A Deepawali without Deepas

A Deepawali without Deepas
Hardly many choose to go out on Deepawali but I have to for saving my leaves and doing some organizational work for which Delhi is a favouritedestination as on Kali Puja there use to be meetings with cultural programme at sarita vihar organized by Bihar Sahyog Samiti(though predominantly done by Maithils) and at Faridabad by Mithila Navyuvak Sangh, Raman Jha is key organizer at Sarita vihar where I use to inaugurate the function for 4-5 years till last year when I had forgotten the date and had reached Delhi a day late after a car journey from Bangalore to Ranchi.
At Faridabad mostly local and one national leader is being invited every year and they give me full honour and a few minutes to speak also.

I have shared dais there with jay Narayan Nishat, Devendra Yadav, Ravi shankar Prasad, Rajeev Shukla, Ranjita Anand and had spoken before everyone except Devendra Yadav who took too much time. I would have loved to say that time that Mother Maithili has attracted him also in Her folds as the same Devendra had not signed a petition to Vajpayee for inclusion of Maithili in the VIII Schedule when I had gone to him with GuruMaitajee and Kamalkant jee. I had rebutted Devendra that his concern for unemployment and inflation and for Vajpayee had if any value that was lower to purs and true he had left NDA and not persons like us who though were non-political had appreciation for Vajpayee for his bold decision to give Maithili its due including it in the VIII Schedule.

The politicians have chameleon colours and that I saw in him advoicating for Maithili at Nagloi and Faridabad. True he could understand the power of Maithili as he had lost the same election held after the episode I narrated. Sometime I say(rather boast) that lalu lost due to me amking me an enemy by removing Maithili frm the BPSC that I entered in Maithili field from the NMO and Lalu had merely lowered 0.2 % ov his vote share- could it not be accounted to Maithili-lovers unity to which I was a significant contributor. I recall Dr. LN Jha from saharsa had told me on phone,”Ekota Lalten nahee jarlay, saharsa Commissanory me,” yes Saharsa had given him lesson bitter than Darbhangias did give!

I was not knowing who will be guest this year at Faridabad but the guest , Ram Chandra Khubtia, MP(Rajya Sabha from Orissa and Secretary, AICC) on getting poster for Mithila and Maithili Sandesh on dais said,” Every language should have its own area(state) and our fight for Maithili(Mithila) state should continue..(The exact version by Kripanand Jha’s referral of video)..
Though he had left for a meeting with Soniya Gandhi had he been there during my speech I would have added Vjapayee won hearts of Maithils by recognizing Maithili, Sonia too would get laurels if she gave us Mithila State.

My one liner however in his absence was directed to other leaders of Congress on dais that we Maithils thank Haryanavis for their appreciation of ours (and not criticizing us like Thakre) in making wealthy Haryana and I also warned that if any body dared to humiliate us they will loose as Maithils are decisive in 94 parliamentary constituencies- apart from 28 in Mithila, 64 others, including Faridabad. The 15-20 thousand crowd there cheered me. Of course I was not so strong in my criticism as young Bhardwaj of Youth Congress was criticizing Thakre.
In fact I am sorry that anyone from the state of Chhatrapati Shivaji can say like that. He should be ashamed on his wrong lessons in History and more so I am surprised over the reply of Manohar Joshi, former Speaker, in defense of Raj. I use to regard him a learned person but probably he needed a teacher who could slap him like my teacher slapped a friend of mine in geopgraphy class of IX
“Arariya Cour- Court = ?”
On listening to reply ‘Araiya’ he had slapped and said that it was ‘Kabala Datta( a destrt like place,’ after the court population started assembling, he said.
I say thus Bharat- Mithila(not to talk of present Bihar) is almost ZERO in the field of Indian (Hindu) Philosophy as I narrated in one of my older writings.

And for finding such opportunities I had decided to loose my Deepawali festival in journey to Delhi.

This journey to Delhi on 27th October 2008 night was not much different from others except that my luggage was packed with Aayurvigyan Pragati’s individual postal pack to some 1000 members and 400 medical and dental colleges of the country who needed information before ensuing Nov.15-16, 2008 XXXII National Conference of the NMO for which I am incessantly working since 14.8.1977.

I know the pain and pangs of any organizational process but it is still difficult at its 32nd year as many had forgotten that any organization is an action of karmyogis who many times are taken to be otherwise even if done with utmost detachment.

Anyway postal packs were made by my sister Bindu and maid, Punam, who had nothing to do with NMO. The full sacks and bags were loaded in the compartment at Ranchi railway station by Sanjesh Mohan Thakur, a teacher and organizing secretary of the AMP, Jharkhand, who got a cut by the sharp lace of the bundle of the Maithili Sandesh delivered just that evening. My sister Bindu was also with me.

On 28th morning, at Mugalsarai I took big bag on my shoulders to drop(maybe first medical editor for such endeavour) on the next plaftform at the RMS. It was a Deepawali holiday and I had to drop in the letter box maybe some 10 at a time. The box was mouthful, maybe for the first time in its existence which is opened many times a day otherwise.

After few ours at Kanpur, Prekant Jha, a teacher and member of the AMP came and I gave him Maithili Sandesh, posters for Mithila state and membership forms and went with him on the RMS on the same platform to drop magazines which was easy there .
I saw Deepawali at many places from the train, Etawah, Shikohabad, Hathras, etc. and notably at Aligarh, I remarked the houses not Deepawali were as if were of Muslims.
I remembered at Aligarh Dr. jagdish goyal’s family where I used to break my jouney or he used t come at platform but though our goals were same paths were different.
Most pf the houises had electic bulbs not earthen deeps as if Deepawali without Deepas!

I got a phone from a number I guessed from USA but Bindu after seeing 91 said from India’s but it was from Dr. Mahesh Dutta Jha’s from USA who advised me to write in the Organiser and Panchjanya on Mithila state.

Other missed call was from Dr. Ravindra Chaudhary, Jamshedpur whether having a separate flag for Mithila was not anti-national. No, I said that Karnataka and Tamilnadu have state flags and they were not less nationalists than anybody else.

At Tundla too some 30 magazines were dropped in a short time of 2 minutes and the rest I dropped at New Delhi RMS going there with Kripanand Jha, G Secy., AMP where separate box was also for local mail. I saw one address was slipped of Dr. Vinay Aggarwal whose Pushpanjali Hospital though I crossed after 2 days I had dropped the other journal at the JNU box I visited on 30th October.

It was too much late but Bindu’s husband, Vivekanand and Kripanand were waiting for us. I chose to go with Kripanand to his Mayur Vihar residence, adjacent to Lal Chandra’s which was my abode till he was happy there with Ritambhara.

I do not know future but usually those who are very close to me have hardly peaceful family life and I do not know why they learn this negative aspect from me and at times have negative behaviour with their wives when I had abundant love to my wife despite her saying me, Sayonara(Good Bye!).

It was too much late and going to my niece Gungun at NOIDA for giving a Deepawali surprise or to my cousin Gamnesh in nearby Phase III was not possible and we slept after having dinner around 130 am.

On 29t morning I called Hitendra Gupta who had expressed his desire to meet me. He was also in NOIDA and finally said that he would accompany us to Sarita Vihar.
First we went to MECON Towers(near Fortius Hospital) where BK Jha’Manpaur’ ,my old neighbour and JP Movement activist discussed and planned with Kripananad for supplying milk powder to Koshi victim children and filing PIL against Government for mishandling Koshi affairs. He is of the view that whole project be limited to India and we should work for distributing water not collecting that by making dams for hydoelecticity. I do not know much about the engineering implications of that and wish matter is discussed in depth.
I went to meet my Bhauji and niece for them my personal endeavor was needed I felt. Though and MBA from Indian School of Foreign Trade for her height 5’ 7.5” it has been difficult to find a suitable groom and my cousin, a great Hindi poet, Padmakar’s death in a railway accident has naturally this responsibility is on us and I was only ashamed to meet my niece without fulfilling my duties to her.

Kripanand and I went to Sarita Vihar and there was initially a small gathering but later joned by Balendu Arun Jha, my friend of JP movement days it was a good meeting. With him amny seniors and youngers had came for the meeting notably one Ratneshwar Jha who had seen Mithila posters somewhere in the train near Varanasi and was full of energy to suggest we need 1 crore such Mithili photo in every house and so Mithila Pag.
I feel even one lakh will do a dramatic change in Mithila psyche.
Balenduji appreciated my efforts more than I deserved and Kripanand said on the mention of reveared leader Bhogendra Jha that had his party won he might have been a Minister only but if had starteda Mihtila Party and got Mithila state destiny would have remembered him or anyone.
The same thing I told to one of the aspirant candidates for MP from JD(U) at Jhanjharpur, Dr.BK Jha who was introduced to me in the evening programme and had adviced Kiran Jha a candidate aspirant from the BSP . I told Dr. Jha that we would support the candidate who supports our demand of Mithila State, He was non committal.
I was surprised that he did not know NMO though passed from RMCH, Ranchi. It seems he had no extra curricular activity and now parties opt for such candidates who have no ideological past but green present..

And they choose one who had not worked for the area as if one worked might have some opponents but if not no opponent and only propositions and conjectures.
Kripanand said that Chankya had said that a politician should only say the thing which he could twist the other way in future.

I am not so and so I may be a Chankya and am searching for a Chandragupta.
But Kripanand said Gandhi(and later JP) had done wrong by not leading himself the country and we cannot leave Mithila at others’ mecry..We will have to take responsibility by entering in the political domain.
I did not say anything and was thinking – was I a true politician?

Probably not I am so. Sometimes back I had said Kiran if Mayawati choses me to oppose Manmohan or New Delhi constituency I may think for resigning my job!

Even at Faridabad I was introduced more as a Maithili worker than a doctor in service though only some persons know that I was trained by eminent medical teachers of the country!

She caught hold of that later that I was a politician that I do not know the truth.

The meeting at Sarita Vihar was concluded with Yatri’s song and oath as AMP worker. I hope much from the members who attended that. Some were amazed Yatri Nagarjuna had written for Mithila State.
Particular mention should be of one teacher who pointed several questions on inclusion of non-Nrahmins in the struggle to which I replied that is already there and more non-Brahmins had written their mother tongue as Maithili than Brahmins in 2001 cesus as it was almost trebled to the number of Brahmins in Mithila. However, we want workers on their quality and not on quota and that is in the AMP already.

Hitendra Gupta who was a silent spectator and a true Maithili blogger must have made up his mind as to what I say I mean and has given his report on blog which I will read on Monday.

He had reached the venue independently after we reached there.
The journey to and from Faridabad was on a speed natural for Kripanand unnatural for me but I remember my senior friend Govindacharya who once said to me that he never objects the speed of bike driver who knows his limits best but while returning I had Mother Kali’s big portrait framed in glasses and I had to take every caution that it reached safely and it reached so to its destination to my house at Ranchi .

( AS THE TIME IS OVER To be continued IN NEXT)