh, will inaugurate the Yatra at Shimla Railway Station as the Chief Guest.
This literary journey will bring together 35 writers, journalists, artists, and folk singers from various parts of India, said SR Harnot, renowned Hindi writer, president of the Forum.
On the first day, the train will travel from Shimla station to Barog railway station and then return to Shimla railway station.
The participants will travel by bus to Jhajha (Chail), the ancestral village and home of Baba Bhalku.
Throughout the journey, engaging sessions including storytelling, memoirs, poetry, ghazals, and music will be conducted on the train, with each session named after the railway stations.
The Station Superintendent, Sanjay Gera, and Joginder Vohra of Shimla Railway Station, will provide full guidance and cooperation for the Yatra.
Harnot said the objective of the literary tour is to celebrate our cultural heritage while fostering literary exchange and camaraderie among the participants.
The sessions will be dedicated to poetry, storytelling, memoirs, and folk songs, named after various railway stations.
The book 'Pyali Bhar Jugupsa' by Deepti Saraswat 'Pratima,' a member of the Himalaya Sahitya Manch, will be released.
The book launch ceremony will be presided over by senior journalist Romi Arora from Kanpur, with senior writer and artist Rajesh Arora from Kanpur and senior writer Jyotsna Mishra from Delhi serving as the keynote speakers.
The show will be anchored by young writer and filmmaker Dr. Devkanya.
Another novel, 'Jag Musafir,' by Seema Aseem, a novelist from Bareilly, will also be launched.
The primary focus of this literary journey is to honor the legacy of the 'engineer Baba Bhalku', who never had any education and degree, but he was a born genius, other workers who played a crucial role in surveying and constructing the Kalka Shimla track and Hindustan Tibet Road.
On the second day of the Yatra, the authors will visit Bhalku's ancestral village, Jhajha, where they will have the opportunity to meet his family members and the local villagers.
Among the esteemed writers participating in this Yatra are Dr. Kiran Sood from Dehradun, Dr. Prerna Thakre from Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, Rajesh Arora and Romi Arora from Kanpur, E.S.P. Singh from Patna Vihar, Seema Asim from Bareilly, Jyotsna Mishra, Jyoti Baxi, and Gayatri Manchanda from New Delhi, Sandeep Vaidya from Mumbai, Ravi Kumar and Anil Sharma from Bilaspur, Roshan Jaswal and Vinod Rohatki from Solan, Jagdish Bali and Hitendra Sharma from Kumar Sain.
Then there are also Dr. Vijay Laxmi Negi, Dr. Anita Sharma, Dr. Karmasingh, Dr. Dev Kanya Thakur, Lekhraj Chauhan, Dr. Madhu Sharma Katyayani, Jagdish Kashyap, Suman Dhananjay, Virendra Sharma, Jagdish Gautam, Shanti Swaroop Sharma, and Yadav Chand from Shimla.
