Lines unparalleled

“Diwali ank,as it is commonly known,is a lifestyle in Maharashtra. Over the past 100 years,these issues published by various publications have become an irreplaceable part of Maharashtra’s culture. When I approached Narandra Jadhav,the then vice chancellor of UoP with the idea of making this literature a part of UoP’s syllabus,he advised me to compile it into a book and that is how the process began,” says Shikarkhane.

And while the venture is expected to take yet another year to reach completion,Shikarkhane’s own contribution towards the Diwali issues spreads over a quarter of the same century she’s documenting. “In 1978-79,when I was working as a journalist,the idea of venturing into literature came into my mind. By the time the concept took shape,it was 1982,when along with a business partner; I started Vishranti,a Diwali magazine that would talk about one specific subject in one issue. For instance,the subjects we have handled include- ghosts,21st century,ban on dowry and so on,” smiles Shikarkhane as she adds,“Once when Bhakti Barve was the president of Natyasammelan,we published an entire issue dedicated to drama. It was named- Rangawedh. It was after this that I seriously thought of publishing issues based on researched articles on a specific topic.”

Since then,Vishranti has handled topics such as- Madhyama,talking about the mentality of middle class society in the state,the consequences,reasons and the analysis behind the development of mentality,Gunagaurav- based on one faith or the guiding person behind successful people and so on. Not only that,it has unveiled countless facets of some of the topics that seem simple prima facie. For instance,topics such as- utensils,clothes,stone and many more on each of which an issue was written.

“All these topics are so common that we never feel like looking at them in a philosophical manner. But given a thought,there are various angles of looking at them. For instance,in case of utensils,starting from utensils in homes to taking expert write-ups on utensils and culture,talking to archeologist about significance of development of utensils with human evolution,children and the small utensils they play with- countless facets were discovered when we started writing about them. In case of clothes- research on aspects such as what were the clothes like in Vedic period have also been included. The whole motive is to unveil our culture though simple things around and make available researched information on these topics in one issue,” says she. The 2005 Diwali issue based on stone also grabbed Sahitya Parishad Award the same year.

With this year’s Diwali issue based on God (Daivat),Shikarkhane says,“It talks about God and poetry,God and common man,God in various cultures and religions,concept of God and so on. With experts such as- Shankar Abhyankar writing on- temples and Gods,Sucheta Bhide-Chapekar writing on- drama and God,P K Ghanekar sharing his views on Gods on forts in Maharashtra,Shubhangana Atre commenting on science behind idols and so on,this issue will be certainly preserved till next Diwali.”