Ladies in AC Compartments I: Indigo Vats to Mithila state

Ladies in AC Compartments I

On 19th Febrary incidentally I interrupted in taks of two ladies and two gents in the II AC coach of Tapaswini Express. One of the male noticed “the train is 15 minutes late,” on which I quipped Wordswoth’s feeling on Time- morning, noon and evening etc. and on obsession and life style diseases in such time specific persons. I was returning from a doctors’ conference and naturally I had many medical things in mind but later we engossipped on many things from religious conversions by missionaries to dharma and religion and Geeta and many things.
One of the lady was a retired professor of psychology and the other was a social scientist, a Dutch from Amsterdam but married to a psychiatrist at Ranchi but knowing the languages of our area. Lady professor offered her Chura(fried grain) and I thought oh! The familial lessons to carry something will never go despite she was widely traveled across Euro countries and US. She had worked on Indian immigrants at France and on many projects in US. She was rather in a teaching mode to the SAIL HRD Bengali Babu from Barrack Valley on sampling methods and errors.
Usually I don’t intervene but when I opened my mouth some words came out and they liked more though I did not take any breakfast item as I would not take before my daily worship.
And then Silchar babu came closer and asked me on many religious aspects. The other one an Oriya Brahmin was more inquisitive of the cause of Tribal conversion and in the genesis of Sanskrit which when I explained that it was not the purview of any caste with my arguments became satisfied on my notes of making it simpler to make it national language.
On tribal conversion and Missionaries’ role Madam Europa was a bit uncomfortable(as I felt and she left the bay to go to her seat and delved in her book).. my talk with SAIL, HRD continued and we reached Hatia with exchange of cards.
Usually rail friends not respond but when I sent Lord Macualey’s original statement to destroy Indian culture, Madam Dutch replied and we had a long conversation to quote some of them:


On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:15:22 +0530 she wrote
>Dear Dr. Thakur,
>
>Yes of course I remember you and thank you very much for the email. In fact, my PhD thesis (way back in 1990) was on English education in Kolkata (in particular high school education for girls) and the Macaulay argument was known to me.
>
>Which area in Bihar do you belong to? I guess you are from the Maitili speaking region? I have recently visited Darbhanga region (and Dalsingh Sarai area) related to my research on indigo, tobacco and sugar and also met Dr. Hetukar Jha and discussed the area with him? Do you know him?
>
>With kind regards,
>
>K.S.-K.

I replied her,

Dear Dr. K.

Thanks de Maila!
Nous attituda de non-British Europeana differenta!

Je me appreciata vous une Inde (by msarraige).

Excusez moia Me intervena de talk deuz ladie en compartmenta ,ce vous est plez!

> We feel though being English educated our access to world is better, we in fact lost in the field of education where everybody was literate before the advent of British(and Moslems).In fact, English could teach their pupils by Monitor system prevailed in India( so that person's grave in UK has a tombstone, with an Epitaph,” The Founder of Madras System of Education." and thereby they could overcome the lack of teachers in UK.
From Madras Medical college in 1875 passed out first Eurpean lady doctors!(maybe a wonderful news to you!).


>
>Anyway, your guess is absolutely write that I belong to the Maithili speaking region ,north of Darbhanga, Madhubani district, world famous for painting!(Where every women is a painter!)
Previously Dalsing Sarai was in Darbhanga district ,now in Samastipur district .

In my childhood I had seen indigo vats at Forbesganj(my birth place in Araiya district, some 70 km north of Purnea) and was playing in those in 1960s, in those abandoned vats of Indigos of very big size. The town is still named on AJ Forbes, an indigo planter. I have described in my autobiography,The Autobiography of an Unknown Medico," awaiting any publisher to print though availabe in CDs(Page Maker 7).
Madam, Indigo planters did a lot of atrocities and Mahatma Gandhi's protest at Champaran and his fame and name and gradually independence is a story of that but according to one economist the Mithila region became poorer since then because investors became afraid of the local public.


Yes, tobacco is abundant in and around Dalsing Sarai area 9just like Vijaywada-Guntur area of AP) and so is capsicum ..
Tghough sugar too (nearby Hasanpur had one of the best variety of sugar) but for sugarcane again my Madhubani district was more fertile- I use to see three chimneys - Rayam, Sakri, Lohat in and around 8 kms of my village..
Well we Madhubanites are sweet like sugar(madhu means honey)and so our women paint so beautifully..
Though I have not met Dr. Hetukar Jha , I have heard of him- he is of my caste group Maithil Brahmin and he must be knowing me as I am leading a movement for separate state of Mithila, out of Bihar, in India.
Maybe I write a memoir on you people ..(quoting the parts of this)
I tried to write a few words in French (after 1977 I learnt)..Maybe with the help of my old book, I may write better... don;t mind then I used to write French to my girl classmate of 20. Now I am 53 and no one should be scared of!
>With kind regards,
Dhanakar

Dear Dr. Thakur,
Thanks for this interesting information. I admire your French but will not be able to reply in French myself. Pardonez-moi!
I think had like to read your autobiography. How to get the CD? You feel that foreign investors became scared after the indigo problems yet still the Imperial Tobacco Company (British-American collaboration) established a "factory" (leaf buying establishment) in Dalsingh Sarai. But indeed they left the place and preferred Gunthur.
I am now searching historical evidence for this hypothesis that they left the place because of fear of the locals. Would you know where to find this evidence? (apart from oral history which I along with my research asst. already carry out). We also have looked into the Patna and Kolkata archives but do not find much about tobacco yet a lot has been written on indigo/sugar in Champaran (less on indigo/sugar in Tirhut/Samastipur/Pusa area).
We are looking for local (village) histories. What is the exact name of your village and in which block is it located? Where in Forbesganj are these indigo vats to be found? Are they still there? I have seen indigo vats in other places like Pupri, Pusa, Dholi, etc.
By the way: how do you think a separate state will help the Mithila region?
Thank you once again,
Kind regards,
K.
And then I repled her in a more familial way putting my points”

Seems you are on net and let me reply your mail and post my blog if I can today on "Ladies in AC Compartment. Don’t worry. I may treat you as wife of my senior(I am 53 years) as you are a wife of a doctor and married in my state..


Dear Bhabhi!(my sister in law), though my French is not admirable I do not know Dutch.. Pardonez-moi!

I would be glad to send my autobiography. I will send someday or take a copy from CD. Initially I wanted (but could not get) some lady author of repute to writes its preface(as I am a wife-deserted man and faced a lot described in one chapter, of course that is probably 30 pages only out of 368 pages, I wrote in between 1989 to date..being updated off and on..)

Though I am a writer but basically a doctor(MBBS,MD Gen.Med., DCH and editor and being a student of science have hardly as my " feel," and I base my logic always with due references.

It was said" that foreign investors became scared after the indigo problems," by an author Dr. Shailendra Jha who teaches at DS College, Katihar and has written a book, Economic Heritage of Mithila," which I have quoted only.

"yet the Imperial Tobacco Company (British-American collaboration) established a "factory" (leaf buying establishment) in Dalsingh Sarai," though was not known to me as simply I use to say in my lectures about tobacco, capsicum etc. it has strengthened my views.

"But indeed they left the place and preferred Guntur," is other testimony of the experiences of mine (I am probably the most widely travelled person in country- not by flights or AC coaches but by general compartments of railways. since 1977, I am wandering, of course for some social organisations,not NGOs but Voluntary organisation.
I listened to about ADRI's researches through lay presses off and on and will be glad if sometime I can get an opportunity to talk on this platform on the development of my area(Mithila) which is ravaged with perennial floods of Koshi and many other rivers..
And I may be able to convince any audience that we are economically salvageable by the genuine efforts of state, nation and world level organisations and for many priorities and data we need our separate state which was till late(1329 Gia -Suddin Tugalque, a traitor Muslim offender gave Bihar word otherwise it was Mithila and Magadh from time immemorial..
Dear bhauji(sister in-law, we are not Biharis.. we live in north-eastern parts of Bihar and in fact also in southern part of Nepal Terai. which was vivisected in 1816 by infamous or famous Sugauli Treaty..

If possible, I will help you finding in your " search historical evidence for this hypothesis that they left the place because of fear of the locals." I hope that book and author may be consulted as well as other markers..
No jute, paper mill came up.. sugar industry died up..and so on..
Madhubani is not only Painting but have Fish, mango and Makhana (only availble in that latitude till right side to Arariya..)..

True, Patna and Kolkata archives will not tell miseries of Mithila-- Patna has been antithesis of Mithila...

Tobacco has been a taboo but grown as a cash crop still.

And so important became indigo/sugar in Champaran (less on indigo/sugar in Tirhut/Samastipur/Pusa area) due to Gandhi, the Mahatma, as eponym med by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Thakur but sugarcane we grow in Mithila and can grow to the quantum if proper set up is done to compare with the sugarcane lobby of present State of Maharshtra which decides who will be next CM there?


I belong to village Samaul ,7 km before Madhubani- the village had initailly the Bridegroom conclave(which was shifted to saurath later).. the village had greates mind ever India produced, Vachaspati Mishra II in 15th century(still the highest degree is conferred on his name.. Vidya Vachaspati for D.Litt, Aayurvigya Vachaspati for MD like me Kanpur University awards)..
But now my village has only a ruin of that great person's house..(even a small person like me has same dilapidated house my late mother constructed who turned to a farmer from an urban housewife when partition amopg six of my uncles had in 1960s)..

It is in Rohika block though located in Madhubani PS itself.

Dear bhabhi Forbesganj is overnight journey form Patna- by 348734/88(probably) Seemanchal Express recently introduced Delhi-Jogbani train..only 10 km before Jogbani, the last outpost before Nepal's second town Biratnagar..take a flight to Kathmandu from there if you wish so..

Most probably those indigo vats were soiled to make 'concrete jungles' like anywhere in the country.. but take it a truth that I have seen even condiments like peppul on the vegetations around those vats-my childhood playgrounds.. which were full of indigenous medical herbs which i was collecting being son of an erudite Ayurvedic doctor..Oh! those tamarinds around and shrubs..
There was a grave of a dog too around of those English Indigo Managers on which I have commented on modern ladies’ rearing up of dogs is not new fashion.. and also of one little Angelic girl (like on one I had written a poet you read just now) ..I hope graves must be there..
The grave of Forbes is at Purnea or Darjeeling.. Big Sultani Tank is there..

You have seen indigo vats in other places like Pupri, Pusa, Dholi, et and many more we the Indian have not seen . Thanks for your interest in this part of the world which in any time past has shown light to the world in the form of Vedas..

I think you can arrange a lecture on ," a separate state will help the Mithila region," and I will speak on datas economically how we are denuded- Patna has 30000+ Rs. per capita income and my Arariya only Rs.3000?

Only yesterday GOI had announced new central Universities- one in Bihar and one in Jharhand-- had Mithila a state it would have one somewhere maybe Madhubani or Saharsa I wanted a Women's University on the name of Bharati.

.And likewise one AIIMS, IIM and IIT in Mithila which we deserved and not everything in the capital town of Patna which utmost can be converted to the Union Territory of Patna.. and remember I will ask at least half of it like Berlin/ Chandigarh..
Every year a Mithila district oozes its blood like whopping Rs.18 crores( 180 millions) to Patna where is only a VOTE industry for the name sake…and PAIRAVI trade for being High Court and Secretariat and Examination Board,

Well I was born in Bihar but will die in Mithila.. though today I found my BP was high(150/100) and I as a doctor know the salt restriction and walking. I am a foot walker(a long Foot Marcher) in Mithila area(my experience in "Yeh Madhubani hai" book by District Administration on it..


Thank you once again ,Dear K. bhabhi..now I have to go to my hospital but on Monday surely I will complete my blog on "Ladies in AC compartments. wait for jokes..)
Dhanakar