VIII. LITERATURE:
literature can be classified into two categories. They are:
1. Oral Literature and 2. Written Literature
A. Oral Literature
Oral literature is popularly known as folk-literature. Dogri has rich tradition of oral literature. It has all that a folk-literature should possess both in form and material. It offers an easy comparison with the folk-literature of any other language. It has survived the baneful effects of industrialism because of its remote haunt in the mountains. Due to lack of printing facilities in those areas, it has preserved its native purity of form and language. The colloquial touches are the soul of this literature. This shows its close and active kinship with practical life of the people. It runs parallel to the stream of life. Dogri folk-literature reflects the social and religious life of the natives and also tells the modes of their thinking and reactions to nature.
CLASSIFICATION AND TYPES
Folk-literature can be divided into many forms. These are traditionally, individual and group forms.
1) INDIVIDUAL FORM
In this tradition, there are folk-tales, riddles, idioms and proverbs.
FOLK-TALES
Dogri folk-tales deal with plurality of themes. They range from mythologies and mystery tales, to parables and humour. There are folk-tales dealing with social and domestic and also problems relating to local deities, saints and places of pilgrimage. About two thousand folk-tales have been collected and got published by governmental and non-governmental institutions. J&K academy of art, culture and languages has published fifteen collections of Dogri folk- tales. Some individual efforts are also done to collect and publish the same. Even then, there are thousands of folk-tales, which are not touched by electronic and print media.
FOLK-TALES OF MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS
These have their characters from Hindu mythology such as the story about sending for a वैद /ʋɛd/when रावण /raʋən/ fell ill or story of बब्बरूवाह्ण /bəbruʋaʹn/ and अर्जन /ərɟən/ and उलपी /ūləpi/ in relation to बबौर /bəbɔr/ , the ancient capital city of Dogras or the story about the killing of सुद्ध राक्षस /suʹdd rakʃəs/.
FOLK-TALES OF MYSTERY AND ADVENTURE
These folk-tales are connected with fairy, princess and devil. Suspense and thrill are the main elements of such folk-tales. In such folk-tales birds like तोता /tota/ and मैना /mɛna/ become instrumental in helping the hero or heroine of the stories. These stories start with difficulties and end with some solutions. Folk-tales of रूप-बसंत /rup bəsənt/ and कूंशजादी /kũʃəɟadi/ are the typical examples.
FOLK-TALES OF PARABLES
These are the folk-tales, which have characters like birds and animals. Such stories usually point at certain moral or practical wisdom. मिरग ते गिद्द /mīrəg te gīddə/ शेरै दा दिल /ʃerɛ da dīl/, पक्खरु दी सिक्ख /pəkkhəru di sikkh/ etc. are the folk-tales of this category.
FOLK-TALES OF HUMOUR AND SATIRE
Dogri has a number of folk-tales, which deals with humour and satire. They have fits of laughter as well as pinches of satirical remarks, given by the main characters. कंजूस शाह् /kəɲɟus ʃaʹ/ (miser businessman),सिद्धी ते मूर्ख जाननी /sīʹddi te murkhə ɟənani/ (simple and foolish lady) are the main characters in these folk-tales. Few examples of folk-tales are नक्कै दी सेद्धा जायां ते साग ढोडा खायां /nəkkɛ di seʹda ɟajaʹ te sag ʈoʹɖa khajã/ , रानी खांदा साला /rani khãda sala/ आलसी टब्बर /aləsi ʈəbbər/ etc.
FOLK-TALES OF SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC PROBLEMS
These are folk-tales with social problems such as un-touchability, folk customes, folk superstitions etc. In such folk-tales, there are animosities and bickering between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law or between co-wives or between sisters-in-law. Few examples of Dogri folk-tales are चमेली दा फुल्ल /cəmeli da phūll/, आलसी पुत्तर /aləsi pūttər/, and ओडनूं /oɖənũ/ etc.
FOLK-TALES OF LOCAL DEITIES, SAINTS
Folk-tales like those about, भैड़ /pɛʹṛ/ सिद्ध गौरिया /sīdd gɔrīja/ माता वैष्णो देवी /mata ʋɛʃno deʋī/ बावा सुरगल /baʋa surgəl/ भैरो /pɛʹro/ कालीवीर /kaliʋir/ बावा रणु /baʋa rənū/ बावा जित्तो /baʋa ɟītto/ etc.belong to these categories. These characters have a strong impact on the minds of the people. Folk- tale of बावा जित्तो /baʋa ɟītto/ is a good example, who had sacrificed his life for his rights. He stood for his rights against extortion by the feudal chief. He killed himself in protest and his spirit haunted the chief and his family.
FOLK-RIDDLES
Folk-riddles are called फलौह्नियां /phəlɔnījã/ in Dogri. These riddles occupy an important place in the life of the Dogra community. The elders pose these riddles to children usually at night. The children try to find out the answers. These are the costless mode of entertainment and knowledge for the folk and it also stimulate the imagination. There is variety of themes associated with riddles. They can be classified into following subjects:-
1) Riddles relating with folk-life
जिन्नी मिलै उन्नी गै खाऽ
फ्ही बी ओह्दी भुक्ख निं जाऽ । (चक्की)
/ɟīnni mīlɛ ūnni gɛ kha:,
ph ὶ bi oʹdi pūʹkhə nĩ ɟa:/ /cəkki/
2) Riddles relating with farming and agriculture
बब्बै पुत्तरै दा इक्कै नाऽ
बब्ब रौंह्दा इक्कै थाऽ
पुत्तर फिरदा ग्रां ग्रां ।
(बब्ब अम्बै दा बूह्टा ते पुत्तर अम्बै दा फल)
/bəbbɛ puttərɛ da īkkɛ nĩ:
bəbbə rɔʹnda ikkɛ thĩ:
pūttər phirda graʹ - grĩ/
/bəbbə əmbɛ da buʹta te pūttər əmbɛ da phəl/
3) Riddles relating with insects, birds and animals
इन्नी हारी कुड़ी, राजे कन्नै भत्त खंदी । (मक्खी)
/inni aʹri kūṛi
raɟe kənnɛ pəʹttə khəndi/ /məkkhi/
4) Riddles relating with the parts of the body
मारां इक, बज्जन पंज ( हत्थ )
/marĩ ik bəɟɟən pəɲɟ/ /əʹtthə/
5) Riddles relating with nature
काली कम्बली तिल बद्धे
दिनें गोआचे रातीं लब्भे ( न्हेरा, गास ते तारे )
/kali kəmbəli til bəʹdde,
dinẽ goace ratĩ ləʹbbe/ /neʹra, gas te tare/
6) Riddles relating with mythology
इक शकारी शकार चढेआ, नाऽ ओह्दा चन्द
उस ऐसा मिरग मारेआ,
जिसगी सोलां बीहां दंद। ( राम ते रावण )
/ik ʃəkari ʃəkar cəʹṛea, nã: oʹda cəndə,
us aisa mirəg marea, ɟisəgi solaʹ biaãʹ dəndə/ /ram te raʋən/
7) Riddles relating with domestic articles etc.
ओलनी मोलनी दरोआजे च खोह्लनी। ( नुक्क )
/oləni moləni dəroaɟe cə khoʹləni/ /nūkkə/
IDIOMS AND PROVERBS
Dogri Idioms and proverbs form a very important element of Dogri folk-literature. Besides being treasuries of suitable and effective use of language, these are also storehouses of information and knowledge about Dogra life, their practical wisdom, thinking and beliefs. About six thousand idioms are collected and published by an individual researcher. Few chief characteristics of Dogri idioms are as under: -
1) A large number of idioms are connected with parts of human body, such as हिरदा /iʹrəda/ (heart),गला /gəla/ (matter), कन्न /kənnə/ (ear), दंद /dəndə/ (teeth), सिर /sir/ (head), मन /mən/ (mind), अक्ख /əkkhə/ (eye), etc and objects of daily use such as शीशा /ʃiʃa/ (mirror).
2) Others are connected with nature like सूरज /surəj/(sun), चन्न /cənnə/ (moon),तारे /tare/ (stars), ब्हाऽ /baʹ: /(air),अम्बर /əmbər/ (sky) etc.
3) Few idioms have more than one meaning e.g. गल्ल लानी /gəllə lani/ means both& to start a topic and to taunt.
4) Few idioms, very much alike in construction, change their meanings with change in one or two words. Such as: - नांऽ रक्खना /nã: rəkkhna/ means ‘to put a price’. नांऽ रक्खी लैना /nã: rəkkhi lɛna/ means ‘to preserve honour’. नांऽ रेही जाना /nã: rəiʹ ɟana/ means ‘to remain in name only’.
5) Some idioms retain the same meaning even after change of a word or two. such as:-
नास करना /nas kərəna/ नास मारना /nas mərəna / नास पुट्टना /nas pūʈʈəna/ all means the same thing ‘ to destroy’
6) Some idioms change their meanings when they are used in plural, such as:-
नजर फटनी / nəɟər phəʈəni / means ‘to get dazed on seeing from a great height. नजरां फटी जानियां / nəɟərã phəʈi ɟanijã / means‘to go to one’s head’.
PROVERBS These are called खोआन /khoan/ in Dogri. They have the quality of saying much in the fewest words. Dogri proverbs can be classified as under:-
1- Containing the philosophy of life.
दंद गे सुआद गेआ, अक्खां गेइयां, ज्हान गेआ।
/dəndə ge suad gea, əkkhã geijã ɟaʹn gea /
2- Containing close connection of religion and mythology with the daily life of the people.
खाने गी चतरभुज ते कम्मे गी जगननाथ।
/khane gi cətərpūʹɟ te kəmmɛ gi ɟəgənənath/
3- Containing morals.
जमात करामात
/ɟəmat kəramat/
4- Containing the essence of experience.
बरसांती सवै ते स्यालै रोवै।
/bərsanti səʋɛ te sjalɛ roʋɛ/
5- Containing witty and satirical comments.
बड्डा कां ढेरा पर गै बौह्दा।
/bəɖɖa kaʹ ʈeʹra pər gɛ boʹnda/
6- Containing the comments on caste system.
जट्ट मुकद्दम ब्रैहमन शाह् ,
बनियां हाकम-कैह्र खुदा।
/ɟəʈʈə mūkəddəm brɛʹmən ʃaʹ,
bənijaʹ aʹkəm kɛʹr khūda/
7- Containing the information of changing seasons.
जिन्ना कढै, उन्ना बरै।
/ɟinna kəʹṛɛ, ūnna bəʹrɛ/
मिलकेआ तां खिसकेआ, गुड़केआ तां छुड़केआ।
/miləkea tã khisəkea, gūṛəkea tã chūṛəkea/
8- Containing the information of agricultural activities.
जिन्दे कोह्लै दाने, उन्दे कमले बी स्याने।
/ɟiʹnde koʹlɛ dane, ūnde kəməle bi sjane/
उत्तम खेती मद्धम बपार,
नखिद्ध चाकरी भिक्ख दोआर।
/ūttəm kheti məʹddəm bəpar,
nəʹkhid cakəri pὶkkhə doar /
2) GROUP FORM
Second form of oral tradition is called Group form. In this form, one can find Folk Song and Folk Ballads.
FOLK- SONGS
It is the most popular type of oral literature. In folk-songs, one can find every aspect of Dogra life. These songs are innumerable and their forms are many. The songs sung on the various occasions have different names. The common types of Dogri folk-songs are as under:-
1) CEREMONIAL SONGS:
The ritual or ceremonial songs are usually sung at the time of some social ceremonies like the songs sung at the birth of an infant, at the marriage of a son or daughter or at the death of a near and dear. These ritual songs can be classified in three types:-
i) FOLK-SONGS SUNG AT THE BIRTH OF AN INFANT
These are called बिहाइयां /biàijã/ in Dogri and sung on the birth, birth-days of male baby and ceremonies like रीतां /ritã/ and सूतरा /sutəra/ of male child. Here is an example of this song :-
घर नंद जी दे बज्जन बधाइयां जी, घर नंद जी दे। बज्जन बधाइयां ते चढ़न कड़ाहियां जी, घर नंद जी दे। /kə̀r nəndə ɟi de bədàən bədàijã ɟi, kə̀r nəndə ɟi de bəɟɟən bədàijã te cəʹṛən kəṛaὶjã ɟi kə̀r nəndə ɟi de/
ii) FOLK-SONGS SUNG AT THE MARRIAGE OF SON OR DAUGHTER:
There is a variety in this type of songs e.g. songs sung at the bridegroom’s house are called घोड़ियां /kòṛijã/ and those sung at the bride’s house are called सोहाग /soàg/.In addition to these two types, there are सिठनियां /siʈhənijã/, छंद /chəndə/ and बोल्लियां /bollijã/, which are also sung on the occasion of marriage.
Examples of these folk- songs are as under:-
घोड़ी /koʹṛi/ :-
सांती बैठे लाड़े गी गर्मी आई, पक्खा झोलै नाई बेलां दिंदी माई। सेह्रा लांदे लाड़े गी गर्मी आई, पक्खा झोलै नाई बेलां दिंदी माई। /sãti bɛʈhe laṛe gi gərmi ai pəkkha ɟòlɛ nai, belã dindi mai seʹra lande laṛe gi gərmi ai pəkkha còləɛ nai belã dindi mai/
सोहाग /soaʹg/:-
मेरे बाबल जी, बेदी च बोलदे न तोते, तुस बोलदे की नेई। मेरे बाबल जी, हून निं आखो धी साढी, में होई आं पराई। /mere babəl ɟi, bedi cə boləde nə tote, tūs boləde ki neĩ mere babəl ɟi, ùn ni akho tὶ sàṛi men òi ã pərai/
सिठनी /siʈhəni/ :-
आई जा जिजा, आई जा जिजा, आ साढै कारखानै तुगी लोहे दा कम्म सखाई देचै। तेरी माऊ दी बनी जा रेलगड्डी तेरे बापू दा इंजन बनाई देचै। /ai ɟa ɟiɟa, ai ɟa ɟiɟa, a saṛe karkhanɛ, tūgi loè da kəmm səkhaji decɛ- teri mau di bəni ɟa rel gəddi tere bapu da inɟənə bənai decɛ/
छंद /chəndə/ :-
छंद परागे आओ जाओ, छंदा अग्गें केसर, सस्स मेरी ऐ पारवती ते सौह्रा मेरा परमेसर। /chəndə pərage ao ɟao, chənda əggẽ kesər səssə meri parəʋati te soʹra mera pərəmesər/
iii) FOLK- SONGS SUNG AT THE DEATH OF A NEAR AND DEAR:
Certain folk songs are sung on the occassion of death. One is called लोहानियां /loànijã/] which is sung in a fast tempo and other is पल्ला /pəlla/ , which is sung in a slow dirge-like movement, laying stress on two words to the accompaniment of sobbing and weeping.
2) FESTIVAL SONGS
There are many songs connected with festivals like Holi, Lohri, Navratre,etc. Male groups sing Holi songs, where as Navratre songs are sung by female groups. Only Lohri songs are sung by boys and girls in separate groups each. Groups of boys and girls go from door to door and sing Lohri songs and collect fuel and money for celebrating the festival. They take बधाइयां /badàijã/ from the families, who are celebrating Lohri for their newly born male child or the marriage of their son.
Followings are the songs sung by male and female group.
The popular /loʹri/ song sung by boys is :-
एरनी भई एरनी, एरनी। पुट्ठी चक्की फेरनी, एरनी। /erəni bə̀i erəni, erəni, pūʈʈhi cəkki phərəni erəni/
The prominent song sung by females is:-
कोटे पर सुट्टो सलाई जी, फलाने दी करो कड़माई जी। *(Name of the unmarried and elder boy) /koʈhe pər sūʹʈʈo səlai ɟi, phəlane di kəro kəṛmai ɟi/
Some folk songs are also connected with local fairs like सुद्धी दा मेला /sūʹddi da mela/, उत्तरबैह्नी दा मेला /ūttəbɛʹni da mela/, कुल्लू दा मेला /kūllu da mela/ etc. Local folk-singers sing the songs at the above places with great devotion and faith.
3) RELIGIOUS SONGS
There are a variety of songs in this category. They are as under: -
1) विशनपते /biʃənəpəte/ 2) भजन /pə̀ɟən/ 3) भेटां /pə̀ʈã/ 4) आरती /arəti/ 5) गुजरी /gūɟəri /
These are regarded as devotional folk songs.
/biʃənəpəte/ and /pʹɟən/ are similar in rhyme and theme. Both are connected with the praise of God. Where as भेटां /pə̀ʈã/, focus on the goddesses and lay more stress on their mythical nature. भेटां /pə̀ʈã/ are also called votive songs, which are chanted by the professionals to raise some means of living. Artis are devotional hymns. In Dogri folk songs, there are very popular artis of lord
Shiva, Devi Bhagwati, Lakshmi Narayan etc. /gūɟəri/ is a type of folk-song concerning with /kriʃɳə lila/
Few examples of these folk- songs are as under: -
/biʃənəpəte/ :-
तेरा भेत कुसै निं पाया, मेरे भगवान जी।
बागें च तुप्पी आई,
माल्ली शा पुच्छी आई,
फुल्ले च छप्पी रेह् भगवान, मेरे भगवान जी।
/tera pèt kūsɛ ni paja,
mere pəgəʋàn
bagẽ cə tūppi ai,
mali ʃa pūcchi ai,
phūllẽ cə chəppi reʹpəgəʋàn, mere pəgəʋàn ɟi/
/pə̀ʈã/ :-
जोतां जगदियां दरबार,
माता रानी दे दरबार,
जोतां जगदियां जी।
/ɟotã ɟəgədijã dərəʋar,
mata rani de dərəʋar,
ɟotã ɟəgdijã ɟi/
/arəti/ :-
पैहली आरती दूई सेवा,
जी गायो मेरी मइया जी ती आरती,
कन्नै सिंधे दा बेल्ला,
चौकीदारें दा बेल्ला,
जोडीदारें दा बेल्ला,
जै देवी।
/pɛʹli arəti dui seʋa,
ɟi gajo meri meija ɟi di arəti,
kənnɛ siʹŋgẽ da bela,
cɔkidarẽ da bela,
ɟoṛidarẽ da bela,
ɟɛ devi/
4) SEASONAL SONGS
There are three types of seasonal folk-songs in Dogri. They are called छिंझा /chiʹɲɟã/, रित्तडियां /rittəṛijẽ/ and ढोलरू /ʈòləru/. These songs are sung by wondering minstrels who go from house to house to announce the name of new month of vikrami samvat by singing these folk- songs and beating drum. But /chiʹɲɟã/ songs are usually sung at the places of folk deities on the occasion of /chiʹnɟãʹ/ fairs. There is one more type of folk- songs associated with description of the seasons of twelve months. This is called /baraʹ maʹʹ/ In such songs emotional state of females , whose husbands are separated from them for earning, is described in a touching manner.
Few examples of these songs are as under:-
/ʈòləru/:- देआं माए मेरा ओढनू , मेरा गोहनू , मे मरूआ गुड्डन जाना। भला जी, मरूआ गुड्डन जाना, लोभी मरूए दा। /deã mae mera oʈə̀nu, kənnɛ goɖənu, mẽ mərūa gūɖɖən ɟana pə̀la ɟi, mərūa gūɖɖən ɟana, loʹbi mərʋe da.
O mother, please give me my dupatta and digging instrument, I want to go to dig the land. Song proceeds with the demand of other tools used by the farming community. Folk- songs sung during various seasons are mostly a kind of separation songs, sung by the females for their lovers or husbands. Few examples are as under: -
सैलियां दारां पौना फुहारां, मेरा रेशमी चीरा सिज्जेआ। चीरे गी धोन्नी आं, छम-छम रोन्नी आं, सज्जन परदे सें गी टोरेआ। /sɛlijã tàrã pɔn phūàrã, mera reʃəmi cira siɟɟea, cire gi tònni ã, chəm chəm ronni ã səɟɟən pərdesẽ gi ʈorea/
In this song, the female is remembering her lover, who is not with her at this pleasant moment. She has sent him to the far land to earn bread. The rain falling on the green hills, is creating an environment for her to miss him.
जम्मू दियां कंडियां बरखा लग्गी दी ते धारें पवै दे पाले, ओ शौंकिया चम्बे देआ। /ɟəmmu dija kəʹɳɖia bərkha laggi di, te tàreʹ pəʋɛ de pale, o ʃɔ̃kija cəmbe dea/
This is the song connected with winter season. Male is preferring to go to Chamba, where as the female is convincing him that the winter season of Jammu is also very charming and pleasant. So there is no justification for visiting Chamba.
5) WORKER’S SONGS
सोआडी /soaṛi/, गरलोडी /gərəloɖi/ and लाद्धी /laddi/ are such folk songs, which are sung by workers at their work places. Workers, working in the field sing /soaṛi/, working in the jungle sing /gərəloɖi/ and putting roof sing /laddi/.
6) PLAY SONGS
Such folk- songs are connected with children and their plays. These songs are sung by the boys and girls separately. There are so many games in which singing a song is a must for every player like कीकली /kikəli/, कोकला शपाकी /kokəla ʃəpaki/ etc.
7) LULLABIES SONGS
Lullabies are popularly known as लोरियां /lorijã/. It is sung by the ladies, especially mothers for their infants to make them sleep or to make them quiet. These are usually expressive of the affection, hopes and fears of mothers for their infants.
8) MISCELLANEOUS SONGS
Joint family is the basic unit of Dogra life and there are many folk- songs which deal with the life of a bride at her father-in-law’s house, her life at her parents’ house, mutual feelings between the daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law, between bride and her husband’s sister, between brothers and sisters, between mother and son and between husband and wife. There are folk- songs, which contain the feelings of every human beings love, hatred, affection, anger etc.
i) LOVE SONGS
Love songs are most popular in Dogri. They are of two types namely meeting songs and parting songs.
Meeting folk songs are less in number in comparison to parting folk songs. Love songs of Gaddis are heard in the upper ranges of Dhaula Dhar, upper parts of Kangra and some parts of chamba. Love songs of सज्जन /səɟɟən/ and सज्जनी /səɟɟəni/ are sung in Kishtavad, Padar and on the banks of river Chenab.
ii) PUBLICITY SONGS
Such songs are originated by the folk from time-to-time. These contain some propaganda and publicity regarding the current issues like Small savings, literacy, use of khadi, family Planning, Environment etc.
FOLK-BALLADS
These are long narrative poems. In Dogri oral tradition, folk ballads are broadly classified into two groups. They are: -
i) कारकां /karəkã/ and ii) बारां /barã/
dkjdka /karəkaʹ/
कारकां /karəkã/ deal with description of incidents in the lives of gods, goddesses, saints and martyrs. They are sung by folk-singers popularly known as Jogis and garris. Usually these ballads are sung at the shrines of the concerned gods and goddesses and at the dehris of the martyrs. Karak of /baʋa ɟitto/ and /data rənu/ are very popular in Duggar. /baʋa ɟitto/ had sacrificed his life in the grain field against exploitation by the then ruler Mehta Bir Singh. He had ended his life by stabbing a sickle in to his stomach. But according to data available, Ranu’s life was taken by the victims as he had given the decision in favour of justice and not in favour of cruel landlord.
ii) बारां / barã/
These are heroic ballads, which contain valor, courage, sacrifice and skill in the battlefield of renowned heroes. They are sung on the occasions of fairs and festivals. Hereditary minstrels, who sing these bars, are called दरेस /dəres/. Usually these bars are created by these minstrels. The most popular bars are of राजा गोपिचंद /raɟa gopicənd/ , राजा भर्तहरी /raɟa pə̀rtəriə̀ri/ , मंडलीक /məɳɖəlik/, राम सिंह पठानिया /ram siʹng pəʈhanija/ etc. At some places, bars of मियां डीडो /mijã ɖiɖo/, वजीर जोरावर सिंह /ʋəɟir ɟoraʋər siʹng/, जैमल फत्ता /ɟɛməl phətta/, कालीवीर /kaliʋir/ are also fairly popular. Some scholars are astonished by the facts that despite a few (long) love songs like भागू गिलमो /pàgu - giləmo/] कुंजू-चैंचलो /kūɲ ɟu - cɛɲcəlo/ there is no complete love ballad in Dogri. Reason may be any. In fact, in Duggar, there is a great respect for social values. Hence, no minstrel could dare to establish such subjects in their ballads. Sacrifice, bravery in the battle field, preservation of honours at the cost of one’s life etc. are the values, which are contained in these folk- ballads, but there is no place for a subject like love.
B. WRITTEN LITERATURE
1. History
The creative literary process in Dogri can be analyzed in two stages i.e. the stage of earlier writings and the stage of continuous writings.
The earlier literary process in Dogri literature is a long period from sixteenth century A.D to the first half of twentieth century. But in this long period, one could only get a few and scantly literary and semi-literary pieces of writings. Actually, this earlier stage was the stage of multi-lingual literary activities in this region, when many writers of this region were experimenting their creative genius in other Indian Languages like Hindi, Hindustani, Urdu, Punjabi, Brajbhasha etc and only a few were doing some efforts in Dogri in forms of short poems, devotional songs and poems and some translations.
Manak Chank (1565) of Kangra and Ganbhir Rai (1650) have written very short poems in praise of Raja Roop Chand of Kangra and Raja Jagat singh of Noorpur respectively. Devi Ditta, popularly known as Dattu, (who was the court poet of Maharaja Ranjit Dev of Jammu during 18th Century A.D) wrote qualitative poems in Dogri. The most popular poem of Dattu is:
किल्लिया बताना छुड़ी दिता, इब्बै साथे कन्नै भरी ल्यौन्नी आं पानी। /killija bəttəna chūṛi ditta, ibbɛ sathe kənnɛ pə̀ri ljɔnni ã pani/
Though the quantity of the poems is too small (two-three) these can be taken as good instances of Dogri poetry, full of literary qualities-content. Devotional songs of poet Maya Das (18th century A.D) are very popular among the masses.
In the nineteenth century A.D Trilochan, Ganga Ram, Lakkhu, Hakam Jat, Rudra Datt also contributed to the genre of poetry with their small and scanty writings.
Specimen poetry pieces of selective poets are as under: बाजरे दी राखी करी, डंगर चराई करी, चिड़िया उड़ाई करी, कियां कियां कत्ताना। रंगाराम /bajəre di rakhi kəri, ɖəŋgər cərai kəri, ciṛijã ūṛai kəri, kiʹjã- kiʹjã kəttəna/ दिक्खी लै रामधना प्रीता दी रीता गी, लटकना कच्चिया तंदा कन्नै। दना बर कुसै गी मंदा नेई बोलना, चन्ना दी चाननी चन्ना कनै। रामघन /dikkhi lɛ ramtèna prita di rita gi, ləʈəkəna kəccija tənda kənnɛ, dəna pèr kūsɛ gi mənda neĩ boləna, c2nna di canəni cənna kənnɛ/
Mehta Mathura Das, Ram Prapanna Shastri, Sant Ram Shastri, Baba Krushi Ram, Ram Dhan, Pt. Hardatt Shastri etc continued to write till first half of this century.
Pt. Hardatt Shastri, who popularized this genre through religious and devotional songs, also published his book entitled Dogri Bhajan Mala in the decade of thirties.
The continuous stream of writing in Dogri began in the decade of forties. Though the age of continuous writing in Dogri is merely of about six decades, yet in a short span of time, it has achieved much in respect of quantity as well as quality.
Semi-literary works of this period include translation works from other languages into Dogri, like: -
a) rətɔli (Rajauli) b) dharən Pustək (Dharam Pustak) c) lila Uəti (LEELAVATI) d) bhaguət gitə (prose translation in Dogri)
Poetry
When one speaks of Dogri poetry, he/she would find it the most popular and richest genre with variety of forms, number of writers and publications. Due to the efforts of Dogri Samstha, many Dogri poems were written, though very few got published by the end of forties.
The very first poetry book of contemporary Dogri poetry entitled गुतलूं /gūtəlũ/ (titillation) written by Dinu Bhai Pant, the first poet of the continuous stream, contains all the seven poems on diverse themes of contemporary interest such as awakening of peasants and labourers, mendacity and manipulation of leaders, impatience of people to get independence, humour and pathos of ill-matched marriages prevailing in the region, natural beauty of Dogra land etc. The most popular poem of this collection is गुतलूं /gūtəlũ/. Similarly, the other poets of that beginning period raised their voice through their poetic expression on the burning issues of society at that time.
Then the decades of fifties and sixties remained very important in the history and development of Dogri literature in general and Dogri poetry in particular. Four very elderly poets namely Swami Brahma Nand Teerth, Thakur Raghunath Singh Sambyal, Shambhunath Sharma and Ram Lal Sharma, who started writing after fifty years of their age, contributed a lot to the genre of Dogri poetry in respect of bulk strength and respectability. The senior poets like Dinu Bhai Pant, Ramnath Shastri, Yash Sharma, Ved Pal Deep, Parmanand Almast, and Tara Smail Puri, who were already committed towards their literary responsibility added more.
And since 1950 A.D, more than a thousand poets emerged on the Dogri literary scene from different backgrounds spreading from Jammu City to the interior parts of Jammu Province, who have made significant and lasting contribution to Dogri poetry. Kehri Singh Madhukar (1929), Padma Sachdev (1940) and Charan Singh (1931-1969) have been great pillars of Dogri poetry.
Madhukar has published four collections namely: नमियां मिंजरां /nəmijã miɲɟərã/ डोला कुन ठप्पोआ /ɖola kūʹn ʈhəppea/ मे मेले रा जानू। /mẽ mele ra ɟənu/ and पद्म गोखरू /pədəm gokhəru/.
His poetry is characterized by great energy- a spontaneous flow of words and images, a deep concern for humanity and a bright ray of optimism.
Padma Sachdev has published seven collections - six poems and one is a collection of four-line verse composition popularly known as किता /kita/ or चमुखा /cəmūkhe/ in dogri. The titles of her collections are मेरी कविता, मेरे गीत /meri kəʋita mere git/, तवी ते चन्हां /təʹʋi te cənãʹ/, न्हेरियां गलियां /nèrijã gəlijã/, उत्तरबैह्नी /ūttərəbɛʹni/ and धैतियां /tɛ̃ʹthijã/. The bulk of her poetry is reflective of feminine emotions and feelings, deep love for Dogri, Dogra Land, Dogra way of life.
Charan Singh, who was an innovator and trendsetter, could contribute one collection of his poems जोत /ɟot/ in 1964 A.D. His poems are full of personal anguish, captured with remarkable intensity and depth in memorable images.
Among other prominent poets, Narsingh Dev Jamwal, Mohan Lal Spolia and Shiv Ram Deep have shown remarkable maturity of thought and innovation in their work. Narsingh Dev Jamwal contributed five collections of poetry - two ghazal collections, one collection of poems, one of songs and one of three line verse compositions called त्रोटक /troʈak/ in Dogri. The titles of his collections are - नमी कविता, नमे रस्ते /nəmĩ kəʋita, nəmẽ rəsəte/, कोरज /korəɟ/, सगात /səgat/, ठाह्रमां रोज /ʈhaʹrəmã roɟ / (all collections of Poetry), शमां मलै की धड़की-धड़की/ʃəmã; ɟəlɛ ki tə̀ṛəki-tə̀ṛəki/, बुनतर /būnətər/ (all collections of Ghazals), and मोतिया खलारै खुश्बू /motija khəlarɛ khūʃbu/ (collection of songs).
Mohan Lal Sapolia also contributed to Dogri poetry as much in the sense that started with political pamphleteering in verse and also produced five books in poetry. Out of those, four got published in his lifetime and one after his death. Shiv Ram Deep has also enriched Dogri poetry with his remarkable poetic genius. He has contributed two collections of ghazals, three collections of poems and one collection of children poetry. The titles of his collections are - गमले दे कैक्टस /gəmle de kɛkʈūs/, शबील अग्नि दी /ʃəbil əgni di/ (Ghazal), इक लीकर, केई परचामें /ik likər keĩ pərəchameʹ/, मांगमी लतै दी दौड़ /mãgəmi ləttẽ di dɔṛ/ पीड़ पखोरू सुनै गास /piṛ pəɲheru sūnne gas/ (poetry), इक बारी दी गल्ल /ik bari di gəllə/ (children poetry). He is equally at ease in writing poems and ghazals and his poetry usage of language is in a very typical and spontaneous way. Kunwar ‘Viyogi’ and Dhian Singh both are experimentalists and have shown some innovations in their experiments with forms. Kunwar ‘Viyogi’ used घर /gə̀r/ (home) as symbol and center of life and love. He has a long poem of 238 four line-verses on this very symbol. He has also published Dogri’s first sonnet - collection namely पैह्लियां बांगां /pɛʹlijã bãŋgã/.
Dhian Singh has also introduced some new forms in Dogri poetry on the pattern of folk forms like /pàkh/, /ʈəppa/, /chəndə/ etc. Prominent titles of the author are - फिलहाल /philəàl/, सिलसला /siləsəla/, सरिश्ता /səriʃta/, सोस /sos/, पढ़दे गुढ़दे रौह्ना /pəʹṛəde gūʹṛəde rɔʹna/.
O.P. Sharma ‘Sarthi’, a poet of modern sensibility has added a new dimension to Dogri poetry i.e. search for meaning in life. His two books of long poems namely तंदा /təndã/ (threads) and परतां /pərətã/ (layers) have enriched Dogri poetry in form.
Jitendra Udampuri -a silent, but prolific worker has also made a valuable contribution of nine books presenting a whole range of current poetic forms-poem, ghazal, epic, song, devotional song etc. Representing titles of the author are गीतगंगा /gitəgəŋga/ (devotional songs), जित्तो /ɟitto/ (epic) बस्ती-बस्ती /bəsti - bəsti/, पीड़ें दी बारत /piṛẽ di bərat/, (all collections of ghazals) चाननी /canəni/ (long poem), बनजारा /bənəɟara/, चेतें दे सूरजमुखी /cətẽ de surəɟmūkhi/, इक शैह्र यादें दा /ik ʃɛʹr jadẽ da/, किश कलियां तेरे नांऽ/kiʃ kəlijã tere nã:/ ‘all collections of poems’ etc. Prakash Premi has placed himself among eminent Dogri poets with a single epic बेद्दन धरती दी /beddən tə̀rəti di/ representing the theme of sufferings of the mother, earth and women. Ashawani Magotra, who enriched Dogri poetry with his four compositions based on four different forms of poetry i.e. poem, ghazal, long poem and epic of a varied form, gave new dimensions to Dogri poetry in respect of dramatic vision of modern sensitivity, impressive linguistic usages and deep expression and communication. The titles of his books are - खुबटियां /Khūbəʈijã/, लैह्रा /lɛʹrã/, मेरी बस्ती मेरे लोक /meri bəsti mere lok/, झुल्ल बड़ा देआ पत्तरा /ɟūʹllə bəṛa dea pəttəra/.
Among the more promising Dogri poets are Mohan Singh, Gyaneshwar, Santosh Khajuria, Virender Kesar, Arvind, Abhishap, Darshan ‘Darshi’, Champa Sharma and many more. A large number of budding poets are also enriching this genre of Dogri literature with their creative expression.
Today’s Dogri poetry is a complete and rich genre in itself. Verse compositions, ghazal, blank verse, poems, long poems, epics, short epics, songs, four line verse compositions called किता /kita/ चपंक्ता /cəpəŋkta/ or चमुखा /cəmūkha/ (four faced verse compositions), त्रोटक /troʈək/ ‘three line compositions’ छंद /chəndə/ and भाख /bàkh/ (a typical lyric of Dogri) on the pattern of folk song also based on folk lyrics. etc. are popular forms of contemporary Dogri poetry. Out of all these forms, ghazal has attained great popularity during the decades of seventies, eighties, nineties and the millennium. Besides, Sonnets and Haiku – the western forms of poetry are also emerging in the present scenario of Dogri poetry.
Content wise, it is very rich and integrally related to the contemporary Dogra way of life and Dogra society. No doubt, the poetry of early stage i.e. poetry of scanty spasmodic writing period, since sixteenth century A.D, was confined to the religious themes and some difficulties of Dogra household life.
Now, if one focuses on the trends of contemporary Dogri poetry, he/she will see certain trends like patriotism, protest against social and political inconsistencies, revolution against social and economic disparities, or imbalance etc prevalent from the very beginning to the present time. It is obvious because the contemporary Dogri poetry has opened its eyes in the lap of crisis – social crisis, political crisis, and economic crisis, crisis of internal and external war and so on. This land of Duggar had to face a number of wars and attacks from neighbouring countries of Pakistan and China since 1947 A.D to the end of this millennium.
The most popular trend of Dogri poetry, which has always been there from the very beginning as an integral part of Dogri poetry is progressive trend. The doyen of modern poetry Dinu Bhai Pant is basically known for his progressive ideology. His poems like मेह्नतू ता गीत /meʹnətu da git/ (song of hard-work), गुजरी /gūɟəri/ (the milk maid) etc. are the best instances of this very trend.
Other poets like Madhukar, Ved Pal Deep, and Narsingh Dev Jamwal etc are also best known for their progressive ideology in creative process.
In Dogri, contemporary poetry, revolutionary trend against social and economic disparities and political exploitation remained very prominent since forties to the present time.
Dinu Bhai Pant in his poem जीना इस गुलामी दा /ɟina is gūlami da/ (Life of slavery) says - better to die rather live like a slave.
Poet Shambhu Nath’s poem फूलां दा कुरता /phulã da kūrəta/ (Shirt of Phoolan) depicts the miserable condition of that poor father, who cannot manage a shirt for her daughter to wear.
Yash Sharma’s poem करसान /kərəsan/ (The Farmer), is a poem on a farmer, who works hard day and night but has nothing to eat, to wear and shelter to sleep revolting in satiristic way.
Padma sachdev’s poem राजे दियां मंडियां /raɟe dijã məɳɖijã/ (The palaces of king) is a matchless example of this very trend.
A senior poet of Dogri, Kishan Smailpuri has also expressed his feelings in his poem असें एह् दिन पुट्टी सुट्टने न /əsẽ eʹ din pūʈʈi sūʈʈəne nə/ (We will turn these days out).
The poet Kehri Singh Madhukar has also adopted this revolutionary trend in his poem कोह्लू /koʹlu/ (The oil mill). The poet has depicted a deep gap between haves and have-nots and has provoked the have-nots to get rid of their exploitation by the haves. Here, he uses the symbol of कोह्लू /koʹlu/ for ‘haves’ and बलद /bələd/ ‘The bull’ for have-nots. In the poetry of nineties, the depiction of such disparities is there with full intensity.
Now, the poet adopts the ways of satire and irony towards these inconsistencies of administration and society as well. Shiv Ram Deep, the poet of modern sensibility attacks on these ill practices of leaders and bureaucrats in his poems मदारी /mədari/ (Juggler), रौनकां /rɔnəkã/ ‘Hustle Bustle’ etc in ironical way. Other poets of this contemporary writing like Narsingh Dev Jamwal, Abhishap, Virender Kesar are also adopting satirist approach in their poems वोट वोट वोट /ϖot, ϖot, ϖot/ (Vote, Vote, Vote), लोथें दा मेला /lothẽ da mela/ ‘Fair of dead bodies’ and बेड़ी /beṛi/ (Rift) respectively to revolt against such disparities.
Epic
Pt. Shambhu Nath Sharma had published his first epic डोगरी रामायण /ɖogərii ramajən/ based on Ramkatha. It was published in 1961 A.D. It was a maiden attempt by any Dogri Writer to write in this genre. He has beautifully depicted the cultural aspects of his own motherland i.e. ɖūggər in it.
Some epics and small epics are also published in Dogri so far. One can classify these epics as under: -
1) Epic based on folk-literature and 2) Epic based on Hindu mythology
1) Epic based on folk-literature
In the first category, Dogri epic न्यांऽ /njã:/ by Gyan Singh Pagoch can be quoted. It was published in 1984 A.D by the author himself. The theme of this epic is based on the folk hero of डुग्गर /ɖuggər/ popularly known as बावा जित्तो /baʋa ɟitto/. Dr. Jitendra Udhampuri also tried this genre. He had also chosen the same folk hero बावा जित्तो /baʋa ɟitto/. The author himself published this epic in 1985 A.D. Both the authors have depicted the folk hero in different ways.
2) Epic based on the Hindu mythology
Gyan Singh Pagoch and Parkash Premi wrote epics on this theme. Parkash Premi’s epic बेद्दन धरती दी /beddən tə̀rəti di/ was published in 1985 A.D. The author has got the award from Sahitya Akademi for this epic.
Pagoch’s epic is based on the Ramayana character /ʃəbəri/. The name of his book is मंतग आश्रम /mətəŋgə aʃrəm/. It was published in 1986 A.D.
Short story
The genre of short story in Dogri was born in the historic year of 1947 A.D with the publication of first short story collection पैह्ला फुल्ल /pɛʹla phūllə/ (First Flower) by B.P. Sathe containing stories of diverse themes of folk life and everyday rural life. Some stories of this collection are good instances of moral and ethnic values like कुड़में दा लाह्मा /kūṛəmẽ da laʹma/, मंगते दा धराट /məngte da kəʹraʈ/, while दोह्री /doʹri/ depicts the evil of reciprocal marriages in Dogra Society. Style of these stories was influenced by folk-tale style.
But, till 1959 A.D this genre did not step ahead except a little effort of woman short story writer Lalita Mehta, who published a collection of her seven short stories namely सूई धागा /sui tàga/. The stories of this collection were also concerned with rural life of Duggar. Since 1959 A.D this genre has developed rapidly and has achieved a significant place. So far, about seventy collections of short stories have been published. In view of sensibility and craftsmanship, these stories represent three phases of development: -
1) The story related with conventional themes and themes related to social problems. B.P.Sathe, Lalitha Mehta, Ramnath Shastri, D.C.Prashant, Ram Kumar Abrol, Chanchal Sharma and some others represent the first phase of conventional short story relying mainly on social problems, related themes and some romantic yarn.
2) Narendra Khajuria, Ved Rahi, Madan Mohan Sharma, represent the second phase, when the foundations of Dogri short stories was firmed up. Narendra Khajuria’s नीला अम्बर काले बादल /nila əmbər kale bədəl/, Ved Rahi’s आले /ale/, Madan Mohan Sharma’s दुद्ध लहू ते चैह्र /dūʹddə ləù tə ɟɛʹr/, contains some of the best Dogri short stories. These stories are characterized by deep humanism, a keen observation of contemporary social reality, psychological insight into human character and behaviour in powerful and effective use of language.
3) Om Goswami, O.P.Sharma ‘Sarthi’ Bandhu Sharma, Chhaterpal, Deshbandhu Dogra ‘Nutan’, Narsingh, Dev Jamwal, Chaman Arora, Lalit Magotra, Krishan Sharma, Sudesh Raj and some others come in the third phase. These writers have written stories of social awareness, modern temper and sharp style. Some budding writers are also experimenting their creative expression in this genre and hopefully a few of them will also make the difference in their venture. Sahitya akademi has published a representative selection of Dogri short stories in English translation under the title Echoes and Shadows.
Novel:
In Dogri, the genre of novel was published from 1960 A.D, when the three novels-Narendra Khajuria’s /ʃano/, Ved Rahi’s हाड़ बेड़ी ते पत्तन /ùṛ/, beṛi te pəttən/, The flood, the ferry and the harbour and Madan Mohan’s धारां ते धूड़ां /tùrã te tuʹṛã/ Hill and Mists almost simultaneously came on the literary surface. All the three focuses on the problems of Dogra Rural Society. Then, after the gap of ten years, in 1970 A.D, the fourth Dogri Novel entitled फुल्ल बिना डाल्ली /phūllə bina ɖalli/ Flower without a Stalk by Vats Vikal emerged on the scene. As such, the development and the growth of Dogri Novel in first 10-12 years remained very slow. It attained some maturity and sophistication only after 1975 A.D with the publication of Narsinigh Dev Jamwal’s novel सांझी धरती बखले माह्नू /saʹɲɟi tə̀rəti bəkhəle maʹnu/ Common land and Strange people in 1976 A.D.
After this, Six novels of O.P. Sharma Sarthi, त्रेह् समुन्दर दी /treʹ səmūndər di/, नंगा रूक्ख /nəŋga rūkkhə/, रेशम ते कीड़े /reʃəm de kiṛe/, मकान /məkan/, पत्थर ते रंगा /pətthər te rəŋgə/, अपना अपना सूरज /əpəna əpəna surəɟ/, three novels of Desh BandhuDogra-Nutan कैदी /kɛdi/, जांगली लोक /ɟaŋgəli lok/, प्योकै भेजो /pjɔkɛ pèɟo/, three novels of Ved Rahi - दरेड़ /dərər/, त्रुट्टी दी डोर/trūʈi di ɖor/ गर्भजून /gəʹrbɟun/ made a mark in the development of Dogri Novel in their own thoughts, way and style. Om Goswami, Shivdev Singh Susheel, Tara Danpuri, Inderjeet Kesar have also contributed to this genre with their creative expressions.
Light Essay
Simultaneously, with the genre of novel, the prose in Dogri has emerged on the literary scenario. First book of essays on different subjects was त्रिवेंणी /triʋeɳi/, jointly written by Shayam Lal Sharma and Shakti Sharma in 1961 A.D. This book was divided into three sections. First section deals with Dogri language and Grammar. It contains six essays. Second section deals with Cultural aspects of Duggar. It contains five essays. And last section deals with pen sketches. It has seven essays.
Second Dogri book on essays was published by an individual Dogri writer named Vishwanath Khajuria and the title of the book was डुग्गर दा लोक जीवन दर्शन /ɖūggər da ɟiʋən dərʃən/. It contains five memoirs, one light essay and three articles relating with Dogri literature and folklore.
In the same year, Dogri Samstha, Jammu published a collection of light essays entitled डोगरी लेख माला /ɖogri lekh mala/. It contains three light essays. Two deals with humour and satire and rest of them are article, relating with Dogri literature.
In 1968 A.D, three books on essays were published. Out of these three, two were purely on humour and satire, Vishwanath Khajuria got his book published entitled सप्तक /səptək/. It contains seven essays on human psychology with a touch of humour and satire.
Second book published in the said year is स्याढ़ा /sjaṛã/. Prof. Shakri Sharma is the author of this book. It has sixteen essays on Dogri language and culture. Few essays are memoirs and pen-sketches also.
Prof. Laxmi Narayan published his book entitled कंडियारी दे फुल्ल /kəɳɖijari de phūllə/. It contains eleven essays on humour and satire.
Third book published in the said year is Siaraʹ. Prof. Shayam Lal Sharma is the author of this book. It has sixteen essays on Dogri language and culture. Few essays are memoirs and pen-sketches also.
In year 1972, only one book on essays entitled नमे निबन्ध /nəmẽ nibəʹndə/ was published. It was edited by Prof. Baldev Singh and published by Dogri Samstha, Jammu. This book is the mixture of essays and articles. Prof. Ramnath Shastri’s essays चल मना केआ मौजिया /cəl məna dea mɔɟija/ and Shiv Nath’s essay हयूगल दी डुग्गर यात्रा /heugəl di ɖuggər jatra/ are travelogues, whereas Padma Sachdev’s चेते /cete/ is a memoir. Few articles published in this book, deals with critical appreciation.
Prof. Laxmi Narayan published his second book entitled निक्कियां निक्कियां गल्लां /nikkjijã nikkjijã gəllã/. It was published in 1973 A.D. It contains eleven essays, full of humour and satire with psychological approach, making them worth reading and interesting.
J & K Academy of Art, Culture and languages published a bulky book दिन दिन जो सोआई /din din ɟot soai/ on Dogri essays. It was published in 1980 A.D. It contains thirty-one essays on different subjects. The book is divided into six sections.
In the first section, five light essays on human civilization, culture and social importance are grouped. Worth quoting essays in this section are – Jagdeesh Chander Sathe’s essay on माह्नू दा विकास ते किश नमें खतरे /maʹnu da ʋikas te kiʃ nəmẽ khətre/ (Development of human race and some new risks), Prof. Ramnath Shastri’s essay on जीवन दे त्रै उद्देश्य /ɟiʋən de trɛ ūddeʃ/ (Three principles of life) and Prof. Champa Sharma’s essay परोआर /pəroar/ (Family).
The second section consists of five essays on human psychology. The titles of the essays are खिज /kiʹnɟ/, बैह्म /bɛʹm/, आलस /aləs/, इज्जत-इक परचोल /iɟɟət-ik pərcol/ and जी /ɟi:/.
Third section deals with essays on memoirs. अक्बरें दा नशा/əkkhərẽ da nəʃa/ by Kunvar Viyogi, इक सम्हाल /ik səmàl/ by Narender Khajuria and किश पराने चेते /kiʃ pərane cete/ by Ved Ghai are worth quoting essays.
Fourth section deals with the essays on travelogues. It contains five essays. सुर्गभूमि बद्रवाह /sūrgə puʹmi - pəʹdrəʋah/ by Prof. Madan Mohan Sharma and अम्बर छूंदे किंगरे /əmbər chunde kiŋgəre/ by Tara Samailpuri are very interesting essays in this section.
Fifth section contains five essays with humour and satire. रावारा पुराण /rəʋarapūraɳ/, by Prof. Shayam Lal Sharma and ञ्याणे गी पतियाना /ɲjaɳe gi pətjana/ by Prof. Shakti Sharma are interesting essays in this edition.
And the last section deals with the essays on pen-sketches. Jitendra Sharma’s essay शेर सिंह बनाम पंजूराम /ʃer siʹŋg bənam pəɲɟuram/ and Prof. Laxmi Narayan’s शाह्जी /ʃaʹɟi/ are worth quoting essays in this section. In short, this collection is very significant approach in the field of projecting light essays in Dogri.
In 1989 A.D, Sahitya Akademi has brought out अक्बर अक्बर चाननी /əkkhər əkkhər canani/ a collection of twenty-three essays on different subjects. Out of these, only eleven essays are new one. It contains different forms of essays such as memoirs, travelogues, sketches, satires etc.
At present, nearly eighty collections of essays and articles have been published by individual Dogri writers, government and non-government institutions and the prominent prose writers are-Vishwanath Khajuria, Prof. Laxmi Narayan, Prof. Ramnath Shastri, Prof. Nilamber Dev Sharma, Kedarnath Shastri, Om Goswami, Prof. Champa Sharma, Prof. Ved Ghai, Prof. Veena Gupta and many more.
In short, Dogri prose has variety of different forms. In the initial stage, this genre was not properly developed. But now, Dogri has all forms of prose available.
Autobiography/Biography/Travelogue/Pen sketches:
These genres are not as rich as far as quantity is concerned. Only few books are available in these genres.
Autobiography:
Vishwanath Khajuria had got his autobiography entitled पगडंडियां /pəgəɖəɳɖijã/.published in 1985 A.D And in the year 2003 A.D, Shiv Nath’s autobiography ओह् दिन /oʹ din/ (those were the days) got published.
Biography:
Only one biography is available in Dogri. It is written by Mulak Raj Saraf. It is entitled शेर-ए-डुग्गरः लाला हंसराज /ʃer-e-ɖūggər: lala həns raɟ/.
Travelogue:
As far as travelogue genre is concerned, Dogri had three books in this genre. Out of these three, two are bi-monthly magazines namely शीराजा डोगरी /ʃiraɟa ɖogəri/. In these two magazines, different writers have pen down their traveling experiences. Complete book on this genre is given by Prof. Nilamber Dev Sharma entitled चेते किश खट्टे किश मिट्ठे /cete: kiʃ khəʈʈe kiʃ miʈhe/. In this book, author has narrated his traveling experiences during his service. The book has two large essays on this issue.
Pen-sketches:
In 1988 A.D, Prof. Champa Sharma published her book- गूढ़े धुंधले चेहरे /guʹre tūʹndəle ceʹre/ on pen-sketches. It contains eighteen essays. Out of these eighteen essays, ten are based on female and six on male characters. The author is closely related with these people. They are her grand mothers, sisters, aunts, brothers, uncles etc. Through these sketches, the author of this book has tried to establish moral values of Dogra society.
Drama
This is very fertile genre in Dogri. There are about sixty published books of Drama in Dogri containing full-length plays, collections of one act plays, radio plays, children plays and street plays.
In Dogri, first play अछूत /əchut/ was written and staged by Vishwanath Khajuria in 1935 A.D, at a school. But this play was not available to Dogri readers in print form till the end of seventh decade of last century. Prof.Ramnath Shastri also wrote a play entitled बाबा जित्तो /baʋa ɟitto/ based on the theme of folk-literature. This play was staged at a village टिक्करी /ʈikkəri/ in 1948 A.D. Unfortunately, this play was also not published during that decade. That is why when one talks about the first published Dogri play, then नमां ग्रां /nəma graʹ/ qualifies. It was published in 1957 A.D. Three playwrights-Prof. Ramnath Shastri, Ram Kumar Abrol and Dinu Bhai Pant wrote this play. In course of time, this genre has got its important place in the literature and till date, three Dogri writers are awarded by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, for their outstanding contribution in the field of Drama. They are Dinu BhaiPant, Mohan Singh and Jitendra Sharma.
However, Narsingh Dev Jamwal contributed twelve books in this genre ranging from stage plays, Collection of radio plays and Collection of one-act plays. आन मर्यादा /an-mərjada/, मंडलीक /məɳdəlik/, अल्हाड़ गोल्ली वीर सपाही /ələ ʹr golli ʋir səpaʹi/, कौड़े घुट्ट /kɔrekūʹʈʈə/, पिंजरा /piɲɟəra/, देव पुत्तर /deʋ pūttər/, देवयानि /deʋəjani/ are the stage plays written by the author whereas /cɔsər/ is collection of Dogri one-act plays and पंजतारा /pəɲɟətara/ is a collection of radio plays.
Prof. Madan Mohan Sharma is another Dramatist, who has given two stage plays namely: जनौर /ɟənɔr/ published in 1970 A.D and इक परछामां बदली दा /ik pərchama bədəli da/ published in 1975 A.D. He has also given five collections of radio plays. They are: इक जनम होर /ikɟənəmòr/ (1971), जात्रू /jatru/ (1974), अंगारे दी लोऽ /əŋgare di lo:/ (1976), बंजर /bəɲɟər/ (1980) and अम्बर छूऐ धरत नमानी /əmbər chuɛ təʹrət nəmani/ (1985).
Mohan Singh is another playwright, who has got published his six stage plays and a collection of fourteen street plays. This author has been awarded by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, for his collection of three stage plays entitled अपनी डफली अपना राग/əpəni ɖəphəli əpəna rag/. His other stage plays are काला सूरज /kala surəɟ/, पंज कल्याणी /pəɲɟə kəljani/ and इक लड़ाई होर /ik ləṛai oʹr/. He had also written and staged his unique play समां ओ समां /səmaʹ o sema/. It is a full length play with a single character.
At present, Dogri has full-length plays with variety of subjects from folk-literature to mythology, from psychology to history and from satire to local themes and problems.
Some playwrights have also experimented with the themes and treatments. They are Dinu Bhai Pant, Mohan Singh, Prof. Madan Mohan Sharma and Narsingh Deve Jamwal and their plays are अयोध्या /ajoʹdəja/, काला सूरज /kala surəɟ/, जनौर /ɟənɔr/ and रामलीला नाटक /ram lila naʈək/ respectively. In short, this genre of Dogri literature is rich in variety and quality. Prof. Ramnath Shastri, Prof. Madan Mohan Sharma, Jitender Sharma, Narsingh Dev Jamwal have got the popularity nation-wide through this genre.
Copyright CIIL-India Mysore