Girish Tiwari "Girda" (10 September 1945 – 22 August 2010) was a scriptwriter, director, lyricist, singer, poet, organic culturist, literary writer, and social activist in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Early life

Born on 10 September 1945 in the village of Jyoli near Hawalbag in

Almora District Almora is a district in the Kumaon Division of Uttarakhand state, India. The headquarters is at Almora. It is 1,638 meters above sea level. The neighbouring regions are Pithoragarh district to the east, Chamoli district to the west, Bageshwar d ...

, he attended school at the Government Inter College in Almora and later schooling at

Nainital Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...

. After meeting renowned lyricist and writer Late Brijendra Lal Sah, he realized his potential for creativity. At the age of twenty-one, Girda met social activists at Lakheempur Khiri and got influenced by their work in the society. These meetings at such a tender age changed the life path of Girda and made him a creative writer and a social activist. He has been associated with the famed Chipko Movement and later with the Uttarakhand Andolan.

Career

Girda has directed famous plays like "

Andha Yug ''Andha Yug'' (Hindi: अंधा युग, ''The Age of Blindness'' or ''The Blind Age'') is a 1953 verse play written in Hindi, by renowned novelist, poet, and playwright Dharamvir Bharati (1926-1997). Set in the last day of the Great Mahabhar ...

", "Andher Nagri", "Thank you Mr. Glad" and "Bharat Durdasha". Girda has written plays including "Nagare Khamosh Hain" and "Dhanush Yagya". Girda edited "Shikharon ke Swar" in 1969, and later "Hamari Kavita ke Ankhar" and "Rang Dari Dio Albelin Main". His latest compilation of poems and songs specially focusing "Uttarakhand Andolan" and "Uttarakhand Kavya" which was published in 2002. He took voluntary retirement from the post of instructorship in the Song and Drama Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and thereafter joined the Uttarakhand movement, and took to full-time creative writing. He was one of the founders and member of the editorial board of PAHAR, a Nainital-based organisation involved with promotion of Himalayan culture. Bedupako, the folk genome tank of Uttarakhand has published a small collection of Poem's in original voice of this legendary personality. He died on 22 August 2010, after a brief illness and was survived by his wife Hemlata Tiwari and one son.

Legacy

Pahar group (http://www.pahar.org) is compiling a book – "Girda Samarga" – which includes hundreds of his creative writings, songs, poems, essays etc.

References

Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian theatre directors Hindi-language poets 1942 births 2010 deaths People from Nainital Activists from Uttarakhand 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male poets Poets from Uttarakhand Dramatists and playwrights from Uttarakhand 20th-century Indian male writers {{playwright-stub