WHY ' KALHANA BULLETIN'

You know, we are living in the information age. Today, a reader wants to know about the present whatever the facet. He also wants to know about the past- the heritage aspect. Hence, we should know where we fit in and place ourselves accordingly. It is my strong belief that each one of us is literary alive till we contribute to this world.

        

I resolve once again to make a serious effort to render service through writings and knowledge, if any.  Kalhana Feature Services is, therefore, reborn and recast in the form of blog named as Kalhana Bulletin.  I am sanguine with the endeavour and commitment to post informative, interesting and touching updates on variety of issues concerning our life with a little emphasis on Jammu & Kashmir which shall lead us to a purposeful days ahead.

Kalhana Feature Services

As a freelance contributing articles, features and book-reviews etc. to various national and regional dailies since June 1977 one day realised to endeavour some larger role and consequently thought of going for a syndication agency with the title related to Rajatarangini. The launch of syndication service as Kalhana Feature Services in 1992 having arrangements with leading six national and fourteen regional English dailies was no where an easy task but a challenging one. We were doing appreciably good with tremendous response from writers and publications across the country but the devil has its day.

We had never thought of living without the pursuits through Kalhana Feature Services but  certain domestic and financial constraints unfortunately compelled one day in 1996 to withhold all activities despite its very successful and smooth running.

 Kalhana

Rajatarangini, the Chronicle of Kings, is the complete and oldest record of Kashmir History. Kalhana, the son of a Hindu Brahmin named Canpaka, a Kashmiri Minister, probably who served the King Harsa of the Lohara dynasty in 12^th century A.D. The birth place of Canpaka, Kalhana’s father was possibly at Parihaspura.

He is known as a great scholar with very high knowledge in Sanskrit, and regarded as the first historian. Kalhana, an illustrious Sanskrit author of Kashmir wrote Rajatarangini, an actual account of the history of Kashmir somewhere between 1148 -1149 A.D. In fact, Sir Aurel Stein recognizing the only inestimable work of its kind succeeded in publishing the critical edition of the text sometime in 1892. Stein has opined that Kalhana’s works are the only true Sanskrit history. And the stories from “the river of Kings” shall follow.

‘Kuchh baat hai ki hasti mitti nahhi hamaari

Sadiyon rahaa hai dushman daure e zamaan hamaara’

New Delhi                10.15 pm                Friday, 18 Jan 2013                      Neter Raina