Dr. Priyanka Vaidya is the winner of many awards including the prestigious State Academy award in English literature from Himachal Academy of Arts Culture and Languages. She is posted as Associate Professor in Dept of English at Himachal Pradesh University. Summerhill, Shimla.
Dr. Vaidya is a poet, story writer and researcher. She has twelve books to her credit. Her published work includes five poetry books, three research books, three story books and one poetic novel. Lotus Rises in Mud, Lockdown Diary and Gulmarg Gulzar Hoga have been well received by both the critics and readers. Her latest published work includes Kavya upanyaas Aanandi and a poetry book When Cuckoo Sings in Himalayas. Aanandi is the first poetic novel of Himachal Pradesh and it talks about Indian womanhood. She believes in the principle of "Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah."
She remains actively involved in the field of research. She has contributed more than 100 research papers of national and international acclaim and has been awarded many times for her work in the field of literature. She has also presented papers on Diaspora and Karmayoga at international conferences in the UK. She believes," Pen can dive deep into human psyche and explore various paths by writing destiny and future of the nation."
Awarded with Utkrisht Seva Samman 2014 by Akhil Bhartiya Harijan League, Woman Achiever Award by Indian Women Convention, Writer for the year 2016, Yuva Srijan Samman 2016 by Himalaya Sahitya Evam Sanskriti Manch, Awarded by honourable Governor of Himachal Pradesh for representing India abroad in 2016, Woman ICON of the year award at International Women Empowerment Conclave (IWEC) PURNIA 2017, Impact Maker Award at IWEC PURNIA 2017, Sahitya Shree Samman 2018 at International Writers Festival-Indore.
Stephen king, the American author, has rightly said, "Books are a uniquely portable magic "This anthology of stories, aptly titled Hatu is one such magic box. It is a collection of stories by the best creative writers of the state. These stories not only bring to life the culture, traditions and rituals of the hills but also portray the transition one society is going through. Hatu peak in Shimla district is a typical hill top that offers 360 degree panoramic view of the snowcapped mountains, hills and valleys. These stories do the same. A good anthology is both representative and interesting. Dr. Priyanka Vaidya has achieved the difficult goal of bringing out an immensely readable and enjoyable anthology in a difficult time-most of the work was done when COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak Editor's job is difficult and she has done her duty wonderfully well. This anthology is a welcome addition to the rich storehouse of literature published by the Academy. This volume answers that English short story writing in Himachal is well established, varied and rich.
The present anthology Hatu brought out by Himachal Pradesh Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages and edited by ep Dr. Priyanka Vaidya, Associate Professor, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, will pave new path for literary explorations Himachali writers will talk, recite, narrate and sing the glory of our state through untold tales of mountains.
The editor who has already enriched the criteria and dimensions of English and Hindi literature through her creative writing, particularly story-telling and poetry, deserves all appreciation for working so hard in compiling and reading these stories with a feel and zeal of literary sensibility and human sensitivity. Consequently, she has rightly carved a niche for herself with critically acclaimed literary fiction and is all set to be marked as a professional writer of perennial passion. Besides, all the story writers deserve congratulations on being included in this significant anthology. Dr. Priyanka Vaidya is the writer of twelve books, she is a poet and a story-teller, and she has contributed more than hundred research papers of national and international acclaim. Recently she won State Award in the category of English literature. The two anthologies of Himachali story writers under a project in 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' are entitled Hatu and Carnival of Stories.
These stories deal with the society in the inexorable grip of transition. Some of the stories explore the beauty as well as the brutality of life and circumstances and show that the characters have also remained rooted in the tradition, in spite of undesirable factors, while being transformed with the passage of time.
Writing starts with 'Swantah Sukhay' and it results in Satyam Shivam Sundaram' Life is an endless explorations and it takes us to infinite destinations. Many times we recite poems and sing songs, at other times we tell tales. Journey is filled with numberless rainbows, but seen from different destinations. Every place shows different view and diversity fills mind with vigour and enthusiasm to shape universe with colours and imagination.
Himachal fills my heart with divine inspiration, every speck of the Himalayas takes me to a different world where nature speaks volumes, silence sings songs and universe tells tales. This book transports us to Himachal, a land of divine existence, gods and goddesses, mountains, rills, hills, diverse cultures and traditions. It was totally a new experience to edit these two books of stories of Himachali writers. One is Hatu and another is Carnival of stories. I explored horizons of Himachal to search those writers and writing is a different experience from that of editing.
I am a creative writer and researcher; this project is my first attempt as an editor. Though the writers are free to do experimentation with language and clouds should have no barriers. I have written five poetry books, three story books, three research books and one poetic novel. My books took me to an endless inside sojourn and these two books of Devbhumi's writers opened the doors of endless hearts, infinite minds and unknown destinations. I get inspiration from every speck of Himachal, a land of mountains, hills, rills, divinity, serenity and infinite hues. While travelling through beautiful terrains of mighty Himalayas I came across numberless humans who looked beyond horizons, collected coloured stones from the surface of flowing rivers, gathered smiles and spread compassionate rainbows in this world. They saw beyond, felt deeply, expressed intensely and told the tales of human existence in hills.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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