Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Dhanbad_II_23.8.2010:units should work even in the absence of one or other senior worker

Dhanbad_II_23.8.2010:units should work even in the absence of one or other senior worker

It was my 18th visit of Dhanbad since 19.1.0.1992 when I visited Dhanbad with Babu Saheb Choudhary for Maithili meeting when I had just entered in to Maithili work and in those visits only three times these was not for Maithili work. My last visit was barely one month back when I had hope that some persons capable of understanding organizational priorities had come to such a meeting to forge the AMP.
Dhanbad has a record of good Maithili work from many angles and AMP had its X International Maithili Conference during Feb.1-2,2003 (after several postponements, as a mark of respect to the IISCO, GM, SN Choudhary who was a great Maithili lover.
Dhanbad is the closet Maithili centre for Mithila work out of Mithila and I wished a strong unit helping Mithila state movement.
On 18th July 2010 at Binodpur Durgasthan next meeting was fixed on 23rd August after much deliberation and they wished me to come again to which I was reluctant but I had not given this date any other place since I always wished a good work at Dhanbad.
I contacted Mithilishji and he was not in favour of my visit as convenor Navinji’s one of the kin had expired at Jamshedpur and advised me to talk who told me that he would be returning by 22nd evening and the meeting would be held. Feeling his engagement in sad rites I phoned three others persons present there in the previous meeting and they asked me to come.
To take a train in the morning I slept a bit early and getting up 5 am I did my puja etc. and particularly it was my birthday as per Hindu calendar.
I reached Hatia station in time and the passwenger to Dhanbad was placed on platform 1. The rear coaches would have been comfortable to me but a psychological fear of rear coaches smashed in the Vananchal accident the last day I was to take up that train at Dhanbad, I went 3 caoches ahead and there too not finding both fans moving in the warm and humid morning I advanced further two coaches.
When the train started I informed Priya, daughter of my younger sister that she missed to greet me on my janmtithi though she was almost awoke at the stroke of midnight of my English birthday!
And I had talks with some other workers- a lecturer at Simdega College who had once met me in an auto and I invited him for Sanskrit Divas programme on 24th August at my residence when he said that he would not be going Simdega on 24th where Dr.Guneshwar Jha would be going.
A young person was listening to me in Maithili and later he asked my introduction. He was S K Mishra from Garhi, Bangaon and we could find some common references. He is working at Ranchi in Tata Insurance after having his B Sc(Physics Honours) and MBA from some institute at Ahmedabad, Close to him was a sweet girl who was working in the same profession after her B Com (Ist yr.) and was to appear for her second year. Her father had expired just four months back and her mother was running shop at Chas. They belonged to Sitamrhi town. She was not able to talk in Maithili. I offered them guavas purchased from a tribal woman venodor.
Time passed and we passé through the green picturesque Tatisilway- Silli rail route. I had concted Anil Mishra of Muri but he was in way to Varanasi and I gave him contacts to have a meeting there.
I narrated fellow boy and girl as to how a unit at Muri was started when I had gone to meet one of my friend and I recalled picnic on Swarnrekha sand.
And came Bengal for a while where phones are roaming for us and Priya . elder to neha greeted me and from Bokaro Nagina Prasad Mahto talked after long his number was changed.
At Bokaro the girl got down and I went to RMS to drop half of the packs of Maithili Sandesh and Aayrvugyan Pragati, the other half I dropped at Gomoh when we reached after some times crossing the river, Damodar, the most polluted river of the country and running in the sharp stony way which this year has no sufficient water due to much less rainfall.
Gomoh though named on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose due to long name people’s tongue has not catched. Always brief names are preferred- it should have been Netaji Gomoh Junction and though word’ Neta’ is most resented today, people have high regards for Netaji which means Subash Cahndra Bose only!
We reached Dahnbad and parted.
I went to Mithileshji’s house in DS Colony and then with son to Binodpur Durgasthan.where akhand Ramayana was going on. We came to Navinji’s house where after sometime Mithileshji came and he left for Durgasathan and had my r breakfast –in the meantime Navinji reached from Jamshedpur. I started for Durgasthan and Mithileshji had returned with two workers but I insisted we should go to the venue as some others might came. None of the two persons however came whom I had informed. We sat for a while on the grass there and then went to Binodji’s house nearby to have some talk and I asked them to fix other date which they were not taking seriously. I insisted that organizational work should continue even if main worker was not present and that is called organization. They did not like to take any decision without the convener Navinji who probably being tired or uninformed of the venue of our meeting did not came. Finally a date of 29th august was fixed for such a meeting. Though I will be on that day at Purnea and may not visit Dhanbad for some months let us watch whether the unit works spaontaneously.
I wish this change of mentality otherwise organization can not be forged. On 22nd at Begusarai , Mumbai and Shikohabad meetings of the AMP were held and I wish such meetings on every holiday at hundreds of places in and out Mithila and such huge number of meetings cannot be held unless the units work even in the absence of one or other senior worker and that can only evolve other workers – spoon feeding will not yied desired results.
True, I lost my one day with uncomfortable traveling at night in Vananchal Express again seeing rush in the Patliputra Express. My sister had warned me not to travel by Vananchal on the psychological fear of the accident on the previous journey but when that train was announced on other platform simultaneously, I went to that and could get upper space to sleep also though climbing there was an uphill task since it was converted from a sleeper to general coach.
In the morning reached my residence and went my chambers after daily rituals and am waiting whether the coincidental meeting with Maithil boy results in long lasting relation with organizational benefit or not and whether we may do something for the destitute Maithil girl which would be a bonus to Dhnabad’s trip which was not otherwise wasted as I could talk Mithileshji , his sons and their friend Satyajit of ISM.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Ratnesh, Gen.Secy,A.B. Mithila Party, 'a Subash in making for Mithila Movement

Ratnesh, Gen.Secy,A.B. Mithila Party, 'a Subash in making for Mithila Movement



Ratnesh, General Secretary,Akhil Bhartiya Mithila Party, visited me today i.e.18th August 2010. I saw him first on 29.10. 2008 at a Sarita Vhar Kali Puja Pandal in Delhi where he had come to see me in a Mithila meeting organized by Raman Jha almost every year since 2004.

In a train crossing Varanasi ,Ratnesh had read a Mithila poster with slogans written by Dr.Manikant Thakur (presently in US) and which was pasted at Baruni junction by young workers of AMP, Babbu, DK Jha etc. on 2nd October 2008 when I was also there. When he was informed by someone that I was to address a Sarita Vihar meeting he had come and then we had some contact.

He came on 26.12.2008 at the Simariaghat Ashram where president of the newly form Mithila Vikas Party was to meet me but he did not turn up and I had a long talk with him thereafter at Begusarai railway station waiting for a very late train for Khagaria where a press conference was scheduled. He had shown me a pamphlet he had published some 20 years back when he was a student. I found he was energetic and gradually he came closer to me and was instrumental in getting a political party registered with the Election Commission for the first time though the movement had some political mention in 1950s and the MVP had suffered a jolt of ‘infanticidal move.’



Ratnesh had visited me once more Ranchi and had seen a pile of unorganized papers on Mithila and NMO. He phoned me yesterday from Kolkata that he wanted to read a book on Mithila by Dr. Laxman Jha. I had summarily advised him not to go on the footsteps of any as those great persons could not forge an organization for Mithila and also Dr. Jha’s thinking was Mithila if not on the line of present Kashmiri separatists was almost equal to that barring the fact that he was a great Hindu karmkandi.

Janki Nandan Singh too voiced for Mithila but it seems as that was probably also for a ‘political recognition,’ as we listen today for some or other and having all respect for them I feel the road to Mithila can only be traveled by those who have innate faith on the goddess Bhagwati as if she is immortalized as Bharatmata and when the matter is such we have no disrespect for any .

I talked Ratnesh while filing many papers with me since 1992, I am in this movement and could show him the path I lonely traveled, however, I was never alone though only few remained consistently with me either in person or in thought.



I told Ratnesh that in a Maithili magazine I saw a comment on me ,” Dr. Dhanakar Thakur wants seriously to be in news and is seeking some Subaschandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru without coming to front fight himself!”

Ratnesh told that he had also read that and wished that I should write the magazine that I could find a Subash(Ratnesh) and Nehru( Kripanand) for Mihtila. Record shows that in 2005 from that Sarita vihar ground I had gone first to Kripanand’s house.

Though like news in newspares for Mithila I never intend for my personal glorification. In fact Acharya surendra Jha ‘Suman’ had advised me that always give news to newspapers as that spreads the movement and in fact in proportion to work done news reports published is rather lower in proportion. While talking to Ratnesh, I could show him a news-report of Aaj , 21.10.1994 and Hindustan of 25.11.1994 and 2.11.1994 where I was boldly mentioned by the unknown journalists and in fact they made me hero in my third foot/cycle march in Mithila. And though I had talked two times including today morning to the editor of that magazine for other reasons in the past 3 days, I did not complaint as to why such remarks were passed and I think searching able workers is important for all social workers and here probably I did better where my predecessors failed in Mithila movement.



Gor the medical NMO or the Mithila-Maithili(AMP), I have remained almost a lone traveler of Rabibdra’s style, “e kla chalo re,” - long back I had slept outside Lady Hardinge’s Medical College’s Kalawati Sharan Hospital’s campus in open when I could not find Dr. Lal Chadra’s room opened in the hostel in a midnight returning from Chandigarh/Punjab- then I was not working for Mithila but for NMO only. Later, after many years, I saw same Lal Chandra could organize NMO’s Silver Jubilee at the Siri Fort uditorium where starting from DY PM Advani some half dozen ministers of GOI were present and also the RSS Chief Sudarshanji and I had a Chhat fast on that day.



It is not that I had not thought for writing the editor that ‘I have got Subhash and Jawahar,’ but I was in a dilemma whether in joke an IAS had told me that he would be ‘Jawaharlal,’ and then other an IPS who is fighting for many social causes could be ‘Subash.’

Just now we had our Independence day and at the banks of Mother Ganga we were at the Simariaghat in the Ashram and while unfurling the flag Swamiji whom I referred as the ’Mithilasant,” I had mentioned about Aurobindo Ghosh’s dreams of ‘Akhand Bharat.’



As per Aurobindo’s supramental state we all need to be Subash and Sawarkar(if not Nehru though he had a sense of respect for Maithili like neo-Nehru Vajpayee showed his magnanimity for it.

But our demand of state will not be based on language but a cultural unit, I emphasized Ratnesh which we share in this part of our holy motherland and never even in the dream Mithila has any status other than in Bharat(and Nepal for Nepali portion).



I also saw Ratnesh a souvenir of the Chattagon Armaorry’s 150’s anniversary, an old patient of mine, had said giving that to me-“I am living only to give you these two books..(on Indiann Revolutionaries).” He was tested by Masterda Suryasen to obey firing on his father in the fixed day of the start of the month while returning with the money for salary from headquarters. Ganguli, then a youth, had fired on his father and became unconscious( it was a mock fire) and later he was admitted to Masterda’s group.



Maithils need a non-violent Gandhian movement- if India could be free from Mithila’s Champaran’s such movement why not Mithila could get statehood by such a mass movement which needs as per a thsesis of some university on Mithila I could show the pages to Ratnesh- “a Subash in making.”

At least I am not a ‘Gandhi,” and so no question arises of anybody’s making ‘exile’ like Subash had to do!



Dr. Dhanakar Thakur
Spokesman,
Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad

Friday, August 6, 2010

Coincidences_6.8.2010_Vijay K. Choudhary

Coincidences_6.8.2010_Vijay K. Choudhary
It was drizzling since morning and while coming out of the chamber I took umbrella to walk to library around 1.5 km. I walk everyday and it was indeed a pleasure in walking in drizzling as even a hilly place like Ranchi and many other districts of Jharkhand had been declared under draught. I was mentally thinking about next week’s Mithila meeting at Simariaghat for which I had just concluded giving information to the expected 17 persons.
On the VIP road while I was crossing a car too and it was stopped to give me lift. I thought initially that he was from SAIL and must be knowing me though for me it is still difficult to remember even in a long gap of 20+ years I am serving as a doctor to 3000 + employees of MECON-SAIL
The gentleman said after a while that his grandfather (of 105 years) used to say that if you help someone in need you will have no problem in life, of course on highways one should be careful for any untoward may happen.
I remembered such an incident many years back when I had given lift to an old person in Bariatu while I was coming to the Main Road from there.
We got introduced each other. He was from Patna and was working in Jahrkhand Govt in the water resources dept. and knew of one my brother-in laws who is an Executive Engineer. We even exchanged phone numbers but let us see whether this introduction lasts long?

In 2-3 minutes, We talked briefly about the ubiquitous title ‘Choudhary,’ which is in many castes- Brahmins, Vaishyas, Kayasths, etc. to which he added that even in Muslims when I said that it pertained to revenue collection(Tehsildar) of old days. I did not remember then a famous quote from the Satya Harshchadra play written by Bhartendu harischandra himself-
“Ham Choudhary Dom Sardar
Amal hamara dono par”
In fact there too the said Dom was to collect revenue for burning any dead body and King Harischandra working as Dom there had taken revenue from his wife,Shaivya too for burning his son, Rohitashwa! And that was the final test of Harischandra. He asked his wife, Shaivya, to give a part of kafan(the white cloth on the dead body) if she had nothing to give! And when wife started tearing the cloth, the gods appeared and praised the truthfulness and honesty of Harischandra!
Who is honest in this era. My sister’s daughter, Priya. A student of B.Com ,residing in my residence, only last night had quipped that I did not bring any medicine even for household use when many in the township(even getting prescribed by me on fictitious symptoms) do wash utensils from costly strips of medicine. I told her that if I took medicine for her(who is non-entitled) is equivalent to a taking cash from a box, if I was to guard that. I knew I was not a Harischandra but surely I was also not alike to many scammers (of common wealth!).

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

MEA Travalogue_Way to Ranchi: A sadistic pleasure in making a Telugu standing journey in revenge to Sheshdri express journey where I was denied a seat

MEA Travalogue_Way to Ranchi: A sadistic pleasure in making a Telugu standing journey in revenge to Sheshdri express journey where I was denied a seat.

3.8.2010

It was an interesting journey . At Jolarpettai(in Tamilnadu) a passenger seating on the front seat asked for dosa’s rate and it was said to be Rs.10 for two but when he was giving money it was taken Rs. 10 for one. Was it language gap or just doubled knowing the Hindi knowing non-Tamil? Dosa in south is always given two(rather three in Karnataka) ,anyway the passenger had to give rs.1o each.
The interrex(hijras) are common in such trains and they usually take money from young person but from one Oria boy returning to his home, the Kinnar took Rs. 500 note and almost he was weeping. I chided the Kinnar and gave rs.20 for him and his note was returned and he took sigh of relief. 2-3 Kinnaras came and had told me in loud voice as to why I forced their friend to returned note of s.500. Some person told me that one of such Kinnar had taken Rs.5000 from a passenger and did not return only a few days back. However they went when I retorted . The boy , a labourer was returning to his native place , Kesinga and returned me money next morning.
The next morning I learnt Telugu numerals, Oktai, Rendu, Mudu, Naalgo, Aiydu, Aaaru, Edu, Animidi, Tomidi and Padi for 1 to 10 and then Padkundu for 11.., Ervai for 20, Moppai for 30, Nalvai for 40, Yavai for 50, Arvi for 60, Eduvai for 70, Envai for 80, Tombi for 90, Onda for 100, Vaiya for 1000, Padivelu for 10000 and then lakshya, Koti, Arab like Sanskrit/Hindi
In tamil 1 to qo is called Onnidi, Randu, Muna, Nal, Anchi, Aaar, Aedu, Eto, Ombiti,Oatho and in Kannada Ondu, erdu, Muru, Nalco, Aiyd, Aaaru, Edu, Ento,Ampto and Hattu to which I was conversant having lived for some months at Bangalore and had in fact attended for six months Kannada classes also. As a tribute to that translation of Mauni(by UR Anathamurthy is in half way).

When it was night some rush pressed seated passengers but due to my resistance the fellow passengers were seated at ease 4 on seat for 4 which usually is 5 or six. When at Vishakhapatnam one young person argued me (in English) I told him the incidence of two nights back when I had to come standing from Vijaywada to Nellore. His all arguments were in vain and I admitted that he was not to be punished for the mistake of any other Telugu but I told him that I was doing thus only to realize symbolically to Telugu people that they should not hate any Hindi speaking.
He ke[t standing for long and talked with one other young student who next day at the time of getting down was introduced to me as a Maithil boy who was in IIT,Chenani and doing research on nanotechnology on some anti- viral drugs. His friend had got down after some hours and he could get other seat and in the process because he did not reveal that he belonged to Jharkhand or Mithila was punished by standing, maybe he would have introduced him and we might have accommodated him and or his friend too. For me it was just a jokingly revenge or a sadistic pleasure!

Monday, August 2, 2010

‘Outsider-Insider’; the traveling mode, etc

‘Outsider-Insider’; the traveling mode, etc.
Aug.2, 2010
Today I read a good narrative by Amitabh, an IPS,IIM(Lucknow) trainee who preferred to talk cab drivers about their problems and schedules and could know some hard fact on ”outsider-insider,” issue which is available on mithila_premi@yahoogroups.co.in and mithila_vasi@yahoogroups.co.in
It was a good luck that he was saved by not meeting accident while driven by sleep deprived cab drivers on Pune-Mumbai route who in fact remain permanently sick due to sleep deprivation.

I always prefer a train(though that too gets accident like Vananchal Exp. had recently) or a Govt. bus though I was not knowing this ritual of drivers yet it must be more relaxed for Govt. bus drivers.
I prefer a passenger train reaching destination in overnight journey(like Pune-CST & back and so between Bangalore-Tirupati / Harihar-Bangalore and so Madurai-Thiruvannathapuram( may change for Kanyakumari from Nagarcoil,only 12 km away) or Rourkela-Bilaspur but not many such good services available in most parts of the country.
Such passenger trains named above have also sleeper/s coach/es on a nominal fare.
It saves money and also gives a chance to learn the locality like garland making ladies on Madurai-Thiruvanthapuram midnight passenger.
In trains I do not mind traveling in any class because every coach will reach the destination same time . A large part of my traveling had been in II Class though in most of the trains there is a great rush in such coaches due to limited, one or two coach/es which need to be make minimum four in any train as railways do get more money from the jam packed passengers instead of limited 72 of a sleeper coach).
But after Vanachal collision I too am afraid of as I recall the train I took that fateful night from Dhanbad to Ranchi I was in the rear coach and one passenger had remarked that rear coaches are safer during accidents but the following train, Vananchal’s rear coaches were smashed by a hit from train coming after it on the same line!
I read only yesterday somebody had advised that general coaches do need interconnection to avoid train robbery though I feel these should be placed in the middle for in any fateful accidents the general persons should be given priority to be saved not because I do travel there frequently but for the fact that such poor person’s even bodies are not identified for long not to talk of the fact that those are the bread-earners of their families while for reserved coaches list of passengers can be instantaneously released by railways.
About flights-I do not have much experience (maybe my time is not so worthy till I retire and go in practice- Govt. service gives you leaves sufficient to travel).
However, in air explosions hardly any survives yet people prefer that for status though wherever overnight train journey is possible that is better than early morning flights for catching which one remains awake almost whole night.
Many persons do not want to talk fellow passengers and are occupied on mobile are remaining within their known circle but if you talk unknown persons you may get many information not usually available in books.

Amitabh talked to cab drivers and found some revelations. This insider-outsider issue has many other facets-not only for drivers but also for each and every person. Once a native pf Bangalore told me that the students (mostly from north) had increased house rent. In 2 - BHK some 4-5 students share money and give around 1.5 times a family person can give as rent and also.
There is pressure on job number also, particularly for unskilled jobs for which an outsider can work at a lower rate (but that is higher than he can get in his own state, in our context from Bihar/UP/Orissa- I think people of MP and Rajasthan do go out in lesser number,even otherwise their population is spars-the so called BIMARU nomenclature was not even). Most of them are from lower socio-economic group and hence,sanitation is not maintained by them infuriating many people and then there is lack of local language’s use- a common language, Hindi, is uttered even by insiders to communicate with those outsiders and many groups like of Thakres’ or Rajkumars’ react making news and more so when such outsiders start pressure on electoral politics(as by 6 month’s residence one can be voter of that place) and it adds fuel to fire.
From an insider’s point of view many of these arguments have weight but so is in the outsiders’ as they contribute the economy of that place- ‘Punjab’s green revolution was due to Bihari(Maithil) labourer,’ probably I was the first person to say so(since 1990s- Panjabi kisan apan jahi harit kranti par apan monchh marorati achhi o Maithilk mehnatk paseena par) which is on everybody’s tongue.
The Mumbai was flooded some years back and there were diatribes against people of north when I had retorted ,”Ant goes on sugar. Let National Stock Exchange and Corporate office of National Banks shifted from there to Delhi.It is people’s money on which Mumbites claims of 6000 crore rupees tax to country was dependent.”
Later Sheila Dixit(a daughter in-law of UP-ite spoke against people of Bihar and UP and so MP Cm, ShivrajSingh Chauhan).
So the solution is to have balanced growth all over the country and hence I started opposing inter-linking of river(though initially I was supporting that) , as southern states will grow faster than poorer northern states(and my later opposing President Kalam was published by the Hindu and later I asked him such a question when he had visited Ranchi as ex-president in 2009 which he did not replied properly and mentioned only the plights of adivasis who face displacements.
A holistic economic policy based on the agro-industrial needs of the backward states need formulation and implementation and also a view that every Indian language is mine and one should try to talk at least few lines with such insiders and see what change will come in their reception! I had experienced this when I left Bangalore after residing there 19 months- One of the Kannadiga administrative officer told me,”Sir, with your going we feel one of our persons is going back. There are people living for 20-25 years but they have not learnt even a line of Kannada.”
Why not one should learn, ‘Thamba,’ from Marathi for BUS STOP , or ‘ Rail Sthanak,’ for ‘Railway Station,’ rather ‘ridiculesing,’ Hindi to use’ Lohpathgamini..shakat Sthanalaya….”
One going to west from east should try to inculcate the ingredients of higher culture and try to learn the tenets of business and entrepreneurship from them and try to contribute something whatsoever possible.


Dr. Dhanakar Thakur
Spokesman,
Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad