O.P. Sharma
Dogri novel rooted in social milieu by noted writer Shailender Singh a senior Police Officer in his book; ‘Hashiye Par: For a Tree to Grow’ is translated and published in English by the by leading Oxford University Press. The author vividly narrates the story of marginalized who has started flying at much higher horizons and the voice of unheard is echoing at a louder frequency. This novel has touched the hearts of millions of people as the story being close to reality and the characters in the book represent the unpleasant social dynamics. ‘Hashiye Par: For a Tree to Grow’ is really a quantum jump towards valuable addition to the literature from Dogri to English readership and has widened its readership.
The book includes chapters like: “Winter and Sunshine; A House of Dreams; A Labour of No Love ; A Hope Defeated; Much Smoke and No Fire; The Blackest is Grey; Bears and Honeybees; When Salt Loses its Taste; A Bonsai No More and The Making of a Tall Tree” in English Version.
It is a redeeming feature that this maiden Dogri literary work of Shailender Singh has found a well-deserved place in the global literature and rightly won him the high literary award of Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2014. He expressed pleasure at this “gift of God’’ an honour for the Dogri language and its literature as also all the people who are associated with this language.
This novel is compact and to the point. The beauty of the book is that much has been said in minimum words. This book in English has enabled Dogri voice to be heard now on the much wider stage and made Dogras proud for their mother-tongue getting international recognition. Shailender Singh, the author and a young Police officer, has done full justice to the core subject of the novel having most befittingly dealt with the highly sensitive theme.
Unique Theme
The baseline of the novel is an inspiring story of struggle and ultimate breakthrough of a young man. The hardships faced by the people due to abject poverty, compounded further by inadequate delivery of benefits by the concerned agencies, of various socio-economic uplift schemes for the empowerment of people living on the margins and their aspirations to grow and progress like others, have been most sensitively portrayed. This makes the novel a class in itself. The moment one starts reading this literary creation then last word is the limit as curiosity increases page after page to know what next?
‘For a Tree to Grow’ provides a deep insight into sweet Dogri language, rich culture, unique lifestyle of Dogras and miseries of the masses.
Towards Up-liftment
The base-line story unfolds with Madan, the protagonist in the novel, who is a victim of social structure, insensitiveness and apathy of administrative mechanism and lives in a hamlet. Though dismally poor, he has dreams of a better life, a well- lit pukka house but at the same time nurtures dreams of a good education for his children adequate food, shelter and other amenities.
Shaliender Singh himself has gone through the hard realities of life and braved many hardships which, perhaps has given power to his pen. He spent his childhood in Chambh (now in PoK), lived in refugee camps but faced life boldly.
He did his Civil Engineering degree and also completed P.G. Management course. Presently, he is Superintendent of Police in Jammu and Kashmir. He has to his credit two novels: Hashiye Par and Sewadhani both in Dogri language.
Creative Translation
This author’s book in Dogri Hashiye Par and its creative translation has won high literary merit and ultimately secured high honour from the Sahitya Akademi for which the Dogri speaking people are feeling proud. The Dogri language since its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution is making steady march forward and making its significant contribution to the Indian literature.
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