The former chief minister of Uttarakhand and member of parliament from Pauri Garhwal Tirath Singh Rawat has congratulated the author and editor of the book on “BEDA SAMAJ” of Garhwal Uttarakhand to bring out a wonderful book and the management of Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts for publishing it so meticulously.
The former chief minister and MP from Pauri Garhwal was addressing the audience at the IGNCA auditorium after releasing the book in Hindi titled ” GARHWAL KA BEDA SAMAJ”.
Lauding the BEDA society people who are born artists, traditional singers and cultural activists, Rawat said that they have been entertaining the society since medieval times earning their livelihood but always leading a squeezed lives socially, economically and educationally, always bereft of the benefits which other castes and communities are enjoying due to their being at the lowest ebb of the society and underprivileged always.
Rawat heartily congratulated Mr. Chandola who’d researched in various villages of Pauri Garhwal and IGNCA for highlighting their grievances through this book and said that this is the need of the hour today as not only the ” BEDA SAMAJ” and its decades’ old traditions are under extinction – the artists, singers and actors with no means of livelihood are shifting to other odd jobs losing their inherent traditions.
He urged the government of the day to seriously think towards the plight of these communities and inculcate in them a renewed vigour and vitality by highlighting their past and help them continue their artistic traditions in the hills of Uttarakhand.
Professor Anil Kumar of IGNCA while speaking on this occasion lauded the healthy traditions and culture of Uttarakhand saying that we need to work hard to ensure that the “Beda community’s “, cultural traditions are rejuvenated, promoted and preserved with government giving special impetus to their energetic urge to carry forward the dying traditions of their community.
The researcher of the Book ” Garhwal ka BEDA SAMAJ”, Manoj Chandola while thanking the IGNCA senior officers like R. Pant, Member secretary Sachidanand Joshi and its chairman Ram Bahadur Rai for successfully assisting him to bring out this book on the ” BEDA SOCIETY”, said that this is the first phase of his work out of total four, the work of which was commenced in 2017 finally taking the shape of the book today.
Chandola said for him this was indeed a very uphill and stupendous task and he did it along with fellow journalist and writer Charu Tiwari by visiting several villages of Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand and interacting with the senior citizens and the present generation of BEDA SAMAJ who narrated their grievances and woes as to how their cultural tradition is under extinction with no one caring for them and encouraging their healthy cultural traditions putting their lives in financial jeopardy in terms of their sustenance, lack of education to their children and health facilities.
Chandola said that today he has so very much mixed with the BEDA Society that he has become a part of their lives who call him on marriage occasions and other social functions.
The programme was ably anchored by renowned theatre actor and script writer who also works in IGNCA Laxmi Rawat shedding light on the various, aspects of the BEDA SAMAJ and the need to upgrade their special, cultural, economical status as this SAMAJ is sadly on the verge of extinction.
Prominent among those present of this occasion were Ramakant Pant, Mr. Upreti, chairman of Himadri, renowned literateur and writer Hari Suman Bisht, renowned spcial activist and entrepreneur K. C. Pandey, Charu, Tiwari, Vyomesh Jugran, Sunil Negi, Yogesh Bhatt, Mr. Papnai, Rajendra Raturi, all Journalists, Ramakant Pant, Richa Negi Director, IGNCA , Ajay Bhatt President GARHWAL Hiteshini Sabha , Mangal Singh Negi, General Secretary GHS etc.
A documentary of an hours duration on “BEDA Samaj” was also exhibited on this occasion. The book on Garhwal’s Beda SAMAJ is researched by Manoj Chandola and edited by Kiran Tiwari.
