By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 23 Nov: Well known economist and author Bibek Debory today emphasised that Karma and Dharma were two sides of the same coin. He was discussing his book called ‘Valmiki’s Ramayana’ with Dr Jaywanti Dimri and Dr Divya Saksena here on the first day of the ongoing Valley of Words Literature and Arts Festival. Interestingly, it was also noted during the conversation that there was derivations of words and the rampant misuse of truncated Sanskrit words that ended up in severe mistranslations. Dr Saksena noted that certain Sanskrit words in the translations of ‘The Ramayana’ were misused in certain translations to demean certain sects of people, when in truth the actual meaning of the word would only mean to classify them as different. Dr Jaiwanti Dimri also spoke about the necessity of breaking convention and making the effort to find out the truth, to seek refuge in knowledge, literature and language. The session progressed in its focal attempt to help fire imagination and creative fervour.
The questions raised by the audience brought out the best of the session. Bibek Debroy’s comment on the relationship of karma and dharma and how both of them are two sides of the same coin won the audience over. “It’s a dog eats dog world,” Bibek Debroy commented, as he explained to a young questioner about karma. His witty remarks to the questions kept everyone just as enthralled as with his answers to them. “The longer the question, the better, because, then, the simpler the answer,” he remarked. After the audience had their questions satiated, the discussants’ final words hung in the air, along with a round of applause, which was followed by a book signing session by BibekDebroy.
RS Tolia Forum of Sustainable Development was also launched today at the event along with the launch of an exhibition on Dr Raghunandan Singh Tolia after whom the forum is named, and upon whose example it is carried forward. The moderators, Anoop Nautiyal and Binita Shah, were excellent in providing clear context about the motivation and vision of the panel, and engaging in informed conversation with the distinguished panel consisting of former Chief Secretary NS Napalchayal, Dr Ajay Rawat, Dr Rajendra Dobhal, Prof AN Purohit, Sushil Ramola, and Dr BK Joshi, while Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Utpal K Singh was the Chief Guest. A short video was played describing the various challenges faced and the achievements achieved by Dr RS Tolia in his lifetime, reminding the audience the reason behind him being a true ‘Son of the Soil’.
The audience was informed about the ‘RS Tolia Annual Award’, a significant award given to recognise the people who truly reflect Dr RS Tolia’s visions. Panelists shared their sweet yet inspiring experiences and anecdotes, describing the tenacity and dynamism of the ‘Mountain Man’.
The ‘Drivers of Change in Uttarakhand’ session commenced with a compelling remark by the key speaker, Dr AN Purohit, who stated, “The administration is the real driver of change in Uttarakhand”. ‘The drivers of change’ refers to the people and their ideologies through which they promote the roots of a state, thus highlighting the undiscovered nutrients of the state. The panel of the session included Sudhir Nautiyal, STS Lepcha, JB Pandey and Anjali Nabial who were moderated effectively throughout by Krishna Rautela. The presentation on NTFPs, (Non Timber Forest Products) by STS Lepcha, who is one of the key sources of natural fibre scopes, mentioned, “We are in the position of being the major producer of timber and are bringing empowerment to 75% of the women population engaged in it. We have a rich legacy of 95 different species of herbs, also with 25 portable hot spots spread into the area of 70,000 hectares in the state.” The manufacture and the transformation of hemp fibre into yarn intensely attracted the world tribe towards us. It was further claimed that Devbhoomi Uttarakhand was the fastest growing state of the nation with a platinum ecology of tigers, zoos, birds, butterflies, species of herbs, condiments and the rare flower-Brahmakamal, along with highly adventurous sports that attract over 600 crore people throughout the year. This endeavour aims to unite diversified communities together, and presented this fact effectively and with èlan.
