Kunwar Viyogi embarked on his literary journey in the year 1956 when he recited his very first ghazal composed in Dogri.
After coming to Jammu, he had the golden opportunity of listening to renowned poets who composed and recited their work from the podium of the Dogri Sanstha. In 1956, the association organised an event on Urdu-Dogri poetry recitation in Gandhi Bhawan in Jammu. It was during this event that Kunwar Viyogi recited his very first ghazal. After listening to the ghazal, renowned poet Tara Smailpuri patted his back and said that he had a lot of passion, a lot of life in him and if he could weave it into a poem, he would become a poet par excellence. Smailpuri’s encouragement worked magic for the young poet and he regularly began participating in such literary gatherings.
In 1958, Kunwar Viyogi composed a Dogri poem titled: ‘Bholi’. This earned him a contract in a literary programme called Kayari. The programme was hosted by the ‘Father of Dogri’, Prof. Ramnath Shastri, who was impressed by his poem ‘Bholi’. Kunwar Viyogi was motivated to continue his literary voyage. Many of his poems, ghazals and stories were published in reputed magazines like Tawi, Yojna and Trikuta.
