Rajeshwar Singh ‘Raju’
Book Name : Antim Nirnay
Author : Dr. Rajkumar Publisher : Swaran Prakshan,
Anu Khurd, Hamirpur Himachal Pradesh
Pages : 144, Cost : Rs 400
Dr. Rajkumar is an eminent name in Hindi literature. For the last so many years he has been contributing immensely with his much acclaimed works whether its short stories, poetry , critiques or research papers. ‘Antim Nirnay’ is Dr. Rajkumar’s fifth short stories collection in hindi after ‘Khule Haath’, ‘Jaal’, ‘waiting room’, and ‘Amaltas ke phool’. he has also four poetry collections namely ‘is Bhumandal par’, ‘Saanp mere sathi hain’, ‘Ikkisavin Shatabadi ke naam’ and ‘Khoon ka rang to hai’. In addition to these he has also 7 books on critique entitled ‘Mithak aur Aadhunik Kavita’, ‘Nayee Kavita Mein Mithak’, ‘Kavita ek sandarbh aur parakh’, ‘kavita mein sanskritik chetna’, ‘shivalik kshetra mein hindi kahani ka udhbav aur vikas’, ‘jammu kashmir ka savantatrotar hindi sahitya:ek vivechan’, ‘kavita:savbhav sameeksha’ etc. For his immense contributions to Hindi literature, he has been honored by different Government and Non-Government Organizations from time to time that include Central Department of Human Resources and Development for ‘Kavita-ek Sandharav aur Parakh”. For ‘Kavita: Savbhav Sameeksha’ and a collection of short stories ‘Khule Haath’ he has been awarded by Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. Dr. Rajkumar having served as Head of Department, Hindi Department, University of Jammu has also written numerous papers and presented the same not only at National level but at International level also.
About Book
‘Antim Nirnya’ carries 22 short stories which are unique in theme and have been woven beautifully with all essence of storytelling. The first story of the book ‘Bechara’ revolves around Kanwar, who has suffered a lot during infamous partition of India in 1947 and somehow had managed to reach his ancestral house at his village amidst arson and bloodshed. He is a drunkard but is always ready to help the needy ones. It is said that he has access to higher quarters and gets work done against some returns. The story gives an interesting anecdote of gossips related to political activists and revolutionaries of that time.
‘Seediyan’, another fine story revolves around the young generation. The plot revolves around a young man who is desperately in love of Madhuri but the girl wishes to live lavishly and marries Rajneesh a wealthy contractor. The story exposes the nefarious designs of Rajneesh who is in the habit of using girls for his official gains. It’s about the innocent feelings dominated by materialistic approach and compromises with ethics and morals.
‘Antim Nirnya’, one of the stories of the book that happens to be title of the book also revolves around internal politics prevailing in colleges. As the writer has also served in Jammu University and must have a detailed knowledge of working in the private colleges where rules are modified repeatedly to benefit the favourites and the owner of the Trust running such colleges is the only authority in these matters.
As the story goes, a gentleman gets appointed as a Professor in a college after resigning from his previous job, but as own person had to be accommodated on that post conspiracies are hatched to get rid of him. He is advised not to go for litigation. However when he comes back to his native place just within one month of his appointment, he feels dejected for having left his previous job that was permanent in nature. However, he knows that he has to start struggling for job again. Meanwhile he takes final call to pursue his case in the court of law.
Rajkumar’s stories have something different from other short story writers as he knows the art of knitting the stories around such characters which are familiar ones. Moreover he has rich vocabulary and his sentence making is perfect. His stories are a perfect blend of past, present and future prospects. The language is simple and communicating.
‘Antim Nirnya’ is a collection of those stories which revolve around 1980- 1990 era advocating struggle for rights and awareness against the rotten social evils and corruption dominated system. The cover page of the book is quite symbolic and attractive. The presentation of book is good and it is priced at Rs 400 only. The writer has dedicated the book to eternal memory of his parents. The readers who wish to enjoy reading good stories should read it to enrich their vocabulary also.
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