"Himalayan Symphony: Songs and Poems of Narendra Singh Negi" is a book consisting of the English translation of the major songster and poet of Uttarakhand Himalayas Sri Narendra Singh Negi.
Book would be available soon.
His expression has been inclusive of all the vivid colours of hill life. This book is a series of an earlier book "A Stream of Himalayan Melody: Selected songs of Narendra Singh Negi" which has been readily accepted by readers nationwide. This series envelops his poems and songs of great artistic value.
Foreword
If ever one were to draw a map of popularity of individuals in the central Himalayas Shree Narendra Singh Negi would occupy the highest standing bar. It will be a gross mistake if one evaluated Negi just for the poignant songs he has written, sung and composed. He stands atop and beyond them all – A towering Adam-sized human being. His universal popularity and presence is bewildering. He is everywhere:
In Uttarakhand agitation, taking out “prabhat pheris” in Uttarkashi...................................
.............One of the most vital reasons for his popularity as a poet is – transformation of his poetry into songs. Music is the “objective correlative” which transforms his poetic lines into beautiful aesthetic objects, straightaway piercing the heart of his audience. T.S. Eliot, a 20th century English poet and critic says that the objective correlatives are the external equivalents of the internal emotions and use of them magnifies the power of poetry. Negi ji’s predecessors had also written aesthetically remarkable and rich poetry but their outreach ended, painful as it is, with the readership of literary scholars alone.
Negi’s contribution to music, poetry and social awakening is so huge that one cannot summarize it in short pieces like ‘Forewords’ and ‘Prefaces’. He has still been busy with writing songs singing them and rendering them into video films. His wife Usha Negi, son Kavilash and his daughter- in -law Anjali have been helping him in the new enterprise. His associates of the Himalayan Films have also been a great help in his enterprises. Professor Shekhar Pathak’s comment on his literary and musical contribution will be very apt to quote here. “There must be almost none in Uttarakhand who has not muttered Narendra Singh Negi’s songs and lesser of them who have not been cajoled to happiness or gloom by listening to and singing them. In every direction there are folks who are more than eager to listen to him. Every institution of Uttarakhand wants to honor him with an award”
(S.S Rawat, N.K.Hatwal, Ganesh Khugshal, ‘Introduction’, Narendra Singh Negi ke geetoon mein Jan Srokar, page 18). He has received hundreds of awards globally so far, but to my estimation his felicitation as “Doctor of Lit”, honoris causa, by H.N.B.Garhwal(Central) Univ.; “Gahratna” by Garhwal Bhatrimandal, Mumbai; and “Sangit Natak Akademi Award” deserve special mention here............
........... I hope both the translations will open a new window to Negi ji’s divine world of Garhwali poetry.
D.R Purohit , Professor
159 Dak Banglow Colony
Srinagar Garhwal
It's cover page is a painting done by Mukul Badoni, an emerging artist and published by Samay Sakshya Publications Dehradun.
A Stream of Himalayan Melody Selected songs of Narendra Singh Negi https://amzn.in/d/0dDK6sFJ
Waqt Ki Peeth Par वक़्त की पीठ पर https://amzn.in/d/0iaVfrZk
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Dr. Deepak Bijalwan
Poet, Translator