On Baba’s call at Deoghar_12.3.2011

On Baba’s call at Deoghar_12.3.2011

Deoghar or Baidhyanathdham or Babadham as popularly called by us, the Maithils, is our most important pilgrim centre or at least equally important as the Janakpurdham and allied places like Punaura, Seetamarhi, Phulhar or Pushpvatika (since Lord Shiva is also a devotee of Lord ram and hence, Mother Seeta).
I have my first journey memory of childhood of Deoghar when hardly 6 or 7 years , I had gone there with my parents via Sultanganj(where maternal uncle of my mother, Parmeshwar Jha of Bangaon, Saharsa was the manager of the Estate)..then Ajgaininath was in the middle of river Ganga and had a shrub of pomegranate(Darim) which I saw sometimes back also though Ganga is filled with sand and that temple was near the road not in the middle,
While returning from Babadham (via ASANSOL) on 13th night, I read in a magazine the Senior India that one can go to Badham only when Baba wants and the wish of individual is fulfilled(I wished there first for Mithila state though afterwards many for me personally and or familial and if only one is to be given let the first asked be granted by Him!).
Still I had many visits to Deoghar and also darshan of Baba, except a few when I could not halt to go somewhere for meetings or to catch train at Jasidih comi9ng from somewhere of the region in past as in the chart:

1960s sometime Deoghar Mithila Pilgrimage With parents
20.6.1998 Deoghar Mithila Personal
24.11.1998 Deoghar Mithila AMP met Yogkar Jha; Usha Jha, Parmeshwar Jha at Castor town
24.11.1998 Deoghar Mithila Familial
11.6.1999 Deoghar Mithila Pilgrimage
28.6.2003 Deoghar Mithila AMP meeting
28.6.2003 Deoghar Mithila NMO Gopal Barnwal met
24.8..2003 Deoghar Mithila Pilgrimage Babak darshan
24.8..2003 Deoghar Mithila AMP Atate meeting
25.10.2004 Deoghar Mithila Pilgrimage Pradosh Shringar of Baba seen
5.2.2006 Deoghar Mithila AMP Meeting OPMishra dera
5.2.2006 Deoghar Mithila AMP Satyendrababuk shraddhabhoj
16.10.2006 Deoghar Mithila AMP Baisar OPMishra dera-Tata danapur train me Santosh Jha, saharsa recognised
6.9.2009 Deoghar Mithila AMP D. Jha dera baisar
23.1.2010 Deoghar Mithila AMP
23.1.2010 Deoghar Mithila Pilgrimage

This time visit was quite incidental. In fact , around 3 months back, I had given time to Kripashankar Singh of Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, Jashur(Chhatisgarh) for a medical camp but he did not contact me. In the meantime, Naveen Tiwary of Bhuli(Dhanbad) had invited me for Vidaypati Parva on 12.3.2011 which I had accepted only conditionally if I was not called by Kalyan Asharam and on 10th march I tried to contact Kripaji but could not nor my SMS was replied and finally I asked Dhirendra Jha, President, AMP, Dhanbad to have a meeting at his residence before Vidaypati Parva in the evening and when I called Navin Tiwary for exact time I was informed that the parva was postponed though my elder cousin Udaykar Thakur had already arrived there.
Then I cancelled my Dhanbad trio also and under the shadow of march 11th dharna for Maithili’s second language status, I contacted many places (Kolkata and Rahika to utilize my time and fianally my class fellows practicing at Jamui agreed for my request to call some persons who can take my points of Jamui’s inclusion in Mihtila state but SMS came on 11th morning that there was noone taker of my idea and better to avoid jamui and I thought to explore some other avenues to reach Jamui(maybe via Jhajha, only point where tow Jhas are agreed! I do not want to work for Mithila via my caste men but no way out!) . Still the matter to utilize holidays was before. Ime is so important a thing in our limited life!
I remembered Dr. Vijayshankar, a Sanskrit teacher from Sarath’s Bhavangama who was a journey friend in the Vanachal Express on 26.1.2009 when my sister had told his wife not to worry for her little children’s ill health as a pediatrician(me) was traveling with them.
He had later met me at Ranchi also and we were in contact and on 6.9.2009 we had an AMP meeting at Bamangama, near Madhupur, on the southern tip of George Grierson’s linguistic map where I was surprised to know that in nearby SWijhulia school several decades back, Jai, Jai Bhairavi, Asurbhayauni, a Maithili prayer of the Goddess was observed daily.
Mithila’s boundary is receding like that of India’s!

In fact in the intervening years Dr. Vijayshakar has shifted from there to Deoghar and I had suggested for a Mithila conference on 21.2.2010 which I had to cancel for accepting the request of Mithila Parishad, Bhagalpur where I had to walk out when was objected to distribute Mithila pamphlets(and was not in the guest list with Mrs Gyan Sudha Mishra, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Jharkjand High court, an embodiment of Mithila pride who later elevated as a Justice in the Supreme Court). Probably the organizers were afraid of my speech demanding Mithila state in India which in no way is anti-national and anti-constitutional as our constitution has given us freedom of speech and rights to put our views and India being a Union of States, demand for one or other state be perceived only in that light. I knew otherwise a couple of relatives of her yet I found it an insult by the organizers and had decided to walk out before proceeding started saying an organization having name on Mithila should be supporting Mithila’s demand.
That day I had lost and so continued work in that region which got a severe jolt when on 22.6.2010, Vinay Tarun, a budding journalist and Mithila worker succumbed to railway accident.

Dr. Vijayshankar had told me some months back to visit Deoghar once so that we may re-initiate the process we left on the torrential rainy day of 6.9.2010 when despite that we had a small meeting at the residence of Devendra Jha, a retired engineer. In between Dr. Vijayshankar had purchased a plot also near Devendra Jha’s house.

I informed Devendara Jha also and he was happy that I was coming the next day and had informed Parmeshwar Jha also, the doyen of Mithila worker whose wife Usha Jha was an eminent BJP worker and was also president of Jharkhand state Mahila Kalyan Board.
Despite people on Dharna, I searched my Excel sheet and took print of available numbers with me, many of those of landline were not traceable except of Devendra Jha. Some persons were outstation and one assured me that would be invited at Lalmatia especially in a such organized function. Senior worker, O.P. Mishra could not be contacted who in 2003 had organized a state conference there nor retd. IG, KG Singh on his landline.

On 11th evening there was a marriage ceremony of an old RSS worker’s son. I am in contact with him since my pre-medical days of 1973-74; the invitation of which too I had accepted conditionally, if I do not go outside and accordingly I reached his house in due time but barati was late and after one hour I left for my house and after dinner went station to catch train.


In the morning before I reached Jasidih I contacted Dr. Vijayshankar who asked me that he would wait at R.L.Sarraf High School where his school was in morning shift and it was just opposite to the auto-stand. The Jasidih- Deoghar road was as picturesque but the Dodhwa river was like a drain ( some water only).

I went into the school’s teachers room and had a chit-chat with school teachers for a while. I drew their attention to a wrong -painting of Shreemati as “mati (to save paint) and also genesis of Shreemati and here and many things. I recalled my school teachers , good and bad whom I had described in my autobiography . I wished to have a health talk with school students which was arranged promptly. Ome students were good in knowledge and I tried to be of their level. Teachers also attended whom I advised to look for refractive error like thing and advised to have Snellen Chart and a weighing machine(to overcome junk food related overweight). I asked boys to have their nails chopped up periodically hands washed with soap. I advised for sources od vitamins and importance of vaccination,etc.

Then I came to Vijayshankar’s house and after my bath went for darshan of Baba Baidyanath. My nephew Krishanakar, a computer teacher joined me. The temple had devotees despite approaching noon. The previous night dozens of marriages were held there.
I had a glimpse of Baba’s manokamna lingam and we returned back without visiting some 20+ temples there.
Despite the knock of spring it was like summer- a change in nature.
I preferred chura dahi and then with Dr. Vijayshankar started for castor Town for Parmeshwar Jha’s residence for the meeting but had urgent urge of defaecation and went to a sulabh latrine there which was not so well.
Saeching parmeshwar ha’s residence was a tedious task in the summer like noon but we could locate that asking many houses. I had been there many years back. Devendra Jha soon came and we had a small meeting and a decision to hold a a sammelan of AMP at Deoghar on 3rd July was taken with convenors Dr. Vijayshankar 9431943949 and Krishanakar thakur 9304949536. Dr. Vijayshankar went to give release to press and Krishankar bade me in the Asansol passenger train which was also an incidental journey for me to have my first meeting there though I had many times crossed the city.