PrashantNews
Amidst salubrious and serene environment of Thano near Dehradun, a special village in the lap of Shivalik hills has been developed for writers.
Billed as Lekhak Gaon, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who also has a distinct identity as a litterateur, is the brains behind this village.
Lekhak Gaon, located 24 km from Dehradun, will be jointly inaugurated by former President Ram Nath Kovind, Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday.
Nishank said that many stalwarts like Central Board of Film Certification Chairman Prasoon Joshi and writer Mamta Kalia will participate during the inaugural ceremony at Lekhak Gaon where a three-day International Literature, Art and Culture Festival will also be held.
He said that people associated with writing, art and culture from more than 65 countries will be directly and indirectly associated with the festival. Writers and artists from 40 countries will also join the festival. These also include students who want to connect with the writers.
Nishank said that 30 sessions will be organized in three days in which topics related to writing, culture, nature and art will be discussed and deliberated upon.
Referring to the great poets like Kalidas, Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi, Nishank said, ‘The Himalayas have always been a center of inspiration and there is something in this land that people have taken inspiration from Uttarakhand and made their name in the world.’
He said that the Lekhak Gaon will have all the facilities like library, meditation-yoga center, auditorium, Himalayan museum, Sanjeevani Bhojanalaya, Nakshatra Vatika, Graha Vatika where writers will be able to give the best form to their creativity by staying in the Lekhak Kuti.
When asked how he got the inspiration for Lekhak Gaon, Nishank said that the concept originated from the ‘pain’ of former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee who remained concerned over the plight of some renowned writers and poets who died as paupers. Nishank gave the example that people like Shyam Narayan Pandey and Suryakant Tripathi Nirala who had to suffer a lot in the last moments of their lives.
He said that whatever the writers of the country and the world create here, it will be published here, whereas those who have no one will be able to come here and live with self-respect in the last moments of their lives.