Language is the connecting thread between a culture and its people. It depicts the rich diversity within a community. Uttarakhand is home to various dialects namely Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Jaunsari. In the earlier times, people would take immense pride in speaking and writing in their mother tongue, but with rapid modernization, somewhere, these regional languages are being forgotten.
Ranu Bisht Oberoi is a pioneer in the field of publishing. She hails from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and runs a printing press named Samay Sakshya. Since childhood, she has been deeply attached to her culture. Being from a Garhwali family, she loved to communicate in her native language. Out of curiosity, she started looking for Garhwali literature and was left aghast when she realized that there was very little published work in our local language.
In childhood itself, she decided to pursue her career by staying in her motherland. When the people of the state were struggling for Uttarakhand’s identity in the Uttarakhand Movement of 1994, she was also a participant in it. At a very young age, she decided to start a publication. At that time, the publication was an unconventional career choice for women. As a young woman, she faced a lot of judgment from society. She recalls that her parents were often asked questions like why she came home so late or why they were so liberal with her. It used to affect Ranu. However, with a supportive family, she overcame all these obstacles.
She has published over 400 plus books, out of which 200 plus are in the local languages. She believes that language, if documented well, can be preserved for the future generation. If the work is good, but the author lacks funds, SamaySakshya publishes the work free of cost.
For her work in the publication sector, she was awarded the Reeta Sharma memorial award in 2012. Ranu Ji believes that women can achieve whatever they want with their firm resolve. She is an inspiration to many women indeed.