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{{Short description|Indian writer and poet (born 1951)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chandrarekha Dhadwal
| image = Chandrarekha_Dhadwal.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|4|15|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Dharamshala
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Writer, poet, novelist, retired lecturer
| notable_works = Akkhar-Akkhar Jugnu<br>Samay Mere Anuroop Hua<br>Seevanein Udhadti Hui
| awards =
}}
'''Chandrarekha Dhadwal''' (born 15 April 1951, also known as '''Rekha Dhadwal''', and simply as '''Chandrarekha''') is a writer from [[Himachal Pradesh]], India. She is noted for her short stories, poems, novels, and [[Ghazal|ghazals]] in [[Hindi]] and [[Pahari language|Pahari]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=चंद्र रेखा ढडवाल - Gadya Kosh - हिन्दी कहानियाँ, लेख, लघुकथाएँ, निबन्ध, नाटक, कहानी, गद्य, आलोचना, उपन्यास, बाल कथाएँ, प्रेरक कथाएँ, गद्य कोश |url=http://gadyakosh.org/gk/%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%A2%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2 |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=gadyakosh.org |language=hi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=All Products - Chandrarekha Dhadwal |url=https://rekhtabooks.com/collections/all-products/chandrarekha-dhadwal?srsltid=AfmBOooPYLsH4QyvwTtroMznMEKK-SKT7qEdG8WPW7GJH2cKR_HORXDn |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=Rekhta Books |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 February 2020 |title=Pankaj Bisht ke yogdan ka mulyankan |url=https://janchowk.com/lekhak/evaluation-of-contribution-of-writer-pankaj-bisht/ |work=Janchowk |language=hi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=हिमाचल की समकालीन गज़ल- द्विजेन्द्र द्विज का आलेख |url=https://www.abhivyakti-hindi.org/rachanaprasang/2009/himachal_ghazal.htm |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=www.abhivyakti-hindi.org |language=hi}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Chandrarekha was born in [[Dharamshala]]. She taught Hindi for 34 years, and retired as senior lecturer and the head of Hindi department at the Government College in Dharamshala.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Joshi |first=Shriniwas |date=25 May 2019 |title=A woman who speaks of women |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/himachal-tribune/a-woman-who-speaks-of-women-778116 |work=The Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=चंद्र रेखा ढडवाल / परिचय - कविता कोश |url=http://kavitakosh.org/kk/%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%A2%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2_/_%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%AF |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=kavitakosh.org |language=hi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=Self Appraisal Report Submitted to NAAC by the Govt. College of Teacher Education, Dharamshala |url=https://gctedharamshala.ac.in/files/NAAC/GCTE_NAAC_2014_SAR.pdf |website=gctedharamshala.ac.in}}</ref>

== Works ==
Chandrarekha's ouvre is highly regarded for its nuanced portrayal of the struggles and difficulties faced by women in hill societies, as well as their innate power. Her work is noted for its pithy and witty sentences, as embodied in the following two-liner by her: "On a heated pan/by sprinkling water/the woman cooking [[roti]]/learns the art of living".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vidyanidhi |date=2021 |title=हिमाचल के विशेष सन्दर्भ में स्त्री विमर्श |work=Divya Himachal |language=hi}}</ref>

[[Shriniwas Joshi]] notices a "stream of feminist activism" in ''Zaroorat Bhar Suvidha'' (2016), Chandrarekha's first anthology of poems in Hindi. He writes that in these poems, Chandrarekha revolts against patriarchal privileges and biases of men, and the lack of alternatives in social roles for women, other than being housewives.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Joshi |first=Shriniwas |date=6 December 2016 |title=A poetry book that highlights few choices for women |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/a-poetry-book-that-highlights-few-choices-for-women-332735 |work=The Tribune}}</ref>

=== ''Samay Mere Anuroop Hua'' and ''Seevanein Udhadti Hui'' ===
Chandrarekha's novel ''Samay Mere Anuroop Hua'' and her anthology of short stories ''Seevanein Udhadti Hui'' both came out in 2019, and often received critical appreciation together. Shriniwas Joshi considers both works as [[Feminism|feminist]] in nature. He characterizes her position in these two works as being that a woman should not follow the rut of tradition, but must educate herself, be robust, and individual. He compares Chandrarekha's writing to [[Mary Ellmann]]'s ''Thinking About Women'' and [[Germaine Greer]]'s ''[[The Female Eunuch]]''.<ref name=":0" />[[File:Chandrarekha Dhadwal.png|thumb|358x358px|Chandrarekha Dhadwal at a younger age. ]]
Kamlananda Jha of the [[Aligarh Muslim University]] positively appraises ''Samay'' ''Mere Anuroop Hua'' for its complex, multi-layered, and uplifting portrayal of female psychology.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dhadwal |first=Chandrarekha |title=Samay Mere Anuroop Hua |date=2019 |publisher=Antika Prakashan |language=hi |chapter=Critical note by Kamlananda Jha}}</ref> Of the short story collection, Jha says that Chandrarekha develops a compelling narrative style, where her prose frequently becomes poetry, blurring the boundaries between the two genres. A lot gets conveyed through bare, unfinished sentences. But this style never becomes overwhelmingly dramatic, and allows Chandrarekha to have a dialogue with the reader through her story.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jha |first=Kamlanand |date=April–June 2019 |title=प्रेम और पाखण्ड को नापति कहानियाँ |journal=Baya |language=hi |pages=30–31}}</ref>

[[Suraj Paliwal]] observes a rare sensitivity in ''Samay Mere Anuroop Hua'' portrayal of the alienation and lack of consideration faced by women growing up in Indian families, as well as a distinct personal voice in Chandrarekha's short story collection.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paliwal |first=Suraj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSW9EAAAQBAJ&dq=%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%BE+%E0%A4%A2%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2&pg=PA14 |title=Ikkisvi sadi ka doosraa dashak aur Hindi upanyas |date=2022 |publisher=Vani Prakashan |location=New Delhi |pages=14 |isbn=978-93-5518-852-6 |language=hi}}</ref> [[Abdul Bismillah]] deems the novel to be the modern version of [[Premchand]]'s celebrated novel [[Nirmala (novel)|Nirmala]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=29 December 2019 |title=इस वर्ष महिला साहित्यकारों ने सृजन को दी नयी ऊँचाई |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF+%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%B2+%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82+%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%9C%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80+%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%88+&sca_esv=e4392de686f6f47e&tbm=nws&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LW5ld3MiUOCkpuCkv-CkteCljeCkryDgpLngpL_gpK7gpL7gpJrgpLIg4KS44KWA4KS14KSo4KWH4KSCIOCkieCkp-ClnOCkpOClgCDgpLngpYHgpIggMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKSOzdAVCGA1jO2wFwAHgAkAEAmAHUAaAB0QOqAQUwLjIuMbgBA8gBAPgBAfgBApgCAqAC4ALCAggQABiABBixA8ICCxAAGIAEGLEDGIMBwgIFEAAYgASYAwCIBgGSBwUwLjEuMaAHkxM |work=Divya Himachal |language=hi}}</ref> The novelist Gyan Ranjan considers the novel to be a realistic depiction of contemporary middle-class Indian households.<ref name=":1" /> The poet Namita Singh remarks that in ''Seevanein Udhardti Hui'', Chandrarekha locates human values squarely between deep sensitivity and inner contradictions.<ref name=":1" />

'''Others'''

Chandrarekha has also collected and analysed endangered [[Kangri language|Kangri]] folk songs in three published volumes, in collaboration with the musicologist Janmejai Singh Guleria (see Bibliography).

== Recognition ==
* In 2025, Chandrarekha was awarded the Himachal Gaurav Award by the [[Government of Himachal Pradesh]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Tribune News Service |date=August 17, 2025 |title=Kangra's literary gem honoured |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/kangras-literary-gem-honoured/ |work=The Tribune}}</ref>
* In 2022, she was awarded the Chandradhar Guleri Bhasha Samman.<ref name=":2" />
* In 2019, she was the Himachal Kala Sahitya Samman.<ref name=":2" />
* In 2016, she was awarded the Pahadi Sahitya Puraskar by the Government of Himachal Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 January 2022 |title=Samay par diye jaane chaahiye saahitya ke agle puraskaar - Jairam |url=https://www.amarujala.com/shimla/bharat-ratna-atal-bihari-vajpayee-shikhar-sahitya-samman-to-acharya-keshav-and-dr-handa |url-status= |work=Amar Ujala |language=hi}}</ref>
* In 2009, Chandrarekha's poems were featured among others in an anthology of representative poetry from Himachal Pradesh, by the [[Sahitya Akademi]], India's national academy of letters.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |title=Pratinidhi Himachali Kavya Sankalan |date=2009 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |editor-last=Guleri |editor-first=Pratyush |location=New Delhi |language=hi}}</ref>
* Regarded as a well-known author and poet in Himachal Pradesh, Chandrarekha has regularly spoken at literary festivals and book festivals in Dharamshala and [[Shimla]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 2013 |title=Dharamshala Book Fair |url=https://www.nbtindia.gov.in/writereaddata/attachment/tuesday-june-25-201311-45-42-amnewsletter-july-2013-for-web.pdf |journal=NBT Newsletter |volume=31 |issue=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018 |title=Iss baar gaiety ke pustak mele mein Himachal ke lekhakon ki kitaben bani aakarshak |url=https://www.bhaskar.com/news/latest-shimla-news-020502-2073659.html |work=Dainik Bhaskar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=15 November 2011 |title=Sahityakaron ka azadi ke vishay mein yogdan |url=https://www.jagran.com/himachal-pradesh/mandi-8492724.html |work=Jaagran}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Aggarwal |first=Sanjay |date=25 March 2022 |title=Made aware of literature in Kavi Sammelan |url=https://www.yugmarg.com/edition/2022/03/25/pages.pdf |work=Yugmarg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mohan |first=Lalit |date=8 April 2023 |title=Dharamshala Literature Fest concludes |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/dharamsala-literature-fest-concludes-495641/ |work=The Tribune}}</ref>

== Select bibliography ==

* Dhadwal, Chandrarekha. 2015. ''Akkhar-Akkhar Jugnu'' (in Pahadi). Des Sangeet Prakashan, Dharamshala.
* Dhadwal, Chandrarekha and Janmejai Singh Guleria. 2015. ''Lokbhav Svaranjali.'' Des Sangeet Prakashan, Dharamshala.
* Dhadwal, Chandrarekha. 2016. ''Zaroorat Bhar Suvidha'' (in Hindi). Antika Prakashan, Ghaziabad.
* Dhadwal, Chandrarekha and Janmejai Singh Guleria. 2017. ''Lokbhav Svaranjali - II.'' Des Sangeet Prakashan, Dharamshala.
* Dhadwal, Chandrarekha. 2019. ''Samay Mere Anuroop Hua'' (in Hindi). Antika Prakashan, Ghaziabad.
* Dhadwal, Chandrarekha. 2019. ''Seevanein Udhati Huin'' (in Hindi). Antika Prakashan, Ghaziabad.
* Dhadwal, Chandrarekha. 2022. ''Aag'' (in Hindi). Antika Prakashan, Ghaziabad.
* Dhadwal, Chandrarekh and Janmejai Singh Guleria. 2023. ''Lokbhav Svaranjali - III.'' Des Sangeet Prakashan, Dharamshala.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhadwal, Chandrarekha}}
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:Scholars from Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Poets from Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Novelists from Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Dharamshala]]
[[Category:People from Kangra district]]
[[Category:Hindi-language poets]]
[[Category:Hindi-language Indian writers]]
[[Category:Hindi-language novelists]]
[[Category:Indian feminist writers]]
[[Category:Women writers from Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian musicologists]]

Chandrarekha Dhadwal - Revision history

Suresh330 at 07:53, 24 April 2026