Mrs Rani Trivedi, VP, UP Association.
CHICAGO: It was a sight to see a cross section of the Indian community – people from UP, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and other parts – flocking to the Hinsdale Community Center to attend a Hindi Kavi Sammelan hosted by the UP Association of Greater Chicago. With their presence, they showed their love not only for national language Hindi but also their liking for Hindi poetry.
Organizing Hasya Ras Kavi Sammelan is a regular annual event for the Association for the past twenty years and judging from the attendance this year, it would not be an exaggeration to say there was a dimming of interest or enthusiasm in the community for this type of program. It could be easily the best of all programs that the Association holds year in and year out.
The Hindi poets from India were Kunwar Bechain, Suresh Awasthi and Deepak Gupta. They lived up to their reputation as among the best in Hindi literary world now. The way they presented their poems, ghazals and the Hasya (comedy) Vyang (satire) items one after other, they enthralled the audience with no dull moment any time during the three-hour recitals. There were loud cheers and thunderous claps for each and every poet and for their presentations which reflected parody, satire, patriotism and micro-level observation of the society around.
The start was with Dr Ghanshyam Pandey, Chairman, Board of Trustees and Founder President briefly recounting the history and activities of Association established in 1991 while Ravi Arora, the president, welcomed the guests and the poets quite gracefully. Introduction of Hindi poets was left to a former president and the current Trustee Dr Subhash Pandey and he did not disappoint -executing the job wonderfully well.
Bechain Kunwar with MA, M.Com and Ph.D degrees under his belt, heads the Hindi department of MMH post graduate College in Ghaziabad. Suresh Awasthi hailing from Kanpur is a very well known Hassya Kavi. A Hindi professor and journalist, he is a prolific writer having penned 11 books. Deepak Gupta is a young poet known for his Hasya Ras creations is from Haryana. Recipient of Sanjay Gandhi Rashtriya Yuva Kavi award, he is also an acclaimed writer with many books.
The near three hours program ended with the Association Vice President, Mrs Rani Trivedi, presenting a vote of thanks acknowledging the help from the sponsors and the volunteers for making this event a great success, including Dr. Chandrakant Modi, Editor from Asian Media USA.
The Uttar Pradesh Association of Greater Chicago seeks to promote Indian music, art and culture, and of course Hindi language.
Ramesh Soparawala
India Post News Service
