Coincidences to organization: Chennai in Way to Mithila

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Way to Mithila
Coincidences to organization: Chennai
The morning I wished to start via Chennai for Madhubani /Darbhanga/Samastipur/ Delhi, I found a mail:" I am from Darbhanga and after my BE in Mech, I am here in chennai since February 2006.It was heartening to see that AMP's efforts in doing something for our region.The presentation to Mr Modi ji in Bang lore was to the point and specific.I want to contribute something with you people in changing the phase of out region. I also want to know that, any activity being organised from Chennai or near by so that I can volunteer there in.Reetesh K Jha, SIPS, Chennai ."To which I replied:"What a coincidence again!Meet me today evening at Chennai reaching by Brindawan Exp. around 8 m and will take up Howrah exp.at 23.30 pm.I will call you once I reach as both of my tickets are wait list-you may see my coach after 12 noon if confirmed in Brindavan exp. by PNR ….and in the evening in Howrah exp. …………once the chart is prepared.I have sufficient time and practically no work in between- if you can call even 2-3 persons it may be an initiation of AMP at Chennai. One young neurosurgeon of Apollo ,Chennai , a resident of Samasitpur will come to receive me at Sation- Dr. Manish ……... Through him you may recognize me--usually we meet at the front ahead engine where main yard of platform joins.I am in blue half shirt and bald with few gray hairs."To which he again replied:"You mean Brindavan Exp comming from Banglore....I will be there Chennai central station by 8pm."And that young man was there though Dr. Manish did not come and we could not contact him on mobile.Now I find from the records that on 29.4.2006 also he had written on our e-group:"I have shifted from Mumbai to Chennai.I need a rental house for bachelor near Nungambakkam,Annanagar,Mumgambakkam,Mehtanagar...please help me out..More over any Mithila or Maithili related activities going on here please let me know..I want to participate in that.."Some Keshav on July 12,2005 at Chennai was searching a Maithil pundit to which someone had written:" Pundits are the same everywhere including Chennai.Hindu Pundits are trained in Karmkand the same way.WhyIs it hard for you to find a Pundit? There is not any pooja/karmkand which can not be doneby non-Maithil pundits. Om Shanti!A. Jha."0n 20.10.2004 also some Rakesh had written:"Some one week back I have shifted to Chennai. I am workingwith "Irevna" at Dr R K Salai in Mylapore. Is there anyone in thegroup from Chennai? I would really be nice to speak Maithili in Tamilland. Hope to meet some Maithil people here.Rakesh Mishra,Irevna"IAnd Kunal Thakur(who was in close correspondence with me and was akked to have a meeting at his native place Brahmpura, Benipatti, Madhubani had written on 23.3.2006:"First I m really sorry , I couldn't organise the meeting., as circumstances were like that. Initially I tried to contact Kamalkant ji but failed, then I became very busy in my family function, Did u go through the xerox? what do u think now?"Few years back Sanjay Mishra from Chennai had written me some o personal problems and I forgot him who on 27.7.2006 had written to me :"Hope you remember me.Sir i need a help from you..Ineed Phiran Jha's telephone number(Hyderabad, Hisar).Now a days i am inHyderabad.."And today AK Jha from Hyderabad asks;"I would like to know the contact address and telephone no of "Bihar Bhawan" located at Chennai".I had already written the brief Maithil saga of Chennai:"Biharis gathered and formed associations at Chennai and Bangalore too but why they did not take up Mithila identity would remain an enigma till some one with authority writes on that. At both places Maithils were among top workers and at Chennai in fact Shobhakant Das could be called the founder who had though immense love with Maithili but the organization was not named on Maithili.When I talked to him in person he was very cordial to my motives of a separate organization of Maithils though did not help any further. I had to visit door to door in distant corners of the city (like Velankini to meet a Maithil working in the Sulabh) with a hair-line fracture in my legs due to a rickshaw accident at Vijaywada in way to Chennai when I had gone there for the APICON(Association of Physicians of India's annual conference)in January 1995. Not only the Maithils were convinced they organized themselves as the Maithil Sangh, Chennai in the inaugural function of which when I reached very late(due to Alleppey bound train) at the venue near the Egmore Station(which was chosen so that even late I could catch my train to Madurai),all Maithils were taking lunch as last programme. Knowing me they put a very big rose garland9so far no where that big garland I have been offered). And then during Dec.26-27, 1998, there was VII International Maithili Conference organized by GK Thakur and Prof. Madhu, Karunjee etc. where a large contingent of Maithil betel-shop owners from Bangalore had attended who have in fact made the first Maithil orgnisation in south- they now own a good piece of land worth about one crore rupees and organize Durga Puja annually at the Vasant Nagar, near Bangalore cantonment station.Yes, those who are little educated respect their mother and mother tongue and motherland more than those of us who are highly educated and hence, they organized themselves as Maithils but our own persons from high echelons had a sense of shy organizing as Maithils?Then in 1995 January, I had stayed at the IIT, Chennai hostel as a guest of Dr. Shirish Chaudhary and at night I used to take food in his house. His name too was given to me by Satishchandra Chandra Jha of Hyderabad who was GM, Praga Tools( and his name was given to me by a Maithil, Arbind Jha at Nagpur in my nephew's marriage sometimes before)…..Highly educated Maithils of Hyderabad showed the courage to unite themselves as Maithils was certainly praiseworthy than those of their counterparts in South who could not.."It is not that at Chennai or for that matter anywhere Maithils cannot be united. Maithil Sangh, Chennai(better as the AMP, Chennai, since it was seeded after my home contacts of January 1995 there) need reactivation and incidentally I am in south and till I am in this region AMP/ NMO work be strengthened by my efforts.Individually Kunal, Keshav, Sanjay, Rakesh, Manish could not make organisation though they all liked from their hearts. Had an organisation there they would have got the information for room to groom for their family (in AMP organizationally we do not encourage bride or groom searching for some reasons but once you are known to each other it comes automatically through references which are better than any portal on modern techniques for many reasons!).But Reetesh was alone and we need at least dedicated two to form an rganisation and he took me to Chennai's Merina beach once again where sometimes back I was with Manish and his medico friends to talk for the NMO.We talked a lot as to how to make organization at Chennai.But there was no second person that I could have a unit.We also tried to contact Tara Babu at Patna for raising question at Bihar Vidhan parishad for the IIT at Darbhanga, I could not carry my diary with me ,I find there but Maithili organization's list had his landline but again a lady told from Patna that it was changed. She replied in a nice manner when I asked whether I was talking some one else's house."No, I am from her family but residence is changed."The other landline she gave was in my list but of no reply was from there.We contacted Samastipur and at Hareramji's house left message for a scheduled meeting I am already in the way.Since I had already taken food in evening we talked only.There were some glittering light on sides of the beach for MK Karunanidhi's 50-years of legislator ship, continued. We, in Mithila did not have any such leader of regional importance. MK was magnanimous to accept K Kamraj as the best CM of TN though life long he was his political adversary.I said Reetesh to communicate with people there and have a unit of the AMP. If a big orgnaisation's small unit is anywhere,if defunct that organization tries to rejuvenate that but if a small or local orgnisation ceases to work due to some factor/s it is a matter of inertia for the people of that place. Since Maithil Sangh, Chennai was not a constituent part of the AMP though in the past I did try but not seriously which I hope in coming months again I would go there and see a unit of the AMP is formed and the Maithils query of pundits and room and others are solved by knowing each other who are living so close but are unknown still.I told Reetesh that in the years of 1950s those who were doing Maithili organizations were (at Kolkata) relatively of low paid work and therefore they had close contacts with all common Maithils and they use to call some senior high and elite Maithils as guests in functions. Gradually the scenario has taken a circle- now many well educated Maithils are Maithili worker too but our problem is that we are not able to penetrate among common mass which was easier by the workers of one generation before and hence we should bow down to take lower strata of Maithils in our arms with a message of brotherhood and equality on which the edifices of Modern Mithila would be made.Reetesh may go to Paris for company work soon but I hope he would contact many before he leaves Chennai and a continuity of meeting is maintained which is the essence of an organization with at least one annual gathering or function.For us Maithili work in all important cities are important as also in different districts of Mithila.