Goa: VP Dhankhar releases 200th book penned by state governor Pillai

Panaji (Goa) [India], November 9 (ANI): The Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, today emphasised the need to have meaningful and fruitful dialogues, deliberations, discussions and debates to strengthen the democracy of the nation.

The Vice President was addressing the gathering after releasing the 200-page book `Vaman Vriksha Kala' penned by the Governor of Goa, PS Sreedharan Pillai, at New Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan, today in Goa'a Panaji.

The book release ceremony, which marked the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of PS Sreedharan Pillai's literary activities, was attended by him along with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Member of Parliament PT Usha and Damodar Mauzo, Jnanpith Laureate.

The wife of PS Sreedharan Pillai, Reetha Sreedharan Pillai, also graced the occasion.
The Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, said that creativity may just come but sustaining creativity is a difficult task.

"Vaman Vriksha Kala's author on an important subject reminds us about civilization, values and wisdom, which are reflected in our ancient Vedas", he added.
Praising the writing skills of the governor, VP Dhankhar said, "Shri Pillai is a well-known public figure and a prolific writer. He has written 130 books in Malayalam and 70 books in English on various subjects, from history, law and politics to economics and social affairs".
Vice President Dhankhar further said that the book 'Vaman Vriksha Kala' is a monograph focusing on the specialised subject of 'Bonsai' i.e., potted trees. In fact, the name of the book means "the art of miniature trees".
Indicating the prime intention of the manuscript, the Vice President said, "It is to firmly establish the fact that Bonsai is originally an Indian art, as against the widely held belief that it belongs to China and Japan. The author provides evidence from ancient Sanskrit texts to establish this claim and provides convincing answers as to why our ancestors reduced trees to potted size".

VP Dhankhar lauded the efforts of Pillai for his immense contribution to the literary field for five decades.
He said that this is indeed an excellent example for other budding writers to emulate, adding that considering the volume of achievement and rapid pace of work, the writing career of Governor Pillai has been an extraordinary journey of 50 years.

The book elucidates how the author developed an interest in this art and how he created a bonsai garden in Raj Bhavan itself to better appreciate the art, the Vice President concluded.

PS Sreedharan Pillai, in his speech highlighting the values of literature, said that in every forest you will find a mother tree, which always keeps on communicating with surrounding trees. This communication is always held under the roots, which are scientifically proven, the governor added.

The governor, informing the public about the inspiration for writing on different subjects, said that he had gotten this idea from the Goan public during his visits to rural areas and by communicating with the general public.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that his writing began in 1973 by way of penning articles, stories, poems, etc. His first book was published in 1985, bearing the title "Rent Laws of Kerala".

"The pace of his writings then picked up and he attained the first milestone in his career when his Malayalam book "Pazhassi Smriti" was released in 2010 by the then President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil", the Chief Minister added.

The Chief Minister, mentioning his release of the 100th book 'Dark Days of Democracy', said this book was released at the hands of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in 2018.
The next 100 books have incredibly come in a short span of 5 years. This is because, during the COVID period of 2 years, Governor Pillai devoted his entire time and energy to writing, the Chief Minister added.

This book is a monograph focusing on a specialised subject involving intensive research and deep insights.

Earlier, M. R. M. Rao, IAS, Secretary to Governor welcomed the guests. (ANI)