CHHATTISGARH: Raipur division commissioner Dr Sanjay Alung loves Chhattisgarh and would like to know everything about the state in a manner that would appear more like poetry in social sciences. His research on almost all facets of the state has led to write a series of books exclusively devoted to Chhattisgarh.
An IAS officer of 2004 batch, Dr Alung at the outset got in touch with prominent libraries across the country along with acknowledged theses and met noted literary persons and contributors native to the state. As he began to engage with the materials and resources, he realised that a lot to be known about the state carved out from undivided Madhya Pradesh in November 2000.
“Before starting out as a writer, I thought I should be an avid reader,” said Dr Alung. The senior government officer has to invest his substantial time in touring places and meeting people who have had connections with Chhattisgarh. Along with his painter wife, he has explored the state’s unique handicraft sector too. Among many astounding facts about Chhattisgarh, Dr Alung would tell you the stories about 14 ‘riyasats’’ (principalities) of the state. With painstaking efforts, he traced their flags. He corrected himself and his readers about the meaning of “garh,’’ which translates into “fort.”
“Chhattisgarh does not imply 36 forts. Actually, ‘garh’ is an administrative unit (which was later converted into tehsil) and is not related to any fort,” he said. “I also wrote about surveys and put them into the form of books for others to go through it. On various occasions I found information that also amused me,” he said.
He has written three books on poetry with two focusing on Chhattisgarh. “We shouldn’t remain in ignorance about the historical facts. Efforts should be on shedding light on the transformational influences achieved in hundreds of years,” he said.
His account of the history and culture of Chhattisgarh turned out to be extensive research. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) honoured him with a citation and recognised his contribution for the best research award in 2016. Alung was encouraged to study zamindars (landlords), tribals and castes, among others.
“Most of his books are popular and are reference books for educational institutions,” said Prof SK Tripathi, a historian. Research scholars often visit him for consultation and add value to the available thesis. “His published findings would further spur new research,” said Anirudh Gautam, a scholar in social anthropology.
Besides libraries, the IAS officer fetched inputs from the original documents available with reliable sources. He meets people who have valuable personal collections and visited various sites to corroborate the observations. He regularly interacts with local artists and old masters drawn from various walks of life across the state. “I never mixed my passion for writing or research with my professional roles. That’s why it takes a longer time for me to study, summarise and write a book”, he said.