Creative Space

UMESH KUMAR CHAUHAN
IAS (KL:1986), POET SECRETARY, SPORTS AND YOUTH AFFAIRS
GOVERNMENT OF KERALA

Tamaam prayaso ke baavjud kuch nayi nasal ke kabutar,

Dadbon ki aur rukh karne ke liye tayyar nahi the,

Aise kabutar pichke peton ke baavjud lohe ki chonchon waale hi chale the,

Ve aasman mein pankh pasaar nayi sambhavnao wale need talashte udkar bade chale ja rahe the,

Dur sunhare kshitij ki aur!

An extract from Selected Poems of Akkitham by U K Chauhan

Creativity, they say, is the true essence of life but for the Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Kerala, Umesh Kumar Chauhan, it is a natural extension of his persona. That explains why this IAS officer (KL-86) from Uttar Pradesh weaved magic with his string of rhythmic words and translated poems of a noted Malayalam writer into Hindi. Chauhan, who learnt Malayalam as a part of his job and gained proficiency in its rich literature, translated the verses of Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri who is a recipient of the Kabir Samman and the Kendra Sahitya Academy award. In his version, called Selected Poems of Akkitham, Chauhan has translated 21 poems much to the awe of his Kerala counterparts. That apart, Chauhan has also two volumes of Hindi poetry in his kitty, one of which is known as Ganth Mein Loon Bandh Thodi Chandni.

When Bureaucracy Today caught up with this bureaucrat-poet, he enthused, “I fell in love with the language during my posting in my cadre state that is Kerala. I always had a knack for penning down Hindi poems since my college days and my penchant for Malayalam literature inspired me to translate veteran poet Akkitham’s works.”

Few bureaucrats have the time to muse as Chauhan has been doing since long. His contribution in bridging the language chasm in India is highly laudable.


Dr. Gautam Sengupta, Writer
Director, Archaeological Survey of India

Dr. Gautam Sengupta, Director, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has 60 published works/books to his credit. These include The Eloquent Earth, Treasures of the State Archaeological Museum, West Bengal, An Annotated Archaeological Atlas of West Bengal, and Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia. Besides, Dr. Sengupta has also written and edited six books in collaboration with other masters in the field. With grin and sombreness, Dr. Sengupta says, “For me writing is not merely a matter of interest but it is also a professional responsibility.” Over the years, he has extensively written on art, history, archaeology and excavation.

Asked why he loves writing on issues relating to history, the ASI Director says, “My aim is to present flawless work with evidence so that Indians can have a better understanding of their glorious past. It is also to set certain things right.” Though the pen Dr. Sengupta picked three decades ago serves as his unflinching companion, he has no plan whatsoever to delve into other domains of writing. Without pondering for a fraction of second, he poured his heart out, “I will keep on writing on archaeology, ancient and medieval history, conservation, etc.”