October 14 was the 87th  birth anniversary of Shailesh Matiyani, the great writer from Uttarakhand who was born in Almora on October 14, 1931. It is not just Dehradun and Mussoorie  which have been known for its writers. The entire hill region has been conducive to creative writing and authors from here have done this State proud.

The name Shailesh means “King of Mountains” and that this author truly is, as his stories and novels are read and re-read not only in this mountain State but also by readers of Hindi literature all over the world. His short stories and novels have been rated highly by critics as well as readers, not to talk of other famous writers. It was recognised that they were as extension of the rich tradition established by the legendary Hindi writer, Munshi Premchand.

Matiyani brought great name and recognition to this mountain region. People who read his books became closely familiar to the towns and villages of this region and came to love them. The author’s original name was Ramesh Singh Matiyani but he is known popularly as Shailesh Matiyani in the world of Hindi literature.   His work carried the atmosphere, dialects  and ambience of Uttarakhand to millions of readers around the world. In the year 2009, the State Government instituted an award in Matiyani’s name which is given to teachers in the mountain State.

After his death in 2001,'Shailesh Matiyani Smriti Katha Puraskar' was established by the Madhya Pradesh Government. He went through a lot of suffering in his life ,financially, as well as mental and emotional. But he produced literature of struggle while undergoing struggle.

He was born on October 14, 1931, in Barechhina in Almora District and it was here and in Almora that he studied. His first novel, Borivilli se Boribander tak was published in 1959.

Any analysis of the modern Hindi short story will remain incomplete without talking of Matiyani.

His life is a source of inspiration and characters depicted by him symbolise the same fighting spirit which was part of his own self and life.

Matiyani rose to fame for  his short stories, depicting the struggles and the fighting spirit of the lower-middle class. He was known as “Jan Kathakaar” (Peoples’ Writer). His excellent work is considered to be at par with that of Premchand. His works include “Kanya tatha anya kahaniyan,” “Koi ajnabi nahin”, “Aakaash Kitna Anant Hai “ and “Parwat Se Saagar Tak”. In his career spanning five decades, he wrote numerous short stories, novels and published many collections of stories and essays.

He was also known for his stories for children. He remained the editor of two publications, 'Janpaksh' and 'Vikalp', for many years

Matiyani was awarded the  Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Award for his contribution to Hindi Literature in 2000. He died in Delhi and was cremated at Haldwani.

Hindi  littérateur Pankaj Bisht has remarked, "How intimate was his depiction of the displaced people from the villages in the urban slums, and those compelled to live and die on footpaths. You won’t find this kind of intimacy in any other language. Matiyani’s protagonists are beggars, pick-pockets, drop-outs, marginalised characters.Yet, their inner life was so full of humanism and faith."

Kohra, Chhote-Chhote Pakshi and Gopuli Gafooran are some of his other novels. “Parvat Se Sagar Tak” was published by Rajpal and Sons in the year 2000.

Matiyani lived by the   principle of rising above his own struggle and identifying with all the people, in the end voicing the struggles of all. His works talk of day to day life in small towns of Kumaon, the bus journeys in the mountains, the village teashops, people returning for holidays from the plains and the financial problems in the mountains.His characters are from real life and thus his descriptions are very vivid.

He wrote more than 30 novels, including Ramkali and Suryaasth Kosi, over 17 collection of stories including his most popular stories Maimood, Yada Kada and Ardhangini,28 collections of stories, seven collections of folk tales, apart from writing numerous essays and over 16 books for children.

In 1994, he was awarded an honourary degree of DLitt by Kumaon University.

On the occasion of his birth anniversary, it is once again sincerely hoped that his short stories, essays and stories for children will be widely read in Uttarakhand by the coming generations.

They should be made part of the school and college syllabi.The new generations of the mountain State must be made aware of the rich literary tradition that  has always prevailed here and they should take pride in it.

Understanding of one’s own culture through one’s literature adds a rich dimension to the personality of a student.