Shadow Correspondent
jammu JUNE 20-
A book of collection of Dogri Short Stories ‘Soch Samundar’ written by Ashok Dutta was released today in a function organized by Dogri Sanstha, Jammu.
Darshan Darshi, Convener of Dogri Advisory Board in Sahitya Akademi was the Chief Guest in the function which was presided over by Prof. Lalit Magotra, President of Dogri Sanstha, Jammu. Ramesh Mehta, Former Secretary, J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages, was the Guest of Honour on the occasion.
This was the second book of Short Stories by Dutta who started writing in Dogri after his retirement from bank service. Dutta read one short story from his collection which was immensely liked by the audience.
Darshan Darshi, speaking on the occasion, said the book ‘Soch Samundar’ is a significant addition to Dogri literature for basically two reasons, one that more books are needed in fiction and second, the book has a high literary merit. He said that Dutta has a knack of story-telling and his stories keep the reader fully engrossed due to the interesting narrative.
Prof. Lalit Magotra, while delivering his presidential speech said that it is generally believed that the literature which presents the true picture of its times is very long lived. In that sense Dutta’s stories are true depictions of the situations in which people of this region are living, especially those residing in the border areas of Jammu. The life style and topography of the region are the strong points of his stories.
Ramesh Mehta while discussing the merits of the released book, said that the most important aspect of Dutta’s stories is the realistic foundations on which all the stories are based. Their being true to life is the reason that the readers are likely to feel strongly connected to them. He said that the book is a valuable addition to Dogri literature and widens its horizon.
Dr. Ashok Khajuria presented a paper highlighting the literary merits of the book and discussed in detail the themes, the language and the styles of stories in the collection.
The programme was conducted by Dr. Nirmal Vinod, the General Secretary of Dogri Sanstha who also thanked the audience, the media and all other concerned at the conclusion of the programme.
