CSA event 10th
November 2012
Minakshi Chaudhry on Ghost
Stories from the Shimla Hills
Imagine snow-capped
mountain peaks in the moonlight. Imagine you hear a strong wind swishing
through the pine leaves. Or fog and mist intermittently weaving a magic
web around imposing, silent buildings which have been mute witnesses to
history. Imagine the souls of a hundred thousand people who once lived, loved
and lost, who once were part of this mortal world, took birth, struggled with
the challenges of life, and then went their way. Imagine all those ghosts and
spirits of the ages gone by looking down at you, reaching out to you,
communicating with you, telling you stories of their lives and times.
If you can imagine this, if
you allow these unseen spirits to communicate with you then, you are blessed
indeed. For you there will never be any dearth of stories. And if you are
a denizen of the hills, your treasure house of stories will never be depleted.
Minakshi Chaudhry Kanwar is
one such exceptional soul who is in tune with the world beyond, who is
receptive to ethereal whispers, gives credence to them, and passes them on to
us. She is a teller of tales, a disseminator of stories. In the world today we
need such story tellers. We need people like Minakshi to keep the magic of the
world alive, to remind us that there is more in life than mundane, materialistic
fare.
Not only is Minakshi the
writer and compiler of ghost stories and love stories from the hills, or travel
books that help you explore the difficult terrain of the Himachal, she is one
who has waged a battle against a dreaded cancer, survived it, and them risen
again like the phoenix to face the challenges of life afresh. She does not
allow clouds of gloom to darken her world; she is full of sunshine and inspires
all those who come into contact with her.
On an invitation from the
Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today, Minakshi Chaudhry made a scintillating
presentation of her work over the last decade or so, keeping the audience
enthralled with ghost stories and love stories from the Shimla hills. She disarmed
her listeners with her down-to-earth approach to life, her pleasant disposition
and her love for the region, regaling them with anecdotes, funny as well as
not-so-funny experiences encountered while in search of the material for her
books.
Accompanying Minakshi was
her husband, Rakesh Kanwar, at present the Director Culture of Himachal Pradesh
who, in his own right, contributes to the promotion of literature and culture.
The CSA session was held at
the UT Guest House in the conference room which was pack to its fullest
capacity. The audience comprised writers, journalists, lay readers and
literature enthusiasts.
Pictures of the events may
be downloaded from this link:
