A scholar and distinguished writer

Dr. Goyal has elaborately discussed almost all aspects of the theme and art of these poetic works. He has extensively dealt with literary, cultural, philosophical, social and religion contents of these compositions and has highlighted their unique contribution to our poetic tradition and composite Indian culture.

Dr. Goyal has authored more than 30 books and about 200 research articles, which have been published in research journals of several universities and also in almost all the prestigious research journals and reputed literary magazines of Hindi and Panjabi of the country and some national dailies. Some of his articles are included in ‘Encyclopedia of Sikhism’, ‘Panjabi encyclopedia’ and commemoration volumes on Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Teg Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh and some other important volumes.

Dr. Goyal travelled on uncharted territory and dug out many a precious literary gems. One such gem rediscovered by him is a distinguished 19^th century Hindi poet of Haryana, Mahakavi Santokh Singh, distinguished 19^th century Hindi poet of Hindi poet of Haryana, Mahakavi Santokh Singh, who composed two monumental epic poems ‘Guru Nanak Prakasha (Hindi), though the script was Gurumukhi. These epics are based on the life and teachings of the Ten Gurus and present vividly the cultural, political and social history of their age.

Dr. Goyal brought this poet before the Hindi literary world for the first time and has done extensive research worked on the literary, philosophical and cultural tenets of his compositions. He got his works published in 10 volumes in Hindi by the Punjab Language Department, Patiala.

Dr. Goyal has also done extensive work on the compositions of Guru Gobind Singh and the literature produced under his patronage at Anandpur Sahib. He has also done in depth studies on several other Hindi epic poems, available in Gurumukhi script such as ‘Guru Shobha’, ‘Guru Bilas’, ‘Mahima Prakash’, ‘Guru Nanak Vijay’ and ‘Panth Prakash’ etc. He has distinctly brought out specific trends and sensitivities of spirituality, humanism and heroism of these compositions, which together are not available in the whole range of Hindi poetry.

Dr. Goyal has differentiated between ‘heroic poetry’ and ‘War Poetry’. He held the view that battles fought for a ‘noble cause’, for the protection of ‘Dharma’, ‘Truth’, ‘Justice’, Humanism, moral and ethics values come under the banner of ‘Heroic poetry’. He has termed the heroic poetry composed at Anandur Sahib, Which has an amalgam of spirituality and heroism (Bhakti and Shakti) as a ‘specific literary school’ in the annals of History of literature.

Armed with his findings of new literary trends and sensibilities in this literature, especially an amalgam of spirituality, and heroism, not available anywhere else in the poetic compositions of that era, Dr. Goyal challenged the established concepts of the history of Hindi literature of the later medieval period, widened its horizon, propounded new concepts and thus gave new dimensions, new visions, new perceptions and new interpretations to the literary history of that period. It is true that no history of Hindi literature of the neoclassical age (Ritikal) can be complete without taking into account his contributions.

Based on his studies of hundreds of manuscripts and old publications, Dr. Goyal established the fact that Braj Bhasha Hindi has been the principle literary language of Sikh writers of Punjab from 16^th to 19^th centuries, though the script used was Gurumukhi.

Dr. Goyal has published several critical books on Hindi Medieval literature and has also published research articles on ‘Heroism in Valmiki Ramayana’, ‘Mahabharta’ and many other Sanskrit epics and heroic Poetry; ‘Sufi Sahitya’, ‘Sant Sahitya’, ‘Historiology’, ‘Research Methodology’, ‘Poetics’, ‘Hindi journalism’, ‘Folk lore of Haryana’ and several other topics relating to Medieval and modern Hindi literature.

Dr. Goyal has had the reputation of a highly talented scholar all over the country. That is why he was invited by over 50 universities in the country from Srinagar to Calicut & Mumbai to Guwahati for literary and academic assignments.

Though a scholar on medieval literature, Dr. Goyal has keen interest in Modern Hindi literature also and this has given his critic a modern outlook.

“Ambua ki dal pe Kuke Coyalya” is a collection of his satirical, descriptive, narrative and other type of creative essays, memoirs, character sketches, reportage and other literary forms. These creative literary pieces reflect his inner-self, his personality, sensibilities, emotions and sentiments, social and cultural concerns, his ideas and ideals.

Dr. Goyal has published several articles on Haryanvi folk lore, Hindi literature and Hindi journalism of Haryana. In fact it was he who initiated and patronized the study of ‘Haryanvi Folk lore’ in the seventies and prescribed it in M.A & M.Phill dissertations on various aspects of “Haryanvi folk lore” such as “Haryanvi folk tales”, “Haryanvi Proverbs” and some eminent folk dramatists.

Dr. Goyal three books (edited) namely – “Haryana: Puratatva, Itihas, Sanskriti, Sahitya and Lokvarta”: “Haryana Kee Sahitya Sampda”; and “Haryanvi Lok Sahitya” present very valuable, authentic and elaborate account of various aspects and forms of rich historical culture, linguistic, literary and folklore tradition of Haryana.