IFFCO: Spirit of Sri Lal Shukla rekindled in Kamani Auditorium

It was a literary fest with a difference. The spirit of Rag Darbari was made alive in the Kamani Auditorium in downtown Delhi when poems and couplets celebrating the life and travails of farmers and rural India reverberated in the hall. The occasion was bestowing of the 5th Shrilal Shukla Smiriti IFFCO Sahitya Samman Award on a fiery poet Ashta Bhuja Shukla on a dull Sunday winter morning.

Union Railway Minister and a cooperator to the hilt Mr Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu was the chief guest while luminaries of the literary world competed among themselves to grace the occasion. The leading lights of the literary world who graced the occasion included Namvar Singh, Girirak Kishore, Ajit Kumar , Murli Manohar Prasad, Dinesh Kumar Shukla, Naresh Saxena, Vishwas Tiwary, Mahesh Katare to name a few. And Shri Ashtabhuja Shukla –the man selected for the laurels – was indeed the cynosure of the show.

Welcoming the guests IFFCO MD Dr U S Awasthi said IFFCO is number one in the country in the production of chemical fertilizer but it still believes in preservation of soil and extensive use of bio-fertilizers. Few ventures could boast a privilege as IFFCO when two heads of states launched IFFCO Jordon last October. Awasthi was referring to King of Jordon and President of India.

A cooperative federation of about 36 thousand cooperatives IFFCO is as committed to preserving the art and culture of the country as it is to improve the holistic life of farmers. He mentioned efforts like publication of “azadi ki agni shikhayen” and other books in this direction. He said the IFFCO Board instituted the award in 2011 and we are proud of it.

Referring to the works of Srilal Shukla IFFCO MD who happens to be his son-in law too said the works of Sri Shukla captured the life of rural well as semi-urban areas in totality and made a scathing attack on the prevailing exploitative system. T S Madan a renowned sociologist has recommended Rag Darbari as a book capable of changing the mindset of people; the weekly magazine Outlook names it among the 100 top books of the world, Awasthi added.

Lauding the role played by IFFCO over years , Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said it is there to help farmers in all situations. I know IFFCO since I was the Chemical & Fertilizer Minister and know its commitment to farmers, Prabhu said.

Prabhu went philosophical in his speech when he traced the connection between physical health and mental well-being of farmers. Poems and literature play an important role here, he underlined. IFFCO has not only recognized a poet but also farmers and village by instituting the award. He lauded the poetry of Ashta Bhuja Shukla and said he is busy in both shiksha and disksha of society.

Several people spoke on the occasion including the head of Selection Committee Shri Giriraj Kishore and the hero of the show Ashta Bhuja. This was the first time that a poet was chosen for the award and the audience could see the judiciousness of the decision as soon as Ashtabhuja began to speak.

K S Rajendran directed a drama based on the works of SriLal Shukla and the presentation could capture the undercurrent of satire- a hallmark of Srilal Shukla’s works. Ravindra Tripathy anchored the show with finesse.