May 25, 2014

Rani ji passes away

May 25, 2014: The weekend turned out to be quite hectic and it piled up upon my already busy schedule in Delhi regarding matters concerning WFUNA. While in Delhi, I got the sad news of passing away of Rani Lakshmi Kumari Chundawat, a doyen of Rajasthani Literature.

I had landed in Delhi yesterday morning (May 24) and went in for back-to-back meetings with UNIC officials as well as other agencies with Bonian Gulmohammadi, the Secretary General of WFUNA.

At the meeting with Meghalaya CM Mukul A Sangma and IFUNA members

I hosted a small lunch with Bonian and key members of Indian Federations of United Nations Association (IFUNA) and then, in the evening, after attending a meeting with Mukul A Sangma, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, who is the current chairman of IFUNA and after the meeting had dinner with him. We discussed quite a few isssues regarding the United Nations as well as the United Nations Associations (UNAs).

At Rani ji’s funeral

Saturday night, by the time I was back at Maurya, it was very late. On Sunday, I landed in Jaipur around 8:30 am and attended the funeral of Rani Lakshmi Kumari Chundawat at 9 am at the Lal Kothi funeral grounds and then took the 11 am or so flight again from Jaipur for Delhi.

It was the shortest trip of Jaipur and I had to be back in Delhi for 2:30 pm meeting which were postponed twice. I was glad that I managed to attend the funeral of Rani ji to pay my last respects to a lady I shall admire and respect my whole life. I am also thinking of initiating something in her memory.

Rani ji was 98 years old and one of doyens of Rajasthani Literature, she lead a very illustrious life full of verve and vigour and her contribution to the society would be remembered in the years to come. With her passing away, an era of Rajasthani Literature came to an end. This loss comes close to that of Late Vijandan Detha who passed away in November 10, 2013.

I feel these two icons of were the last torch bearers of an era in Rajasthani Literature. With the passing away of Rani ji, the Rajasthani literary universe has lost one of its pillars that had a very unique and positive impact in opening up a field that was once a relatively closed world.

Coming back to Delhi the city is abuzz with what Modi’s new cabinet would look like, full of guesses and surmises all around. The scene at the India International Centre (IIC) lounge area was also the same.

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