Cold Mithila:Cold Maithils(23-26.1.2010)-I; Deoghar and Godda

Cold Mithila:Cold Maithils(23-26.1.2010)-I; Deoghar and Godda


The leaves around 26th January to utilize for home and around had been in my mind for long and hence,I had thought for a Maithili Workers’ Training Camp at Pirpainti(Bhagalpur) while talking with a co-traveller-turned Maithili worker Dr.Vijay Shankar Singh of Deoghar whose in laws were at Pirpainti. However, it could not be finalized and I wished to be among students at Saharsa but that too could not be held due to incessant cold since early January.
During January 4-13,the journey to Jaipur - Delhi-Varanasi was in such a cold wave of north India- the cold was piercing one and Kripanand’s wife had asked me to wear gloves which I just forgot to purchase thinking for next winter but Mithila was no less in the poverty of sunshine than of wealth and naturally it was one of the coldest moment again.
I read in Hindustan that coldest in past 32 years and naturally if Saharsa had refused for a meeting it was not unusual.
Still I talked and had some form of meetings here and there.
Before I could reach Jasidih on 23rd Jan., a call from Goadda’s Dumaria that one of the relatives came for shraddakarm of mother of the Sanjesh Mohan had a stroke.( They rushed to Godda hospital where I saw the patient but despite referral to Ranchi he died on 24th night.)- I remarked somewhere that had not been Ranchi capital for Godda, patient would have been referred to Patna instead- and may be some near capital in Mithila he would have been saved too-though in massive cerebral haemorraghe outcome is always poor and best is prevention of high bolld pressure with low salt diets and proper medicine which the victim had ignored altogather!).
On 23rd morning when I reached Deoghar stand my nephew came to receive me. In fact, I had only called him the previous night just to give him a Sanskrit writing(my views in a Sanskrit book of a scholar, Dr.Ramkishr Jha ‘Bibhakar,’ who was very eager to get it printed in his other book and I had written that in Sanskrit shlokas which I had preferred to tell on phone but he insisted for courier on 22nd evening as he had no one to collect at bus stand in my way to Godda and I decided to draop at deoghar and requested him to call some persons for a meeting there. Not only I had good darshan of Baba Baidyanath- it was an experience of bare foot walking also and in the way having darshan of a Maghi Durga on an Astami day- first time I had such darshan in Magh!
The temple had no rush but my nephew said that only 2-3 days back many pilgrims had come from Saharsa area for Abhishek of Baba during Vasantpanchami and I stressed that in Maithili meeting that Baba had maximum devotees from Mithila and so Deoghar should go to Mithila!
Deoghar has many streets and it is famous for pedas, my sister had asked and I could have some.
Pandas as usual were there but were civilized.
The Maithili meeting has small but influential attendance and it was a coincident that a meeting was held.
I saw Bibhakarji’s room was full of sacred books- a temple in itself.
My eldest cousin(sister)’s son’s residence was nearby and I dropped there for 5 minutes.

Bus to Godda was a horrific experience- slow moving one but was passing through scenic route of southern Mithila.
From bus stand to hospital – hospital too was in shambles. Doctor attended the patient in early morning but had few facilities. I was sorrow for Sanjesh’s younger brother who had just lost mother and was about to loose father –in-law( who had only daughters and being the eldest and only son-in-law he had higher responsibilities).
The meeting was in other corner of town of Godda where I was taken by an advocate Maithil reuested by Vinay of Purnea. I saw the house of Dr. Mahanad Jha who was a surgeon in my hometown Forbesganj.
Some Maithils gathered there expressed solidarity with Mithila movement and agreed for a bigger meeting later.
I was taken to the house of Dr.Ajay, a surgeon, my class friend, who was posted there in TBDC? His wife and he were eagerly waited for me since noon 12 but I had only time to eat a special sweet of Godda to take last bus of 530 to Bhagalapur as by then Sanjesh was about to leave for Ranchi with patient and there was no point in going to Dumaria ,his village which was originally planned- to attend 13th day of death of his mother as a mark of condolence.
I could get last but one seat of 3 and could guess from Maithilized tone of Hindi that cotraveller was a Maithil and so he was from near to Benipur and his friend from Madhubani; they were working in fairs, selling electronic toys and had come for a space in ensuing Godda fair. Ananad Vhoudahry told me that he was a lucky survivor of Darbhanga firing during military recruitment some years back and had decided to work on shelf than to have service and was better than a clerk ,having a lust for good education to his daughters and son in a Kurseong’s public school, near to Bagdogra airport, near Siliguri he was dwelling in his own house and was roaming about many fairs 45-60 days..
He suggested me to go to Bhutan vai Jaigaon where scores of Maihtils are residing . I gave him Maithili Parishad’s form for a unit at Siliguri when we reached Bhagalpur in a cool night around 9 PM.