Bhagalpur 21.2.2010- As a Hanuman not finding Mithila in Mithila Parishad,Bhagalpur meeting I walked out - “Vajji Ang rahal sada Mithilak sang, rahat sada Mithilak Sang.”
I had been to Bhagalpur many times. Since 1992 I have records on my Excel sheet and it was my 20th vis it on 21.2.2010 and in fact first vis it as a properly inv it ed guest for a Vidayapati Parva by the Secretary, Mithila Parishad, Bhagalpur .
Thursday, the 28th Jan.2010
Dr. Thakur Saheb
I am very much glad to review your efforts and love for Mithila and Maithils. God bless you for this efforts . Certainly it praise worthy. We are going to celebrate 'Vidyapati Smriti Parb' on 21st. of February, 2010 (Sunday) in which Ms. Chief Justice of Jharkhand, Respected Ms. Gyan Sudha Mishra has been consented to be the Chief Guest. You are also requested to make yourself free on that day and come here to attend and cooperate with us . Hope, you will join with us and give us opportunity to join with your mission. Rest in next exchange.- with Regards- Yogendra.
(Before this he had mailed this:
Sunday, 27th of December,2009
Respected Dr.Thakur
Thank you for your efforts and press release etc. Today we have resolved in our Mithila Parishad, Bhagalpur to support your mission and further they have requested me to convey you the message in this regard. Now, we are trying to do something more for the sake of separate Mithilanchal and her development. The statement issued by Ms
Shila Dixit is purely political and we should not give weight of her step.Rest is fine.- Yogendra)
And I had some telephonic talks with Yogendra Dasji also. Once he said that some official had cautioned that there should not be talk of Mithila state. I had said him that it may not be a resolution of your organization but guests should have freedom of expression.
When I reached the venue I sensed some ‘uncomfortableness’ amongst the organizers and was taken aback not to find my name in the list of speakers or guests. Certainly I had not discussed with them as to my position on dais but it is a common sense that invitation to me was not to have one more head in the audience (which were few in time when function was schedule to start). Out of decency I kept mum.
I had some talks with Prof. U.N. Jha, a very senior teacher and learned man. Soon came Ajit Kr. Ajad near me who was appointed as the General Secretary of the Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad in 1996 when I became its first President(before that I was convener of a board of 7 Maithili organizations which did not like to run such an apex organization though had agreed to found one so in 1993). I gave a copy of Maithili Sandesh to Ajit and had just some informal discussion. He went out and after some time Yogenrda Dasji came and asked me not to distribute any Mithila related bulletin or pamphlet which infuriated me as if I had done any sinful act and that too demanded by an organization named on Mithila.
I went out immediately as I was feeling humiliating and also I was under the impression that Dasji might have invited me innocently on which other officials of Mithila Parishad might have objected and he was sent to communicate me.
My views for Mithila State was no secret and hence they should not have invited me. Some persons with badges(of officials) tried to stop me and some had stray remarks too(like . no politics be done to which I said that what I am doing is not politics-educating people for their rights is not political and is permitted under Society’s Act was probably not known to them who include a lawyer also..
Further I said that none of you were ware that Maithili today in VIII Schedule was due to me to which some person objected than I had chance to explain that it was the AMP President Dr. Bhubaneshwar Prasad Gurumaita who in 2000 AD with the then Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, Sri K S Sudarshan had 90 minutes talk with Prime Minister Vajpayee after which he mollified his stand and announced for Maihtili’s inclusion in VIII Schedule while inaugurating Nirmali’s Koshi bridge’s construction.
I advised them to change the name of their organization if they were so much scared of Mithila’s statehood. I also said them that demanding a state is not unconstitutional and or anti –national. Our Constitution has provision for its amendment and we want that by the constitutional process and if that was even if would have been uttered by me before a custodian of Constitution it would not have been inappropriate.
I am not a political man and I know my limits rather their list contained names of political persons to be felicitated be he Krishnanad Jha or Anil Jha, MLA or may be Sri Sahnawaz, MP.
Problem is Maithils are to know what they want to achieve. Cheap popularity, some benefits from some officers or so.
Simply because my life is Spartan one has no right to insult me. Being MD(Gen Med) and DCH and editor of medical and Maithili journal with several writings(including a Maithili translation of Bhagwadgita) I was probably not less qualified than any other present there that they decided to exclude me.
Yes, given few minutes time I would have delved into the history of down of Ganga that they were also Maithils. For any meeting, I do study and have studied for this meeting also. Mother Seeta, adopted daughter of 24th Sirdhwaj Janka was born at Punauradham near Sitamarhi but before first of 54th Janka the story of Bhagwata says Priyavrat had encircled all round with his chariot creating seven DWEEPAS( lke Jambudweep of the Bhartkhand we live and recite in every Sankalpa.. and seven ARNAVAS(Oceans); brother of Sirdhwaj Kushdwaj had whole territory of Koshi and down till Anga, and Kalinga. In Skandpurana it is written in Ch.10 describing Baishakh Mahatmya Kushketu’s son Hemkant was Bhupal(king) of Bang and so was Vishal who ruled Vaishali.
Till Orissa’s area was once upon a time part of Brihat Videh(Mithila) and hence, there is a small temple ‘Janakpuri(Mausibari) where Bhagwan stays for 9 days during Rathyatra.(and in way to Jagannath from Baidyanath Maithils are settled like at Bahragora since time immemorial).
Agrasena’s sons- Yadava of Mathura won Ang, bang and also Mithila(and so later Lorik Yadav ruled who had a war with Chuharmal of present Mokama Tall and then onwards Maithils desisted even to have Gangasana on south bank..but they did give daughters to Brahmins who were not the first Maithil migrants..Konkan,Goa, was inhabitated by them as pewr Skandpuran; recent addition to my article is Lata Mangeshkar ois from a clan of Konkani who had migration from Munger..Lord Magrish is still in Goa..and so on 20th Feb. while delving the books I could find origin of Charvak, the first materialist or communist who was a Maithil, Son of Suparshwa Janak’s Rajguru Shrutdev who had given south parts of Ganga to his son-in law Samba on whose name village Sambho is still dwelling.
From the Jambavant Jamui has been named where we had seen brutal massacre (because of again underdevelopment as a cause of Naxalism) inconsistent with the traditions of communal peace of Mithila like what happened in 2009 at Khagaria in the heart centre of Mithila. Naxalites want ‘Red Corridor’ from Pashupatinath to Tirupati which can be shelved only by creation of a powerful Mithila state when I say power I mean Power of Energy, electricity generation for agro-industrialization and distribution of Ganga-Koshi-Kamla basin water till Baidyanathdham as if for His Jalabhishekam..
I also could knew about Kratujanak or Jaimini, the founder of Vaisheshik darshan.
I would have congratulated a daughter of Mithila from where Law started by Gautam on whose reference by Sri Rangnath Mishra as the Chairman of National Human Rights’ commission I had 45 minutes argument for Maithili’s case in VIII Schedule when he had visited Ranchi on 20.9.1994.
I would have complemented her for Maithil women’s glory like that of Gargi, Maitreyee or Bharati. When a media person asked me as to why she was not in traditional Maithil Pag I replied under protest(a legal jugglery) though I was not present at that moment I was unable to say whether she was offered that or not or she did not accept to my opinion being a lawyer and judge if she could a black coat why not a PAG for giving a message that Mithila’s women are no under discrimination.
I might have mentioned my first viewing of a story of female infanticide while I was in the house of a courtesy visit to a Telugu doctor that Maithil sound attracted me- that was a story from Katihar-Sahebganj around on a stone throw distance of Bhagalpur.
Where was the language/dialectical barrier that people crow for ‘Angika’ or ‘Ang’ when Vikramshila is written as Bikramshila on Maithili’s pattern of least use of V and for that matter of Bihar for Vihar of Jhadkhand for Jharakhand would have been correct.
I would not have been political rather a matter for PIL I would have been provided if I would have time to ask as to why Govt. of Bihar had announced only ONE computer centre for BPL students when it had 20 for Nalanda and so 9 for Bhagalpur or only one for Banka Madhubani or 7 for Darbhanga but 69 for Patna? Whether poor lived in Patna or win of Digvijay made Banka richer?
The organizers did not found me fit giving a slot or seat with the legal luminaries though in distant Hyderabad I was called by the Mithila Sanskritik Parishad to preside over such a Vidyapati Parva way back on 28.1.1996 where chief guest was Hon’ble P.S.Mishra, the Chief Justice of A.P.High Court.
Undoubtedly in my 3-5 minutes of time finally, I would have predicted that a Mithila-baiter Govt. too will loose like Maithili baiter lost in 2004. I had addressed there thus such a function when I was not much known to Maithils there on 26.12.2004 when I had professed on that day (for the first time by any one?) that Lalu would loose (not only because he was an anti-Maithili but also I had said that Muslims would not vote him; then I was returning from Guwahati addressing such a Vidaypati Parva on 19th Dec. and was at Darbhanga on 21st and 22nd, Begusarai-Khagaria 23rd,Saharsa 23-24, Forbesganj-Purnea and Bhagalpur 26th Dec. before taking Vananchal Express from there).
Lalu lost in 2004 by a downward slide of 0.22 per cent of votes only(and I may take myself as a sole cause for it because I had entered unexpectedly in the field as a Ma it hili worker in 1992 when he had removed Ma it hili from the BPSC for no reasons and my one incidental protest letter to the local Ranchi Express after which it s Deputy ed it or Ram Ekbal singh ‘Vineet’ came in pers on to my residence w it h that news cutting and insisted me to come in the meeting of Ma it hili Vikas Parishad of which he was president and was active when local glamorous Vidyapati Smarak Parishad’s officials were sleeping.
That Maithili Vikas Parishad was transformed by me as the Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad on 19.6.1993 though basically I was working for the National Medicos Organisation(NMO) which was by the God’s grace founded by me on 5.11.1977 at Varanasi by calling a meeting of medicos assembled there in the ABVP Conference.
For that I had toured Bhagalpur sometimes, the exact number of visits I’ve yet to collect from my old diaries(1980-1992). Yet, Bhagalpur is the commissionary under which I was born at Forbesganj of Araria district in 1955 and when ganga Bridge of Barari became operative it has been my portal to visit Forbesganj as well. I am related to the district- my first memory of Ajgaibinath dated back to 1960s when as a child I had visited there where w it h my parents and had stayed on Ganga bank in the house of Parmeshwar Jha of village Bangaon of Saharsa who was maternal uncle of my mother and was the Manager of Sultanganj Estate. At Sabour still my Mausi is and my cousins are married there.
21.4.1992 Bhagalpur Mithila NMO
15.12.1994 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP
11.6.1999 Bhagalpur Mithila Familial
11.5.2002 Bhagalpur Mithila NMO, Familial
24-25.8.2002 Bhagalpur Mithila NMO,Maithili, Familial
25.12.2002 Bhagalpur Mithila Journey
20.10.2004 Bhagalpur Mithila Journey
23.10.2004 Bhagalpur Mithila Journey
26.12.2004 Bhagalpur Mithila Maithili
13.4.2005 Bhagalpur Mithila Journey
15.5.2005 Bhagalpur Mithila Familial
28.12.2008 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP-MVP
25-26.1.2009 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP,Familial,Personal
23-24.5.2009 Jhandapur-Bhagalpur Mithila AMP
26.9.2009 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP
14.11.2009 Bhagalpur Mithila Journey
3-4/12/2009 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP,Familial
7-8.12.2009 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP
Jan.23 & 26,2010 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP
21.2.2010 Bhagalpur Mithila AMP
The glimpses of above visits will mark that there has been a definite shift of purpose of my visit to the city of Bhagalpur gravitating to Mithila cause and more so to crack the mind of people there that they should join Mithila state when carved out, least nobody should blame that Dhanakar Thakur did not went there to ask people to join the land of Janki leaving them at the mercy of the progeny of Jarsandh of Bihar(Magadh) and for that I tried to utilize every opportunity I can have and under this backdrop when I was inv it ed by the Secretary of Mithila Parishad Sri YNL Das, I had asked him to keep a date in February excepting 21st when I had a Mithila Conference at Devghar’s Bamangama but he informed me on phone that as per date of Mrs. Gyansudha Misra (Hon’ble Chief Justice of Jharkhand) the date has been fixed on 21st. Earlier there had been proposals to honour her by the AMP as she as a Maithil women had gone to that post (and God bless she is elevated to Supreme court under the backdrop of HE President’s wish to have a women in the Apex Court) and I had requested for her time through Shri NK Jha of Bokaro Steel Plant and also to her maternal cousin, Mithilesh Kr. Mishra of Sabour. And when I knew that she was coming I was doubly happy and advanced the date of Bamangama conference and also did not accept Jamshedpur ’s Dr. Rabindra Choudhary’s insistent request to go there in youth conference on 20th Feb. and to address the gathering on the World Mother tongue day on 21st February apart from declining a request of my colleague lady doctor’s request for a Ramkrishna Mission’s medical camp among tribal.
I went out of the venue at Bhagalpur not because it was my insult- I felt as a Hanuman I should not stay in a surrounding who have no love for M it hila. Not only I had advised them to change their name, I asked Prof.Udayshankar Mishra of Darbhanga (today on dharna at Muzaffarpur for Mithila state) we should not go to any such orgnisation’s inv it ation if they are opposed to or shy of Mithila.
I know it happened w it h me because,’Ati parichay je hot hain aruchi anadar hoy..”
Bhagwati bless them. I was honoured at many places where I reached without any invitation be it Chasnala or Madhubani or Faridabad or any village of Mithila . If Bhagalpur had dearth of chair for me it was their problem. Last week I found President of Mithila Sangam, Prayg waiting for me hours for a shot-noticed meeting(there is also a High court and once some doctors took me to have a hand shake wit h Justice Jag Mohan Lal Sinha who had nullified election of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) and if our Maithils felt I was unfit it was their problem..I asked Binay to take me to medical hostel there and was pleased to have a talk w it h Arun, Priyadarshi, Neeraj and Raghunandan the budding doctors to work for the NMO and have a life devoted to people. Other meeting w it h local Angika youth could not be convened as I had no inkling to go anywhere that day from Mithila meeting and so none was informed. I took my train and had gossips w it h my bhauji Aruna and asked her to inform my cousin Dr. Keshkar that I went out despite his presence because I did not want that he be felt a party to that in any way. I talked some other workers for other programmes- talked w it h BBC correspondents of Jharkhand and Bihar for giving place to Mithila news and was busy till Kiul came and I could have some banana to eat and sleep(ongoing journey I was awoke from 2am from Jamalpur) and when I got up I was approaching Ranchi thinking for other schedules.
After coming Ranchi I talked to Prof. Ugramohan Jha , Mithilesh Jha and my cousin Prof. Keshkar who all were angry over the behabiour of organizers and I asked them to forge a unit of the AMP in my next visit. Awadhesh paswan from Jhandapur had come Bhagalpur that day who phoned to have Salhesh Jayanti on 14th April on a grand scale..at least he was one who had come there due to the AMP’s consitent work in that area and I hope soon Bhagalpur will have a grand function for Mithila’s ideals and demand, after all we want Bhagalpur to go with Mithila-
“Vajji Ang rahal sada Mithilak sang, rahat sada Mithuilak Sang.”
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Kumbhsnan 2010 Haridwar-Monkey-chopped returened(13.2.2010); .While bargaining Hindi and while payment Maithili Sangamsnan)-II
Kumbhsnan 2010 Haridwar-Monkey-chopped returened(13.2.2010); .While bargaining Hindi and while payment Maithili Sangamsnan)-II
Probably I have only 15 minutes to finish this story I could not before I embark on my next trip to Delhi.
That scene of Kumbh was unforgettable. People come for shraddha and faith and to have many things in life and I was also not immune to that but more importantly I had been there for seeing people and people..which were mammoth on Shivratri day,the preivious day but on 13th sankranti too there were many. I remember a foreign lady visitor in India many years back when I asked her about India, she had told me there were people and people. Probably she was from Finland.
So I saw people and in fact I had gone for that apart from religious beliefs to which I am not so orthodox.
With that boy Rajesh of Morabad I climbed to Mansa Devi hill. In the way some Prasad I had purchased seeing which a monkey came to snatch which reflexly I protested and soon had torn that packet to give him some but I had no idea of his claw and I had a scratch though my fellow boy had said to leave before it was scratched and a drop of blood.
Now I was scared of Rabies..a doctor is the worst patient..immediately I climbed up and searched for water tap which I could get after 2-3 minutes..the best and immediate prevention for dog/monkey/cat /bat bite or scratch is leeting water profusely-washing for minutes in tape and that I did and then climbed up and and came down. Also I tried to contact Dr.Hridesh whether to go for anti-rabies injection immediately. That should have been but postponed for 48 h to reach Ranchi(I had a reflex protest for saving Prasad to monkey but will end with Rs.2000 to a multinational for five Veraorab..Two years back I had been able to convince GOI for its intraderamal use saving Rs.200 crore per annum but though it is in package information still allowed for a centre having 10 cases per day( with 20% of dose required; I was not awarded for that yet that was agreat victory for society). Anyway I am taking those injections here at Ranchi.
There was an airway too go to Mansa devi butclimbing certified my heart and health also.
That boy Rajesh of Moradabad took leave from me .
I advanced towards station. I went to a ferry shop of akhrot- I overheard the man talking businesswomen his wife in Maihtili and asked from where they were. Lo! Yadav was from Dethua, Ghanshyampur and we talked. I gave him a Rs.100 note to give me whatever he wished. I saw he gave me 1100 g more than any other customer(he had told me to meet his brother in law Chandrashekhar who was also a dry foot vendor just 100 meter away where he was very respectful to me and I sat on his shop’s stool and now customer’ were thinking I was the master of that shop and I also started telling them rates- Rs.140 per kg akhrpt..and others.
I could guess and know some Maithils by tone..Gajendra singh of Railways Samastipur.. and Amit Nayak of Delhi from Madhubani( I am closing by sending this e-mal to him ) so was KK Prasad working at Asnsol but from pandasarai, Laheriasarai..and Prhlad Mukhiya..and so,but remarkable was Amit’s mother who chided the young sellimng assistant from Saharsa on his Maihtili in the end..Dam puchhat chhalnhu ,Molbait kharidait chhalhu t’ Hindi, pai leb ber me Maithili.While bargaining Hindi and while payment Maithili,,.(Continued..)
Probably I have only 15 minutes to finish this story I could not before I embark on my next trip to Delhi.
That scene of Kumbh was unforgettable. People come for shraddha and faith and to have many things in life and I was also not immune to that but more importantly I had been there for seeing people and people..which were mammoth on Shivratri day,the preivious day but on 13th sankranti too there were many. I remember a foreign lady visitor in India many years back when I asked her about India, she had told me there were people and people. Probably she was from Finland.
So I saw people and in fact I had gone for that apart from religious beliefs to which I am not so orthodox.
With that boy Rajesh of Morabad I climbed to Mansa Devi hill. In the way some Prasad I had purchased seeing which a monkey came to snatch which reflexly I protested and soon had torn that packet to give him some but I had no idea of his claw and I had a scratch though my fellow boy had said to leave before it was scratched and a drop of blood.
Now I was scared of Rabies..a doctor is the worst patient..immediately I climbed up and searched for water tap which I could get after 2-3 minutes..the best and immediate prevention for dog/monkey/cat /bat bite or scratch is leeting water profusely-washing for minutes in tape and that I did and then climbed up and and came down. Also I tried to contact Dr.Hridesh whether to go for anti-rabies injection immediately. That should have been but postponed for 48 h to reach Ranchi(I had a reflex protest for saving Prasad to monkey but will end with Rs.2000 to a multinational for five Veraorab..Two years back I had been able to convince GOI for its intraderamal use saving Rs.200 crore per annum but though it is in package information still allowed for a centre having 10 cases per day( with 20% of dose required; I was not awarded for that yet that was agreat victory for society). Anyway I am taking those injections here at Ranchi.
There was an airway too go to Mansa devi butclimbing certified my heart and health also.
That boy Rajesh of Moradabad took leave from me .
I advanced towards station. I went to a ferry shop of akhrot- I overheard the man talking businesswomen his wife in Maihtili and asked from where they were. Lo! Yadav was from Dethua, Ghanshyampur and we talked. I gave him a Rs.100 note to give me whatever he wished. I saw he gave me 1100 g more than any other customer(he had told me to meet his brother in law Chandrashekhar who was also a dry foot vendor just 100 meter away where he was very respectful to me and I sat on his shop’s stool and now customer’ were thinking I was the master of that shop and I also started telling them rates- Rs.140 per kg akhrpt..and others.
I could guess and know some Maithils by tone..Gajendra singh of Railways Samastipur.. and Amit Nayak of Delhi from Madhubani( I am closing by sending this e-mal to him ) so was KK Prasad working at Asnsol but from pandasarai, Laheriasarai..and Prhlad Mukhiya..and so,but remarkable was Amit’s mother who chided the young sellimng assistant from Saharsa on his Maihtili in the end..Dam puchhat chhalnhu ,Molbait kharidait chhalhu t’ Hindi, pai leb ber me Maithili.While bargaining Hindi and while payment Maithili,,.(Continued..)
Kumbhsnan 2010 Haridwar-Monkey-chopped returened(13.2.2010);Sangamsnan with Maithils(14.2.2010);Namkeen Gudia in the train(14.2.2010)-I
Kumbhsnan 2010 Haridwar-Monkey-chopped returened(13.2.2010);Sangamsnan with Maithils(14.2.2010);Namkeen Gudia in the train(14.2.2010)-I
When some days back my hospital clerk Mishraji had asked whether I would go for Kumbh,I had no definite inclination before that but when I saw 3-days leave Mahashivratri 12th, second Saturday and Sunday),I checked tickets which were becoming waitlisted and by some tortuous search I could find one from Ranchi to Varanasi confirmed and then a nominal waitlist in Doon Exp. But return in the Howrah bound Doon Exp. Had a long wait list but in the Link(to Sangam) it was a nominal wait list followed by a confirmed ticket in LTT-Ranchi with few hours space for Sangam Snan at Prayagraj and a meetings of Maithils for Mithila state.
I returned back from this tight schedule but having Kumbhsnan at Harki Pairi on the Kumbh Sankranti on 13th Feb. and though unprecedented late of Sangam link (6 hours from Fatehpur to Kanpur) though I could not have Sangamsnan but in the meeting arranged by the Maithil Sangam, an organization of local Maithils with brilliant reputation in the field of literature, I could experience a Sangam feel there and today is the second consecutive day that I would take bath and then food in the afternoon as again my train was late.
I usually forget to write about if I keep things pending and so I had decided to write in short the happenings of the journey and the meeting but could not conclude on 15.2.2010 (before next journey to Bhagalpur on 21st)..
It was as usual I was in hurry to catch train for Varanasi with packs of Aayurvigyan Pragati to be posted in RMS at Varanasi. It was raining and I forgot to put on sweater and with a woolen chadar this whole journey was because it was the second spell of winter after I had just left sweater in the day feeling uncomfortable with bright February. Why the months of Uttarayana- Magh and Falgun are in Shishir Ritu(season) one can understand though I could never understand why Magh Shukla 5, Saraswati Puja is called Vasant Panchami when it falls in the Shishir Ritu of Hindu seasons. Maybe this experience is the cause.
At Mugalsarai, 90 minute late my train became and I had to leave that to catch Doon which was announced to arrive soon there. I posted both bags of the Aayurvigyan Pragati in the RMS there and was free of luggage with a small bag. My younger brother could not come to Varanasi due to rain and cool and it was a difficult time for me in the evening to eat his pack of carrot halwa also after a pradosh fast. I had bath and puja in the train itself as usual happens to me.
I was surprised to see a signboard of some Jha stores near Malipur where many co-passengers got down who were businessmen at Kolkata. Some local students were returning from the fair on the occasion of Shivratri ,one of them was at Belwai or Bibiganj but what surprised me that there was also a place there where is JHARKHAND where too Shivratri fair is famous.
I saw a school named after Acharya Narendra Dev at GOSHAIGANJ but I felt it must have been on the name of some Muslim Gaush(and whether so is Jaunpur on Arbic alphabet ‘jaun’ ?) as most of the names of stations I read were Muslim names like Shahganj,Akbarpur(where belonged Mayavati, present CM about her family people do not know much but said that she was working in a theatre(Nautanki). I do not know about her much but as people said she studied side by side to have her LLB also which was praiseworthy and they praised her strict command and disapproved her making statues; I feel she herself had denigrated for PM post by making her statues and I was surprised as to with which type of advisors she was encircled!).
There were many such Urdu names-Dariabad (but had a Yadav tailor-A Yadav and a tailor was a greeting effort!),Saidkhanpur ,Safdarganj(near river Kalyani,Safedabad but there were ),Rudauli and Rasauli near Barabanki ,Jagaur, Malhaur too non-Urdu names. Patranga was beautiful name among all where train did not halt.
And so was the Urdu name of Faizabad after the holy city of AYODHYA which is a temple city. Some travelleler commented that many persons made temple like dome to make their house any tax free! There I was delighted to see a school where students were playing in yellow paints and chadars which was a Gurukul.
Monkeys or Hanumanji I had seen in good numbers in many stations en route and there were dozens of them at Faizabad. Some monkey was eating buiscuit and the other had baby attached to abdomen! I was happy to note about them that that was the sign of eco- preservation and so was delighted to see a peacock in the field but did not see any again till evening. All around fields had yellow flowers of mustard crop.
I saw Saijaganj had a Lord Shiva temple and so at many places.
I was surprised to see a banner greeting for Nag Panchami and New Year (English) which I thought should have been for Vivah Panchami (as Vasant Panchmi followed New Year!).
Such wrong words have been used extensively e.g. Uttar Pradesh is not northernmost part of India (which is Jammu & Kashmir). So is the word Purvanchal for the statehood as now it may be the eastern part of U.P. but as one of the states of India it will not be eastern-Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram are its eastern states and will remain so. Therefore a better and proper name would be BHOJPUR. My fellow passenger informed me that Bhojpuri is spoken in the eastern and north-eastern areas from Varanasi. He said that even Varanasi and Jaunpur have mixed language but I feel those can be part of Bhojur and some districts of Bihar(old SARAN and Shahabad) if added, it will be linguistically homogenous state which can develop its dialect Bhojpuri soon to the status of language.
As per that passenger Allahabad has Awadhi as KHARI BOLI. Probably a region from Allahabd to Kanpur and Lucknow around would be AWADH representing the glory of Hindustan where Lord Ram was born.
South to it may be added to Bundeljhabd in eastern parts and Braj may be caeved our with adjoining districts of Rajasthan and M.P.
West to Awadh may be Ruhelhand (again Harit Pradesh coined is more industrialized now and has no semblance to the area) and many districts on northern part of present U.P. need adding to Uttrakhand(people of Bijnaur are demanding for that also) as present Uttrakhand with small population and revenue will remain always in fiscal deficit though leaders of Uttarakhand do not want addition of any area for they will loose their political supremacy. If be it so then better to merge small Uttarkhand with Himachal Pradesh as both are Himalayan states with same echo-diversity.
Talking on those lines soon I saw Acharya Narendra Dev Nagar station. Acharya Narendra dev was a great socialist about whom Wikipedia refers,” Acharya Narendra Deva (1889-1956) was one of the leading theorists of the Congress Socialist Party in India. His democratic socialism renounced violent means as a matter of principle, and embraced the satyagraha as a revolutionary tactic.” About him Ramnandan Mishra, a great socialist leader from darbhanga had also told me but I was under the impression that Narendra Dev was a teacher at the BHU which that passenger refted and said that he was a teacher at another place of the area we were crossing.the name of place now I do not recall.
That retired railway employee of 73 year asked me as to where Mithila was when I said that I belong to Mithila.He was travelling with his family-son, daughter-in law and daughter and children. His son was also an electic engine driver and it was a pleasant scene to see his happy family. In Awadhi a lady said ,’Hath lagauta,’ while poring carrot halwa from a tiffin carrier pan to a plasic glass and such things looked to me a sense of comfirtness provided by the railway travel.
Other co passenger was saying Pare for any Pandey and one had computer memory of tain timings from Barbanki to Kanpur;a MST traveller he could inform with precision up to particular coaches in which season seats one may get not to talk of trains which run in time or are late perineeally. He was also explaining on the rights and duties and expectation from olitical parties and leaders and was telling about persons who fought many elctions not o win but for a record(I recalled only a Dhartipakad!) but for democratic rights. I thought but could not take his address before he got down at Lucknow immeiately to take some other train which he only knew of seconds’ precision.
In fact I was wandering in the development of Lucknow which a girl pointed out to be Sahara City- Subroto ray sahara was from district Araria who rose to fame starting venture from a table and chair. Lucknow had slendid growth like that of other capitals and the city I had visited many times which now I use to merely cross remebering the trans and cis hostels of KGMC.
At Lucknow the passengers were almost changed and after a heavy post-fast meal, I had to take a tablet of Cetrizine, an anti-allergic to some food ingradient. After some time I was asleep giving alarm for early morning rise at Haridwar. When I was awoke, the train has compensated late and it was on the outskirt of Haridwar at Jwalapur station where many got down.
When I got down at Haridwar,it was too early, around 330 am and it was cool. The latform was overcrowded but I could get a chair where a young boy was also waiting for morning. I had to return by 2 Pm train and so I was not in hurry. I was willing that in sunshine it would be better to perform snan-puja than in cold, dark Ganga.
After sunrise, I got the call of Tinku,son of my neice that he was stranded at Lakshar some 60 km away and it would not be possible for him to recive me. I did not require him too as I had little luggage and had to take Ganaga snan only. With the young boy there I started on foot as morning walk. We listened to Arati of Gangamata on loud speakers and that boy informed me that he wished to be there in aarati(I told him that had he said me so I too would have like to be there). Anyway, after few minutes we were at Har Ki Pairi, most famous Ganga ghat. We put our shoes in the place for that and I liked to go to the area with least congestion ( next day some one told me that people want to have snan in Brahmkund only..anyway next time..).
I told the boy to wait till I finish. I dipped in Ganga as wished as Mrs. Abhas Chatterjee had said 51 times(apart from one for her I did as asked for) but it was very difficult in cold water and so after some dips I springled water on my head to complete counting. Then on the same Ghat I did my daily puja-sandhyabandan, tarpan, Panchdevata and other pujas..After that the boy also took dip in the Ganga.
There were many volunteers collecting donations. I felt number was very high and they must have some commission in donation and so were that active. My companion boy donated Rs.20 but I donated only Rs.11; seems the more literate you are more miser you are or have less faith or are less orthodox do not fully free from orthodoxy! At the shoe counter that boys’ shoe was missed and there was a great rush. The counter-person asked me to vaccate immediately as I had got my shoes but I retorded him heavily on that and the boy could enter the room to search his shoe and returned to me where I was waiting with his bag.
(Continued…next part)
When some days back my hospital clerk Mishraji had asked whether I would go for Kumbh,I had no definite inclination before that but when I saw 3-days leave Mahashivratri 12th, second Saturday and Sunday),I checked tickets which were becoming waitlisted and by some tortuous search I could find one from Ranchi to Varanasi confirmed and then a nominal waitlist in Doon Exp. But return in the Howrah bound Doon Exp. Had a long wait list but in the Link(to Sangam) it was a nominal wait list followed by a confirmed ticket in LTT-Ranchi with few hours space for Sangam Snan at Prayagraj and a meetings of Maithils for Mithila state.
I returned back from this tight schedule but having Kumbhsnan at Harki Pairi on the Kumbh Sankranti on 13th Feb. and though unprecedented late of Sangam link (6 hours from Fatehpur to Kanpur) though I could not have Sangamsnan but in the meeting arranged by the Maithil Sangam, an organization of local Maithils with brilliant reputation in the field of literature, I could experience a Sangam feel there and today is the second consecutive day that I would take bath and then food in the afternoon as again my train was late.
I usually forget to write about if I keep things pending and so I had decided to write in short the happenings of the journey and the meeting but could not conclude on 15.2.2010 (before next journey to Bhagalpur on 21st)..
It was as usual I was in hurry to catch train for Varanasi with packs of Aayurvigyan Pragati to be posted in RMS at Varanasi. It was raining and I forgot to put on sweater and with a woolen chadar this whole journey was because it was the second spell of winter after I had just left sweater in the day feeling uncomfortable with bright February. Why the months of Uttarayana- Magh and Falgun are in Shishir Ritu(season) one can understand though I could never understand why Magh Shukla 5, Saraswati Puja is called Vasant Panchami when it falls in the Shishir Ritu of Hindu seasons. Maybe this experience is the cause.
At Mugalsarai, 90 minute late my train became and I had to leave that to catch Doon which was announced to arrive soon there. I posted both bags of the Aayurvigyan Pragati in the RMS there and was free of luggage with a small bag. My younger brother could not come to Varanasi due to rain and cool and it was a difficult time for me in the evening to eat his pack of carrot halwa also after a pradosh fast. I had bath and puja in the train itself as usual happens to me.
I was surprised to see a signboard of some Jha stores near Malipur where many co-passengers got down who were businessmen at Kolkata. Some local students were returning from the fair on the occasion of Shivratri ,one of them was at Belwai or Bibiganj but what surprised me that there was also a place there where is JHARKHAND where too Shivratri fair is famous.
I saw a school named after Acharya Narendra Dev at GOSHAIGANJ but I felt it must have been on the name of some Muslim Gaush(and whether so is Jaunpur on Arbic alphabet ‘jaun’ ?) as most of the names of stations I read were Muslim names like Shahganj,Akbarpur(where belonged Mayavati, present CM about her family people do not know much but said that she was working in a theatre(Nautanki). I do not know about her much but as people said she studied side by side to have her LLB also which was praiseworthy and they praised her strict command and disapproved her making statues; I feel she herself had denigrated for PM post by making her statues and I was surprised as to with which type of advisors she was encircled!).
There were many such Urdu names-Dariabad (but had a Yadav tailor-A Yadav and a tailor was a greeting effort!),Saidkhanpur ,Safdarganj(near river Kalyani,Safedabad but there were ),Rudauli and Rasauli near Barabanki ,Jagaur, Malhaur too non-Urdu names. Patranga was beautiful name among all where train did not halt.
And so was the Urdu name of Faizabad after the holy city of AYODHYA which is a temple city. Some travelleler commented that many persons made temple like dome to make their house any tax free! There I was delighted to see a school where students were playing in yellow paints and chadars which was a Gurukul.
Monkeys or Hanumanji I had seen in good numbers in many stations en route and there were dozens of them at Faizabad. Some monkey was eating buiscuit and the other had baby attached to abdomen! I was happy to note about them that that was the sign of eco- preservation and so was delighted to see a peacock in the field but did not see any again till evening. All around fields had yellow flowers of mustard crop.
I saw Saijaganj had a Lord Shiva temple and so at many places.
I was surprised to see a banner greeting for Nag Panchami and New Year (English) which I thought should have been for Vivah Panchami (as Vasant Panchmi followed New Year!).
Such wrong words have been used extensively e.g. Uttar Pradesh is not northernmost part of India (which is Jammu & Kashmir). So is the word Purvanchal for the statehood as now it may be the eastern part of U.P. but as one of the states of India it will not be eastern-Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram are its eastern states and will remain so. Therefore a better and proper name would be BHOJPUR. My fellow passenger informed me that Bhojpuri is spoken in the eastern and north-eastern areas from Varanasi. He said that even Varanasi and Jaunpur have mixed language but I feel those can be part of Bhojur and some districts of Bihar(old SARAN and Shahabad) if added, it will be linguistically homogenous state which can develop its dialect Bhojpuri soon to the status of language.
As per that passenger Allahabad has Awadhi as KHARI BOLI. Probably a region from Allahabd to Kanpur and Lucknow around would be AWADH representing the glory of Hindustan where Lord Ram was born.
South to it may be added to Bundeljhabd in eastern parts and Braj may be caeved our with adjoining districts of Rajasthan and M.P.
West to Awadh may be Ruhelhand (again Harit Pradesh coined is more industrialized now and has no semblance to the area) and many districts on northern part of present U.P. need adding to Uttrakhand(people of Bijnaur are demanding for that also) as present Uttrakhand with small population and revenue will remain always in fiscal deficit though leaders of Uttarakhand do not want addition of any area for they will loose their political supremacy. If be it so then better to merge small Uttarkhand with Himachal Pradesh as both are Himalayan states with same echo-diversity.
Talking on those lines soon I saw Acharya Narendra Dev Nagar station. Acharya Narendra dev was a great socialist about whom Wikipedia refers,” Acharya Narendra Deva (1889-1956) was one of the leading theorists of the Congress Socialist Party in India. His democratic socialism renounced violent means as a matter of principle, and embraced the satyagraha as a revolutionary tactic.” About him Ramnandan Mishra, a great socialist leader from darbhanga had also told me but I was under the impression that Narendra Dev was a teacher at the BHU which that passenger refted and said that he was a teacher at another place of the area we were crossing.the name of place now I do not recall.
That retired railway employee of 73 year asked me as to where Mithila was when I said that I belong to Mithila.He was travelling with his family-son, daughter-in law and daughter and children. His son was also an electic engine driver and it was a pleasant scene to see his happy family. In Awadhi a lady said ,’Hath lagauta,’ while poring carrot halwa from a tiffin carrier pan to a plasic glass and such things looked to me a sense of comfirtness provided by the railway travel.
Other co passenger was saying Pare for any Pandey and one had computer memory of tain timings from Barbanki to Kanpur;a MST traveller he could inform with precision up to particular coaches in which season seats one may get not to talk of trains which run in time or are late perineeally. He was also explaining on the rights and duties and expectation from olitical parties and leaders and was telling about persons who fought many elctions not o win but for a record(I recalled only a Dhartipakad!) but for democratic rights. I thought but could not take his address before he got down at Lucknow immeiately to take some other train which he only knew of seconds’ precision.
In fact I was wandering in the development of Lucknow which a girl pointed out to be Sahara City- Subroto ray sahara was from district Araria who rose to fame starting venture from a table and chair. Lucknow had slendid growth like that of other capitals and the city I had visited many times which now I use to merely cross remebering the trans and cis hostels of KGMC.
At Lucknow the passengers were almost changed and after a heavy post-fast meal, I had to take a tablet of Cetrizine, an anti-allergic to some food ingradient. After some time I was asleep giving alarm for early morning rise at Haridwar. When I was awoke, the train has compensated late and it was on the outskirt of Haridwar at Jwalapur station where many got down.
When I got down at Haridwar,it was too early, around 330 am and it was cool. The latform was overcrowded but I could get a chair where a young boy was also waiting for morning. I had to return by 2 Pm train and so I was not in hurry. I was willing that in sunshine it would be better to perform snan-puja than in cold, dark Ganga.
After sunrise, I got the call of Tinku,son of my neice that he was stranded at Lakshar some 60 km away and it would not be possible for him to recive me. I did not require him too as I had little luggage and had to take Ganaga snan only. With the young boy there I started on foot as morning walk. We listened to Arati of Gangamata on loud speakers and that boy informed me that he wished to be there in aarati(I told him that had he said me so I too would have like to be there). Anyway, after few minutes we were at Har Ki Pairi, most famous Ganga ghat. We put our shoes in the place for that and I liked to go to the area with least congestion ( next day some one told me that people want to have snan in Brahmkund only..anyway next time..).
I told the boy to wait till I finish. I dipped in Ganga as wished as Mrs. Abhas Chatterjee had said 51 times(apart from one for her I did as asked for) but it was very difficult in cold water and so after some dips I springled water on my head to complete counting. Then on the same Ghat I did my daily puja-sandhyabandan, tarpan, Panchdevata and other pujas..After that the boy also took dip in the Ganga.
There were many volunteers collecting donations. I felt number was very high and they must have some commission in donation and so were that active. My companion boy donated Rs.20 but I donated only Rs.11; seems the more literate you are more miser you are or have less faith or are less orthodox do not fully free from orthodoxy! At the shoe counter that boys’ shoe was missed and there was a great rush. The counter-person asked me to vaccate immediately as I had got my shoes but I retorded him heavily on that and the boy could enter the room to search his shoe and returned to me where I was waiting with his bag.
(Continued…next part)
Nanaji Deshmukh should be accorded BHARAT RATNa(posthumously)
Nanaji Deshmukh should be accorded BHARAT RATNa(posthumously)
National Medicos Organisation(NMO) pays homage to veteran nationalist Nanji Deshmukh who was the chief guest in its II Conference at Ranchi in 1981.
I recall he told me at Ranchi airport to take care of Dr. BN Das Gupta saying,"I am your man, take care of guest," and similarly Dr. BN Das Gupta said to take care of Nanaji saying he was the guest and great person.
In the conference he said while many times turning over pages of the booklet,"Rastra Ki pUnarniman me Medical Chhatron ki Bhumika,"Yah Punarniman ki bat kiske man me ayee..jabki sabhi satta ke peeche hain.." I had given that topic to Prof. Rajendra Singh (Ma. Rajju Bhaiya) while welcoming freshers at DMC,Darbhanga on 14.1.1978 and that was printed as a booklet in 1980's October probably.
Whether NMO members are on a right track? Probably many have drifted to political mileage and so I again chose to remain with a smaller group with no such affiliation.
Nanaji had asked us to join after marring- he had said he needed both- a good couple to work for the deprived..(Personally I tried but my doctor wife deserted in the very beginning despite it was briefed).
We wish many more to join the social service on Nanaji's legacy.
Nanaji put a model before politicians to retire at 60 which none followed producing a problem in succession planning.
Probably with the advancement in average life span if physically fit a whole timer politician may retire at 65 (and those joping politics after Govt. service may be at 70).
Nanaji also donated his body to the AIIMS which is also praiseworthy like many of his deeds.
He should have been nominated for the presidency(in stead of Bhairo Singh Shekhawat) by the BJP is my personal view.
Though at Delhi I could not pay my last regards as my coworkers felt due to many Z security persons it may take much time to take my train for Varanasi at 18 PM.
Our homage to the great son of India who should be accorded BHARAT RATNa(posthumously).
Dr. Dhanakar Thakur, MBBS,MD(Gen Med), DCH
E-35, Shyamali, Ranchi 834002
Founder & Organising Secretary,National Medicos Organisation(NMO)
MO. 09470193694
dhanakarthakur@rediffmai.com
National Medicos Organisation(NMO) pays homage to veteran nationalist Nanji Deshmukh who was the chief guest in its II Conference at Ranchi in 1981.
I recall he told me at Ranchi airport to take care of Dr. BN Das Gupta saying,"I am your man, take care of guest," and similarly Dr. BN Das Gupta said to take care of Nanaji saying he was the guest and great person.
In the conference he said while many times turning over pages of the booklet,"Rastra Ki pUnarniman me Medical Chhatron ki Bhumika,"Yah Punarniman ki bat kiske man me ayee..jabki sabhi satta ke peeche hain.." I had given that topic to Prof. Rajendra Singh (Ma. Rajju Bhaiya) while welcoming freshers at DMC,Darbhanga on 14.1.1978 and that was printed as a booklet in 1980's October probably.
Whether NMO members are on a right track? Probably many have drifted to political mileage and so I again chose to remain with a smaller group with no such affiliation.
Nanaji had asked us to join after marring- he had said he needed both- a good couple to work for the deprived..(Personally I tried but my doctor wife deserted in the very beginning despite it was briefed).
We wish many more to join the social service on Nanaji's legacy.
Nanaji put a model before politicians to retire at 60 which none followed producing a problem in succession planning.
Probably with the advancement in average life span if physically fit a whole timer politician may retire at 65 (and those joping politics after Govt. service may be at 70).
Nanaji also donated his body to the AIIMS which is also praiseworthy like many of his deeds.
He should have been nominated for the presidency(in stead of Bhairo Singh Shekhawat) by the BJP is my personal view.
Though at Delhi I could not pay my last regards as my coworkers felt due to many Z security persons it may take much time to take my train for Varanasi at 18 PM.
Our homage to the great son of India who should be accorded BHARAT RATNa(posthumously).
Dr. Dhanakar Thakur, MBBS,MD(Gen Med), DCH
E-35, Shyamali, Ranchi 834002
Founder & Organising Secretary,National Medicos Organisation(NMO)
MO. 09470193694
dhanakarthakur@rediffmai.com
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Whether leaving Shyamali caused Dhoni’s unfortunate inning defeat?
Whether leaving Shyamali caused Dhoni’s unfortunate inning defeat?
10.2.2010
Shyamali boy, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (born 7th July 1981; I presume must be at the Ispat Hospital, where I am working as a physician since 1990) has left our colony to his own place, might be at the Harmu where land was allotted to him by the Govt. of Jharkhand and his building construction was in news as some controversy was for the water scarcity might happen for his swimming pool but that PIL was struck by the Jharkhand High Court.
I guessed some days back that he has left our colony while I was coming to my hospital last week when I remarked that there was no police tent(for his security) which I was seeing almost four times a day while I was walking to the Satellite Colony’s Health Centre of where I was posted in July 2008. Once I had written a blog on Dhoni as Bhusur boy ,the small river crossing that road after railway track (between Ranchi- Hatia in way to Rourkela) and many times I remembered him as ‘Bhusur Boy,’ while crossing that river where I use to throw Nirmalya of Puja wrapped in newspaper (and keeping polythene so as to avoid pollution).
My quarters is in the same E block but in different block of 1500 SFT where Dhoni’s father was allotted one(E-25 in fact which was as a special case 900/1200 SFT quarter as our company MECON does not give any retired person more than 600 SFT on lease). More than any average Indian, we the MECONIAN and residents of Shyamali are proud of Dhoni who has a humble upbringing in this Shyamali, named after Gurudeb Rabindranath Thakur(Tagore)’s hut in the Shantiniketan, maybe because of a sizeable Bangla speakers here in my company.
Some years back(before 2006 when I was transferred to Bangalore for 19 months) I was a regular visitor to the side quarters of Dhoni’s E-25 where lived Pt. Lokesh Chandra Harit, an engineer of our Township under whom Dhoni’s humble father was posted in a water tank(just by the side of that in the quarter K-164, I had landed first time in this colony on 14.1.1991 and dwelled there till 3.3.2004 when I was shifted to D-5, a bigger quarter of 1500 SFT to which I was entitled from day 1, I joined the Company and it was a matter of red rag with the authorities for long).
When Dhoni had initial success in cricket, Mrs. Harit used to tell me while I was going to meet Mr. Harit in my evening outings (where I have a fancy to go somewhere out of my state or caste or district and Mr. Harit was from U.P. and a Brahmin I knew after many years).In fact, I could know him due to his friendship with our physiotherapist, Ashok who was probably the nearest to me in my long spell of service in MECON.
Once Mrs. Harit said me that o go to Dhoni’s quarter for greeting her on her son’s success,may be any century that day but I declined that I did not know her personally. Mrs. Harit once said that Dhoni has several proposals from daughters of many high ups. I said that if his mother asked any advice from me I would have chosen the best match for him. Mrs. Harit asked me that how I would sort out. I said that among whole lot I would discard all those proposals who would not have asked for if Dhoni would not have been so famous. I said that his parents are simple persons and naturally a most simple bride would suit him not the daughter of any director or so.(I might have said thus because I had a painful experience of marring an MBBS daughter of an engineer who later retired as CMD of a public undertaking.
By the side of that quarter and Water Tank, there is a big play ground where first time when Ranji Trophy matches were held, many boys from town had thronged to see. As my quarter was on first floor, I had allowed many boys to see the match from road side balcony but they were dismayed as Md. Azhruddin was out soon whom they wished to see. That is the playground where Dhoni must be practicing football (with my colleague Dr. M.Rout who had a fancy to play with boys and he once said that Dhoni used to say him ‘Rout uncle’ with reverence. By chance he was drifted to cricket and now is a national hero. Side to that playground is DAV School where Dhoni studied.
Though I have post- graduation in General Medicine and Paediatrics both I am posted for Medicine and have no remembrance of Dhoni as a patient to which Dr.(Mrs) S.Sood and Dr.(Mrs) Brinda Aiyar must have sweet memories.
Not only I will not witness many enthusiastic photographers on that street whenever Dhoni would have visited. When India had an inning defeat on 9.2.2010, and first defeat in Dhoni’s captaincy, I had an inkling of thought whether leaving Shyamali made him unfortunate. I saw yesterday night some marriage pandal near that quarter which is usual practice in our company to allot vacant house temporarily for such purposes.
I had once seen a beautiful girl waiting in a car in full make up, may be one among those proposals for Mahendra Dhoni. He is still unmarried and I wish him a good and successful marriage life.
Dr. Dhanakar Thakur
Spokesman,
Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad
10.2.2010
Shyamali boy, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (born 7th July 1981; I presume must be at the Ispat Hospital, where I am working as a physician since 1990) has left our colony to his own place, might be at the Harmu where land was allotted to him by the Govt. of Jharkhand and his building construction was in news as some controversy was for the water scarcity might happen for his swimming pool but that PIL was struck by the Jharkhand High Court.
I guessed some days back that he has left our colony while I was coming to my hospital last week when I remarked that there was no police tent(for his security) which I was seeing almost four times a day while I was walking to the Satellite Colony’s Health Centre of where I was posted in July 2008. Once I had written a blog on Dhoni as Bhusur boy ,the small river crossing that road after railway track (between Ranchi- Hatia in way to Rourkela) and many times I remembered him as ‘Bhusur Boy,’ while crossing that river where I use to throw Nirmalya of Puja wrapped in newspaper (and keeping polythene so as to avoid pollution).
My quarters is in the same E block but in different block of 1500 SFT where Dhoni’s father was allotted one(E-25 in fact which was as a special case 900/1200 SFT quarter as our company MECON does not give any retired person more than 600 SFT on lease). More than any average Indian, we the MECONIAN and residents of Shyamali are proud of Dhoni who has a humble upbringing in this Shyamali, named after Gurudeb Rabindranath Thakur(Tagore)’s hut in the Shantiniketan, maybe because of a sizeable Bangla speakers here in my company.
Some years back(before 2006 when I was transferred to Bangalore for 19 months) I was a regular visitor to the side quarters of Dhoni’s E-25 where lived Pt. Lokesh Chandra Harit, an engineer of our Township under whom Dhoni’s humble father was posted in a water tank(just by the side of that in the quarter K-164, I had landed first time in this colony on 14.1.1991 and dwelled there till 3.3.2004 when I was shifted to D-5, a bigger quarter of 1500 SFT to which I was entitled from day 1, I joined the Company and it was a matter of red rag with the authorities for long).
When Dhoni had initial success in cricket, Mrs. Harit used to tell me while I was going to meet Mr. Harit in my evening outings (where I have a fancy to go somewhere out of my state or caste or district and Mr. Harit was from U.P. and a Brahmin I knew after many years).In fact, I could know him due to his friendship with our physiotherapist, Ashok who was probably the nearest to me in my long spell of service in MECON.
Once Mrs. Harit said me that o go to Dhoni’s quarter for greeting her on her son’s success,may be any century that day but I declined that I did not know her personally. Mrs. Harit once said that Dhoni has several proposals from daughters of many high ups. I said that if his mother asked any advice from me I would have chosen the best match for him. Mrs. Harit asked me that how I would sort out. I said that among whole lot I would discard all those proposals who would not have asked for if Dhoni would not have been so famous. I said that his parents are simple persons and naturally a most simple bride would suit him not the daughter of any director or so.(I might have said thus because I had a painful experience of marring an MBBS daughter of an engineer who later retired as CMD of a public undertaking.
By the side of that quarter and Water Tank, there is a big play ground where first time when Ranji Trophy matches were held, many boys from town had thronged to see. As my quarter was on first floor, I had allowed many boys to see the match from road side balcony but they were dismayed as Md. Azhruddin was out soon whom they wished to see. That is the playground where Dhoni must be practicing football (with my colleague Dr. M.Rout who had a fancy to play with boys and he once said that Dhoni used to say him ‘Rout uncle’ with reverence. By chance he was drifted to cricket and now is a national hero. Side to that playground is DAV School where Dhoni studied.
Though I have post- graduation in General Medicine and Paediatrics both I am posted for Medicine and have no remembrance of Dhoni as a patient to which Dr.(Mrs) S.Sood and Dr.(Mrs) Brinda Aiyar must have sweet memories.
Not only I will not witness many enthusiastic photographers on that street whenever Dhoni would have visited. When India had an inning defeat on 9.2.2010, and first defeat in Dhoni’s captaincy, I had an inkling of thought whether leaving Shyamali made him unfortunate. I saw yesterday night some marriage pandal near that quarter which is usual practice in our company to allot vacant house temporarily for such purposes.
I had once seen a beautiful girl waiting in a car in full make up, may be one among those proposals for Mahendra Dhoni. He is still unmarried and I wish him a good and successful marriage life.
Dr. Dhanakar Thakur
Spokesman,
Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Muzaffarpur is boiling for Mithila Movement:Dharna there on Feb.22,2010;“Mithila Banao, Bharat Bachao”;Muzaffarpur is the financial capital of Mithila
9.2.2010
Muzaffarpur is boiling for Mithila Movement:Dharna there on Feb.22,2010;“Mithila Banao, Bharat Bachao”;Muzaffarpur is the financial capital of Mithila Mithila’s state languages will be Maithili(of that area for governmental work, not literary Maithili)and Sanskrit
To summarize a telephonic talk 39minute.39 second(+1.52 with JKL Das)=42.31minutes with Sharda babu and Madan babu and Shailendra babu is just over of the magic mark of ‘42 famous is India for ‘Quit India,’ movement of Gandhi. If I add an initial 0.23 seconds call to it 42.44 again becomes more significant a number though I am not master of numbers like Srinivas Ramanujam was or a numerologist that I can predict for the date of formation of Mithila under Indian Constitution but such long talk with a non-political person of my level is predictive of the mood of the people of Tirhut.
Tirhut is derived from the place,” where three times arghya giver Brahmins resided who were sent to different part of Bhartvarsh to inhabitant rather inculcate the Vedic culture,”as spoken by MS Golwalkar, famous as Guriji of the RSS to my father Dinakar Sharma, a Vaidya by profession when he had replied, Tirhut means’land surrounding reivers,’ as usually any Maithil. Mother Sita called as Maithili by Adikavi Balmiki in the Balmiki Ramayan, was born just north to Muzaffarpur at Punaura near Sitamarhi.
I concluded the phone talk with a slogan, “Mithila Banao, Bharat Bachao.”
Well Gandhi had started his role in Indian Independence from Tirhut’s Champaran and I am not a personality to give a slogan like Gandhi did in 1942.
Khudiram Bose was hanged at Muzaffarpur and hence, Antarrshtriya Maithili Parishad had resolved on 2nd Oct.2004 in its XII International Maithili Conference there that the town be named as ‘Khudirampur,” unanimously by the local leaders of all parties present there as guests. After all Muzaffar was a revenue clerk only on which it was named during the days of oppressions though Modphalpur(Litchi as called in Sanskrit) would have been appropriate- even Litchipur is better as it is only fruit which is not translated in English as it has probably its origin here.
On 3rd October 2004, newspapers had published the resolution as headline however one of them had caption passed by “Antarrashtriya Mahila Parishad!” I wish some day our ladies come on the street as we witnessed them in Kathmandu streets for Mithila state.
Just for a joke ,now one can say this beautiful city as,’Macchadpur’ as being deprived of civic amenities by successive governments it has turned so that mosquitoes are even resistant to the repellent coils. In my visit on 22.8.2009 there in the Savita Bhavan I was almost awake whole night for mosquitoes, despite going on roof top there was no relief. I had then put up clothes from toe to head and could spend some moments in sleep.
“Muzaffarpur is the financial capital of Mithila.” I said Sharda Babu while he was anxious for expenditures on Feb.22 Dharna there.
I said that if Chamaparan also (i.e. full Tirhut Commissionary ) joined Mithila State, Muzaffarpur’s claim for capital will be strengthened though I envisage Mithila Scool Examination Board, Mithila High Court and Mithila Public Service Commission in three different towns of Mithila, other than its capital(on the pattern of Rajasthan,MP,UP).
Then even it maybe at Patna-let Govt.of Bihar make Patna,centre of IIT,AIIMS and all..We will take half of Gandhi maidan aand we have no problem like Hyderabad as Mithila has inroads there through Vaishali.
Sri Bijendraji, now Minister in the NDA Ministry of Bihar(then a RJD MLA which he left later on and won as independent candidate on which I had sent him a congratulatory postcard though did not receive his reply). had said in 2004,”Some great person had somewhere written for Muzaffarpur as Mithila’s capital, if that would be he would support the Mithila Movement whatever the party line was.
It is true that Dr. Laxman Jha had written thus in his book on Mithila but the AMP –MRSS has no link with his movement and we differ on many points:
Dr.Laxman Jha had asked for special status for Mithila with its Army etc. but we want only a State in India like any other state and we feel that we should be perfect Indian.
Further Dr.Laxman Jha wanted Nepal’s region of Mithila be united but we, AMP-MRSS want Mithila state in India of Indian territory only.
(For Nepal there AMP demanded separate state and it has been granted on Feb.21,2010 , by the Constituent Assembly with a majority vote of 24:22 of 46 members, course as Mithila-Bhojpur-Madhesh state, one state among Nepal’s 14 states; probably there too many Maithili speaking area will remain in its eastern state and there when second reorganization of states will be after some decade, that areas may be united in Mithila and Bhojpuri fringe area may be made separate or joined in western state to that- anyway at the moment we congratulate Nepali Maithils that they have achieved what we Maihtils of India could not).
Madan Babu was particularly happy over my talks on Saubhagya Mithila channel televised on 7th Feb’2010 night- on which many have phoned me(though I did not see myself) and that too, on my line (for so-called some of Vajjika and Angika fans who unnecessarily oppose Mithila demand)-“Choose between Janki and Jarasandh(Bihar).”
Mithila has tradition of Mother Seeta and we will give more opportunity of developing dialects of regions.
Mithila’s state languages will be Maithili(of that area for governmental work,not literary Maithili) and Sanskrit(devoid of dwivachan and of only three Kals,may be spoken and learnt by any in five days) though it will give honour to all languages included in VIII Schedule and recognized by Sahitya Akademy.
It was a long talk but summarizing that I feel Muzaffarpur is advancing to Mithila goal. I wish it leads entire Mithila.
Muzaffarpur is boiling for Mithila Movement:Dharna there on Feb.22,2010;“Mithila Banao, Bharat Bachao”;Muzaffarpur is the financial capital of Mithila Mithila’s state languages will be Maithili(of that area for governmental work, not literary Maithili)and Sanskrit
To summarize a telephonic talk 39minute.39 second(+1.52 with JKL Das)=42.31minutes with Sharda babu and Madan babu and Shailendra babu is just over of the magic mark of ‘42 famous is India for ‘Quit India,’ movement of Gandhi. If I add an initial 0.23 seconds call to it 42.44 again becomes more significant a number though I am not master of numbers like Srinivas Ramanujam was or a numerologist that I can predict for the date of formation of Mithila under Indian Constitution but such long talk with a non-political person of my level is predictive of the mood of the people of Tirhut.
Tirhut is derived from the place,” where three times arghya giver Brahmins resided who were sent to different part of Bhartvarsh to inhabitant rather inculcate the Vedic culture,”as spoken by MS Golwalkar, famous as Guriji of the RSS to my father Dinakar Sharma, a Vaidya by profession when he had replied, Tirhut means’land surrounding reivers,’ as usually any Maithil. Mother Sita called as Maithili by Adikavi Balmiki in the Balmiki Ramayan, was born just north to Muzaffarpur at Punaura near Sitamarhi.
I concluded the phone talk with a slogan, “Mithila Banao, Bharat Bachao.”
Well Gandhi had started his role in Indian Independence from Tirhut’s Champaran and I am not a personality to give a slogan like Gandhi did in 1942.
Khudiram Bose was hanged at Muzaffarpur and hence, Antarrshtriya Maithili Parishad had resolved on 2nd Oct.2004 in its XII International Maithili Conference there that the town be named as ‘Khudirampur,” unanimously by the local leaders of all parties present there as guests. After all Muzaffar was a revenue clerk only on which it was named during the days of oppressions though Modphalpur(Litchi as called in Sanskrit) would have been appropriate- even Litchipur is better as it is only fruit which is not translated in English as it has probably its origin here.
On 3rd October 2004, newspapers had published the resolution as headline however one of them had caption passed by “Antarrashtriya Mahila Parishad!” I wish some day our ladies come on the street as we witnessed them in Kathmandu streets for Mithila state.
Just for a joke ,now one can say this beautiful city as,’Macchadpur’ as being deprived of civic amenities by successive governments it has turned so that mosquitoes are even resistant to the repellent coils. In my visit on 22.8.2009 there in the Savita Bhavan I was almost awake whole night for mosquitoes, despite going on roof top there was no relief. I had then put up clothes from toe to head and could spend some moments in sleep.
“Muzaffarpur is the financial capital of Mithila.” I said Sharda Babu while he was anxious for expenditures on Feb.22 Dharna there.
I said that if Chamaparan also (i.e. full Tirhut Commissionary ) joined Mithila State, Muzaffarpur’s claim for capital will be strengthened though I envisage Mithila Scool Examination Board, Mithila High Court and Mithila Public Service Commission in three different towns of Mithila, other than its capital(on the pattern of Rajasthan,MP,UP).
Then even it maybe at Patna-let Govt.of Bihar make Patna,centre of IIT,AIIMS and all..We will take half of Gandhi maidan aand we have no problem like Hyderabad as Mithila has inroads there through Vaishali.
Sri Bijendraji, now Minister in the NDA Ministry of Bihar(then a RJD MLA which he left later on and won as independent candidate on which I had sent him a congratulatory postcard though did not receive his reply). had said in 2004,”Some great person had somewhere written for Muzaffarpur as Mithila’s capital, if that would be he would support the Mithila Movement whatever the party line was.
It is true that Dr. Laxman Jha had written thus in his book on Mithila but the AMP –MRSS has no link with his movement and we differ on many points:
Dr.Laxman Jha had asked for special status for Mithila with its Army etc. but we want only a State in India like any other state and we feel that we should be perfect Indian.
Further Dr.Laxman Jha wanted Nepal’s region of Mithila be united but we, AMP-MRSS want Mithila state in India of Indian territory only.
(For Nepal there AMP demanded separate state and it has been granted on Feb.21,2010 , by the Constituent Assembly with a majority vote of 24:22 of 46 members, course as Mithila-Bhojpur-Madhesh state, one state among Nepal’s 14 states; probably there too many Maithili speaking area will remain in its eastern state and there when second reorganization of states will be after some decade, that areas may be united in Mithila and Bhojpuri fringe area may be made separate or joined in western state to that- anyway at the moment we congratulate Nepali Maithils that they have achieved what we Maihtils of India could not).
Madan Babu was particularly happy over my talks on Saubhagya Mithila channel televised on 7th Feb’2010 night- on which many have phoned me(though I did not see myself) and that too, on my line (for so-called some of Vajjika and Angika fans who unnecessarily oppose Mithila demand)-“Choose between Janki and Jarasandh(Bihar).”
Mithila has tradition of Mother Seeta and we will give more opportunity of developing dialects of regions.
Mithila’s state languages will be Maithili(of that area for governmental work,not literary Maithili) and Sanskrit(devoid of dwivachan and of only three Kals,may be spoken and learnt by any in five days) though it will give honour to all languages included in VIII Schedule and recognized by Sahitya Akademy.
It was a long talk but summarizing that I feel Muzaffarpur is advancing to Mithila goal. I wish it leads entire Mithila.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The nationalism has inverse relation with the distance from capitals and likewise the poverty has a direct relationship with the distance from capital
Cold Mithila:Cold Maithils(23-26.1.2010)- REVISED and COMPLETED; Deoghar and Godda,Bhagalpur, Purnea, Araria, Forbesganj
The nationalism has inverse relation with the distance from capitals and likewise the poverty has a direct relationship with the distance from capitals
People of Ang (and also Vajji region are to choose between the tradition of Janki and Jarasandh
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 Dr.Vijay Shankar Singh of Bamangama (Sarath, Deoghar),a co-traveller in the Vananchal Express in 2009 winter while I was returning with my sister from Forbesganj after first Varshi of my father) who turned to a Maithili worker and his 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 the Hindustan that the season was 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 blood pressure with low salt diets and proper medicine which the victim had ignored altogether!).
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 drop 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 requested by Binay of Purnea. I saw the house of Dr. Mahanand 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 Bhagalpur 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 co-traveller 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 Choudahry 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 via Jaigaon where scores of Maithils 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.
Cold Mithila:Cold Maithils(23-26.1.2010)-II; Bhagalpur, Purnea, Araria, Forbesganj
The nationalism has inverse relation with the distance from capitals and likewise the poverty has a direct relationship with the distance from capitals
At Bhagalpur bus stand I entered into nearby Sabji Market where in November also I had purchased some vegetables while going to bachelor and young journalist Binay’s house-I remembered that that day I had taken old and rotten cabbage as I do not do marketing usually and was still happy that it would have been given some money to the village girl who was waiting for the last cabbages to be sold. This time I was cautious and purchased cauliflower, beans and tomatoes instead and before reaching the place while in auto, I ate an orange and 2-3 small apples given by my sister at Ranchi. Whole day I was busy and had not taken food and hence, was apprehensive of vitamin deficiency to which I am susceptible and so at Binay’s room I ate two tomatoes from which I had purchased. He came after sometimes purchasing cabbage again but cooked cauliflowers and rice which we had purchased.
It was a 23rd January night and I was in the memory lane of my marriage way back in 1989 this night which I do not when it was broken after three months like the death day of Netaji Subas Chandra Bose who was born on this very date; from English timings my marriage finally had cropped into 24th .I went to the top of the room and saw in reeling cold amid fog some vehicles still plied on the road below.
On 24th morning I got up around 7 to take bus to reach Araria by 1 PM. It was fog all over the bus stand and though I got a Purnea bus quickly, it could reach there in 3 hours, not bad from the point of foggy road. I could not ascertain when Koshi bridge passed. There was a call from Araria’s Sudhirnath Mishra when I had passed Gedabadi(a junction for Katihar) and expressed hope that I would be in time but I missed the connecting bus and next bus started around 12 noon which had many college students at zero mile to go to Kasba College.
I saw many labourers who climbed to roof top of bus with their cycles to go to Balua bazaar area, must be for some road construction, devastated by Kushha breach in 2008. It will take any decades to mitigate the miseries of Koshi victims and in fact Koshi culture is denude and is facing serious threats of poverty. Many poor might have been collapsed this winter when nobody remembers them- even blankets sent by NGOs from Delhi for them would be distributed to other localities’ poor! After all one needs serious organizational infrastructure to reach the last men of any tragedy and that never happens as per my experience in such calamities since 1977’s Andhra cyclone I worked.
I could work in 1988 Nauhatta breach ( towards Kopariaghat) and again in 1987 in and around Katihar and Manihari in other devastating flood, many areas I crossed again in the foggy winter.
By the time I reached Araria around 130 PM, there was broad sunshine, after many days first time as if for my ensuing meeting for Mithila state. I went to Lalitmohan Thakur’s house and had my daily snan-puja and lunch(though it was arranged at other place, if I would have reached in time and would have introduction/initiation of other worker to movement).
When with Lalitji I reached the Mahila College campus, there were some important personalities of area already present. It was my home subdivision, in the sands of which I had my childhood in Forbesganj, even a bigger town than this present district headquarters. I had my middle and secondary examination centre there at Araria in 1965 and 1970 I recalled.
We discussed many organisationl things apart from benefits of Mithila state. I lambasted Md. Taslimuddin’s hoardings as SEEMANCHAL GANDHI. “We had listened to SEEMANT GANDHI of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan but taking the name of that great person by an ordinary politician is a joke and insult to the great warrior,” I said. I was also critical of birthday and other greetings by hoardings and mentioned January greetings by great Hindu leader Dr.Murli Manohar Joshi at Varansi who even if liked so should have waited till Chaitra shukladi to come. Such ideological compromises mislead the followers.
There was a question by ex-BJP president of the area,” newer states did not give better results,” to which I named all such states(southern, Gujarat, Haryana, etc) and shown them Hindi India Today Dec. 30,2009 issue-“It has been accepted by the National Developmental Council for 11th Plan document that the three newly carved states- Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand had achieved higher growth rate than their parent states.
Jharkhand achieved 6.9 per cent growth rate when target was 11.1 per cent
Chhattisgarh achieved 9.2 per cent growth rate when target was 6.1 per cent
Uttarakhand achieved 8.8 per cent growth rate when target was 6.8 per cent.
There were some youth leaders who promised to work for Mithila movement. After the meeting Sudhirnathji and I took a rickshaw for the Ambedkar Chowk where could get a bus to Forbesganj, my hometown, where I was born and brought up.
It has changed a lot since my childhood days but all changes were not good. I said Shanbhu Mishra whose father was Minister that around Sultani Pond, the ‘jungle’(where even ‘peepul’ I had seen to grow as shrub) with ‘indigo vats’ would have been a tourist attraction with many cemeteries of British, one of them was probably of a dog also. Shambhu Mishra’s father Saryu Mishra was lone opposition for its sell out.
My home has no provisions and I had put my bag to the house of the daughter of my mentor Pt. Ramchandra Jha. I also could meet Teju master, my house care taker and Jamuna Yadavji, bosom friend of my elder brother. I went to Sudhirji’s son house who was residing in my teacher Khagendrababu’s house on rent. I could take my teacher’s blessings too toughing his feet. Once upon a time, my most favourite teacher Agamlal Mandal was also residing in that complex.
Sudhirnathji’s son had talked with me while in December I was at Delhi to come and discuss for an organization for the welfare of Koshi victims. I suggested him to take up those issues under the banner of the Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad(AMP) itself not only because it will be problematic to have one more organization but also being Koshi an international river, AMP workers can mutually cooperate.
Sudhirnathji’s grandson left me on bike to the telecom complex, where I had left my bag. In the way again I saw my school the LEE ACADEMY and the roads of the small but nice town which have still many dogs. It was cold and few movements were around at 930 PM.
I discussed many familial matters with son-in law of my mentor and initial teacher, Pt. Ramchandra Jha (whose son Bibhakar has turned to be an astrologer and surprisingly at Ranchi itself and saw a big photograph with his disciple Dr.C.P. Thakur, an ex- Cabinet Minister..I cannot understand why a man of his caliber is in the realms of astrology and I recall modern Newton, writer of ,’A Brief History of Time,”, Sir Stephen Hawk while he was in India to deliver his talk at the Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi (which was a live telecast and I had gone to my residence to listen to that leaving my chamber in the hospital); his reply to a question on validity of Astrology, ”I cannot say.”
The only two times more I had left my chamber while duty time for listening to TV- once more when Vajapayee was taking oath for the first time as PM and incidentally at Forbesganj itself in 1969 when I was 14 years old I had met him closely while he was on tours and after breakfast denying Chadars as Brahminical bidai, I had quipped,” aapne kal moti dakshina le lee hai,”(I made my fingers as a purse which he had taken previous day in meeting for party fund).” He laughed and took bidai from Rekhchand Samdaria, a close friend of my father and local Jan Sangh worker.
The bath room was very cool and so water was in cold wave but the morning of 25th January was with broad sunshine for the first time in the season. I went to my home in front and did snana-puja there. Though Teju master Sudhirji came, his son and other workers for Koshi did not turn up. I went to meet my friend Saboo’s mother in front- took her blessings and went Sunita’s house to take my bag. I had some feeling of incomplete evacuation of stool and had to go toilet several times. I took some food and came back to my house which has an open field with some school rooms where children had come. In the morning I had listened to Prabhat feri of children for the Republic Day next day. In smaller towns such days have more enthusiasm than of metros. The nationalism has inverse relation with the distance from capitals and likewise the poverty has a direct relationship with the distance from capitals and so I use to say ,”In India, we are capitalistic in one sense surely that here every developmental thing emanate from Capitals.’,” and probably so I want a capital for my Mithila too(Bihar’s capital Patna has higher per capita income than national average though Bihar as a whole is on the near bottom on this scale).
Sudhirnathji and I reached railway station where while enquiring for train to Purnea, one young ASM,Manoj Kr. Jha recognized me. He was from village Jonki Mahinathpur of Madhubani district. I did not recall where I met him and on my query he told me that some times back when I had come to take a train. (but found in my diary on 1st February 2010 night that I had met him on 11.4. 2005 when I had gone to search one Manikant Jha, Sr. Sectional Engineer hailing from Ujiarpur, Samastipur and had asked Manoj to arrange next day a meeting of Maithils he knew there but Manoj was discouraged by Manikant that it was not possible. I had some confusion as the number I saved with name was again MK and clarified on phone on 2.2.2010 that this time I could met MK was Manoj Kumar and I asked him that now he had experience in the my hometown and should work for Mother Maithili’s advancement like Ranchi’s station manager late Chadrakant Jha was doing; wearing a dhoti-kurta he was a symbol of Maithil culture himself!I had also enquired for one other young ASM whose quarters I had gone there but he was transferred probably near to Katihar somewhere.
From Forbesganj station, I had asked Lalit Rang of Sukhsena to arrange a small gathering but he was busy in the Republic day preparations. I had stayed in his village many years back during a Maithili Workers’ Training Camp and in November 2009, I could get his number incidentally and was a guest for night after my meeting in the Law College. I wanted this time meeting at a newer place .
Since the Essay contest on Mithila state’s need in the Purnea College could not be arranged on 25th for the concerned teacher was busy with college audit, I had requested him to call some persons for an informal meeting there but I could not get him on mobile and was thinking my one day CL was wasted. I told this to Binay and he suggested me to contact his father. His father was happy that I was coming to his house again. I requested him to assemble some persons.
In the train to Purnea(Katihar) there was rush but since the introduction of broad gauge rush is accommodated. I recalled the horrific travel in meter gauge some years back. The passenger train is cheap and takes less time.
Seeing the ways, familiar to me, Dholbazza of Yogendra Jha, my other mentor in the matter of discipline, Araria RS(Railway Station), and Araria Court etc. intermingled with many new halts in between(which has a large Bangladeshi population settled as well), Kushiargaon(where hardly any sugarcane is now),Garhbaniali(of hisatorical Maithil rulers)’ Jalalgarh(on the name of Jalaluddin-whether Akbar ,I do not know but want to call it as Jai Lal Garh), Kasba(meaning a small township) where was a crossing and then Purnea-our old district headquarters, named on Purain(lotus) or Purandevi temple(where Pandavads during Ajnyatvas had prayed) or Purna Aranya(full of forest), I do not know but was mesmerized by the fast talk of two ladies-of short height and was eager to know which languages they were talking. Both had equally fast speed. I thought initially they were talking in Assemese or Boro or CoochBehari dialect but when I asked them, one of them replied,” Bengali.”I said ,” Bengali aami jani kintu..eto fast..”
I feel that is the case Maithili also with many dialects. Angika or Vajjika some claim as languages are faster versions of Maithili with lesser grammatical bindings.
She replied that everybody had different speed of talks. When I asked where they lived, one of them named some mohalla of Purnea. She said that where ever is a Bihari there is a Bengali.
When I came out to take a seat in auto, all were set to go to some Satsang(maybe of Mehibaba or so). After some time, I could get one to go to bus stand who left me at Line Bazar, no wonder the same days newspaper had a news that for three wheelers, Purnea was second in selling only to Gaya and Patna was poor fourth after Muzaffarpur.
There are no comparative data available to me but surely Patna will rank one in for wheelers. Poor need shared commutation and so Mithila’s Purnea and Muzaffarpur lag behind even in the matters of three wheelers from Magadh’s Gaya!
Line Bazar had many medical clinics where many of my friends do practice and get good number of patients but I chose another way despite a medical consultant where I do serve. I took a rickshaw to go ill-known Teachers’ Colony near Chhathi Pokhari. Many English schools are opening in every corner of Mithila and Purnea is no exception. There were many Muslim mohallas in between which too probably signify the amount of infiltration from Bangladesh.
After some time on bad road, I reached Teachers’ colony where some retired persons assembled quickly. I addressed them about Mithila’s culture and demand for statehood. Though number was small they represented interior villages (Amaur, Vishnupur,etc.) and I entrusted them task of awareness there. With one of them I could make contact with Shri Dhirendra Mishra, ex-IAS and vice-president of the AMP, Jharkhand. It was enchanting to see the faces of his classmate and other an uncle who was presiding my meeting.
Initially two youth were there and I was happy to see them but soon they left. One was apprehensive of money collection as was done by some persons sometimes back in the name of Maithil Brahmin Sammelan. I told them that to me every person of Mithila was a Maihtil not merely this or that caste and I do not preach or practice casteism. Yet they left and there was none even to send release to press-all were old and retired persons there. It give me an opportunity to visit press bureau to of Hindustan, Aaj and Dainik Jagarn while in way to bus stand.
It was difficult to get a Xerox shop and when I could get one the quality was poor. Though everywhere release was received by correspondents themselves none interrogated me much and were under pressure for 26th January advertisements that release of Araria and Purnea could not get space despite might have been their willingness as I could ascertain from body language. Whether newspapers are for news or otherwise are a matter of concern.
Despite some food at Forbesganj had no desire for not full utilization of the day but when Binay’s sister told me that she had cooked for me which will be wasted, I ate that food and then went out hurriedly moving to Purmea press beaureaus could get last seat in a Bhagalpur bound state Govt. semi-Deluxe but preferred a Cabin seat where too soon overcrowding was because of many persons taken without tickets and most of them were to be dropped where bus had no scheduled stoppage. That is the cause of Bihar’s backwardness- corruption at every level. When I reached Bhagaplur Tilaka Manjhi Chowk, I preferred to take note of the first martyr who lead a struggle against British in 1785 when Baba Tilka was a mere 35 year youngman; I had confusion from a mazar near a banyan tree where he was hanged that was it his but Binay clarified in the night that Santhals’ dead bodies were buried not burnt. However, I was happy to note that some floral garlands were decorated on the Republic Day eve.
Cold Mithila:Cold Maithils(23-26.1.2010)-III; Bhagalpur- People of Ang (and also Vajji region are to choose between the tradition of Janki and Jarasandh
When I reached Binay’s place opening his gate was a difficult task for three workers of ‘Binay Mess’ and they initially failed despite asking Binay on mobile who opened and closed that lock many times(more in night being an editorial staff of a daily newspaper, Hindustan). ’Jiski bandariya vahi nachaye,’ said the youngest amongst them, the waiter-cum-cook who ultimately could open the lock).
Every time I go there I am amused with the writing of its signboard Binay -it is ‘B,’ in Hindi and no ‘V,’ which in fact should have been(and also a ‘Murdhanya Sh’ rather than a ‘dantya S’ for Mess in Hindi).
It may seem a ‘mesh,’ of wordings as Binay is not coming under Mesh Zodiac sign but Vrish as per Hindu astrological divisions but here lies the proof that whatever claims residents of Bhagalpur area may do on the name of ‘Ang,’ it is linguistically and culturally part of Mithila. I had seen some banners in the Bhagalpur town, ’Ang Deshki Rasham Nagari me ,’ in the same visit; of course Bhagalpur’s silk was world famous once upon a time and so might have been ‘Ang’ in the days of Mahabharata but it was more so Munger which was awarded by Suyodhan (or Duryodhan as popularly he is called) to Karna for making him fit as a king but nowadays Mungeris are not so vocal for their Angship than Bhagalpuris are for some reasons not so well understood.
In fact, for long the area was ruled by Bengali dynasties and no proper historical records are available as to show a continued tradition of Ang rulers, if any, which I had said in my previous visit to the youth of Nathnagar without any disrespect to Ang area and have suggested them to have movement for joining Mithila as any Govt. of Mithila will pay more attention to develop the dialect of that region than Govt. of Bihar could do in almost one complete century.
The people of Ang (and also Vajji region are to choose between the traditions of Janki and Jarasandh- again I am not saying it with disrespect to Magadh but after all Magadh is known for its empires not for wisdom and sacrifice though Chanykaya was there, he probably was a Maithil and so Nalanda was there but again Buddhists made big universities but Buddhistic teachings could not be continued while Santan Hindus had ‘Guru-Shishya parampara’ and still that is continued in some form or other and so much so that probably not a single Buddhist family of Buddha days are in present Bihar due to bloodless logical war by Maithil scholars like Mandana and later Udayanacharya; had they sent their pupil to offshore like Buddhist Ashoka sent his son and daughter –Mahendra and Sanghmitra to Sri Lanka and many monks to China, Korea, Japan, etc. probably all would have returned to the shadow Santan Banyan and might be as a consequence the word would have been in a more peaceful state with least conversion to Islam due to weakening of security which could be and recent problems in China’s Han province and others would not have taken as more Islamic conversions were in the land where Buddhists had more propagation).
When I say thus I do not undermine the importance of Bishnupad of Gaya, the most important seat of Lord Vishnu or Patndevi of Patna, one of the 52 Shaktipeetha where right thigh of Mata Sati was fallen but Mithila is Mithila where it is impossible to say where left arm of Mother was fallen and at Baidyanath Deoghar the heart after that Yajna Dhwans of Daksha Parajapati (on which I had written a small play in Maithili,”Vambhru,” seeing dearth of such plays based on epical stories)and so they are culturally same, Dakshinmargis unlike of Magadh.
Any place where fell the body part of Mother Sati is a Holy Shakti peeth but where fell parts below naval is worshiped by Vammargis and no wonder area of Magadh is under the arm influence of leftist Maoist and has been an area of caste inferno to which Mithila is so far immune and any example of recent happenings at Khagaria was in fact result of the company of Bihari rage (Sangat Sanjayte Kamah; Kamat Krodhobhi jayte,Gita 2:62).
Probably segregation of Mithila from Bihar will add to the pristine glory of our Holy Motherland.
The people of south of Ganga(east of Magadh) till Deoghar are speaking Dakshini Maithili which some persons in retaliation (of their insult by early Maithil Brahmin Maithili scholars)have named ‘Angika,’ though the correct word as per linguist Dr. Subhadra Jha would have been, ‘Aangkiya,’ (and likewise ‘Vajjkiya’ for Western Maithili) which George Grierson did term,’ Chhika-Chhiki,’ from the verb form though ‘Dakshini Maithili’ would have been appropriate as to my wisdom and I love to use it with respect to the dialect and I wish many more literary work and theses in it which should be recognized as the standard form of Maithili. In any case the state language of Mithila will recognize all such dialects to be used for official work whatever literary form may be for scholastic work; Sanskrit has 10 verb form, including one ‘let lakar,’ only used for Vedas.
Coming to ‘Binay Mesh,” in Maithili ‘B,’ is usually used not ‘V,’ and that is why on the railway station of Ang’s most famous historical site, I had read some times back as ‘Bikramshila,’ not ‘Vikramshila’.
On that token even ‘Bihar’ is either wrong (for ‘Vihar’ would have been right) or Maithilized (and so ‘Jharkhand’ is misspell which should have been ‘Jhadkhand’- nor ‘R’ of Ram but ‘D’ of ‘Ladka’(for a boy) as Jhad is for forest not for jharna (water fall) which too are abundant in Jhadkhad full of forest and greenery.
Maithili’s ‘B,’ for ‘V, is more pronounced in Bangla, eg. Rabindra is name of famous ‘Gurudev,’ not ‘Ravindra’ and so is ‘Basu,’ instead of ‘Vasu’ and it is so much more in Oriya that there is no alphabet as ‘V,’ as once Swatika, an Oriya hardware engineer of MECON, Bangalore had told me and hence, I corrected a name as ‘Binita Panigrahi,’ while editing Souvenir for All India Steel Medical Conference while someone in the programme sheet had entered her as ‘Vinita.’
If this ‘B’ for ‘V’ is to be taken in the account, I should have been surprised long before that ‘Binay’ Tarun was my host (and his certificate name ‘Binay,’ was rather correct from Maithili standpoint though he had taken a confusing email id from Vinay and again incidentally he became a tenant where on his name ‘Binay Mess’ was already running on the ground floor and no wonder, the mess workers were very obedient to him.
Further ‘Murdhanya Sha’ is pronounced in Maithili as ‘Kha’ which is as per Panini’s rule( SSHRhr pareshu Sha khakarah) that when ‘Murdhanya Sha’ is followed by,’‘Talavya Sha,’ ‘Murdhanya Sha’‘Dantya S ‘ ref’ and ‘H’ it should be pronounced as ‘Kha’, hence, ‘Varsh,’ is ‘Barkh,’ in Maithili but ‘Manisha’ is not ‘Manikha.’ Proximity to such difficult rules of Sanskrit adapted so easily in colloquial Maithili is a matter of pride for us and Maithili thus is the closest to Sanskrit and in fact traditions and culture of Mithila are one on which every Indian should be proud of not merely Maithils.
Binay returned late in night and again cooked rice and vegetable cursing his sister as to why she did not send some ‘khir-paratha,’ with me though his father had given me an electrical coil for repairing eclectic short circuit.
Once I went to roof again and saw to some vehicles plying in cold but could not find any rickshaw, seeing one of them from the same place, I had SMSed a poem to an AIR announcer girl of the town on 4.12.2009 at 1.05:39
A Foggy Midnight at Bhagalpur
“This chilly midnight
In your city
From the roof top
Of 4th floor
I saw on the road
A rickshaw puller
Happy he might be
On a lonely road
Like I am
In a bachelor’s house.”
Foggy weather like
Mystic world
People work
For their hunger
Those who have
Sleep under warm
Blankets of sheep wool
Who had it to protect
Them from the cold
Despite street light
Nothing was seen
The rickshaw was
Advancing
On assumed
Road to station
As we all are
Advancing to
The road of
Dead end
Or station of
This universe.”
-(4.12.2009 at 1.05:39,
Completed on 2.2.2010 noon 130)
Well, cold was there though reducing day by day but in the morning when I woke up late so that water was supplied after repairing electric line but it was not done by that time but from the roof top I saw again National Tricolour unfurling in the opposite Muslim High School and remained in attention till National Anthem was over.
It was the same place where last year(2009) to I had viewed Republic Day. I could find a difference rather addition to the past year’s parade- the NCC cadets had one batch with different dress like that of ‘jungle,’- whether they were of any Commando training group under the changing atmosphere of militancy?
I was happy more so that it was in a minority institution though many believe that many of them are called fundamentalists. The other face of coin also flashed in my mind that surely Republic Day was of greater moment of joy for them because it was the Constitution of India which had given them more rights as minorities while non-Muslims have been denied so in Islamic countries not only in India’s shelved parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh but also in the Middle East countries; may be some Far East countries are better in this regards.
Maybe for them this reason the day might have been more joyful than Independence Day though 26th January was in fact celebrated as the Independence day from 1929 to 1947. It was on 26.1.1929 that Jawaharlal Nehru (then called as ‘President’ ) had declared on the bank of Ravi river at Lahore ,’Purn Swarjya(Full Independence though only for fools Independence may not be full) as goal but even that Lahore could not remain in India when She got Independence.
I remembered in NMO’s XXX Natioanl Conference at Katihar on 28.1. 2007, even Muslim medicos recited Bande Matarm voluntarily(again ‘Vande Mataram’ though seems correct, it is a Bangla song transposed in a Bangla novel, ’Anandmath,’ and hence, my logic to write it as Bande Matarm was though not accepted by the editor of The Hindu, he published my letter after many e-mail transactions on the philology and linguistics of eastern Indian languages. ‘No body will like to misspell proper noun of its writer Bankim as Vamkim,’ like ‘Ravindra,’ for Rabindranath Thakur(again Tagore is a misspell nobody calls his father Maharshi Devendranath Thakur as Tagore).
Our country has progressed a lot in 60 years of Republic. I had read a lot of data in the Dainik Jagaran, 25th Januray issue some are here:
1950 2010
Population
36 cr. 166 cr.
Per capita income
255 Rs. 37490 Rs.
Life expectancy
32 years 68 years
Infant Mortality Rate/1000 134 53
Doctor/lakh 16 60
Salary of administrative officers on joining 350 Rs. 26000 Rs.
Gold value 10 gram 98 Rs. 16645 Rs.
The data I was reading in the India’s poorest zone(a vast zone of Mithila around 60 million population) to which I belonged and hence, for its economic emancipation I wanted to work and being doctor my priority was health sector to which my suggested model has been accepted by GOI (not exactly as Diploma in Medicine or lMP but as MBBS –Rural though by 205 half of Indian will be urbanized and MBBS(Slum) may be required by then? I am of the opinion of one system only in hospitals and or education.
I asked Binay to accompany me to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College to meet some young medicos for the National medicos Organisation (NMO) work.Without taking bath or puja we went out to take his bike from the press premises where editor Nagendra Pratapap was waiting for other 36 editorial staff and their family members for a picnic to Sabour Agriculture College Guest House.
The media persons have few holidays and thus they wanted to enjoy that. They also in competition probably want so many editions and latest news input that they have become nocturnal species(like bats or owls) which is effecting there health. A good research paper can be made if a survey is done and probably will establish my postulates on ‘shift neurosis,’ in swift shift change workers.
I could get a casual patient in an underweight friend of Binay and suggested some drugs for his hyperacidity syndrome though he needed some investigations like endoscopy and stool examination as well as some blood examinations.
The editor was surprised on Binay’s punctuality- many others were late but Binay quipped that he was also late as Tricolour was already unfurled. The editor asked for snacks to us but I did not because I had no bath till then but it saved me from those fast food and sweets. ‘Fast food kills fast, ’will take time to be understood and priority of fruits over sweets need health education.
I gave a copy of “Aayurvigyan Pragati( a quarterly medical journal of the NMO and the Maithili Sandesh “( a quarterly bulletin of the Aatarrashtriya Maithili Parishad(AMP) and pages from my, unpublished, ”The Autobiography of an Unknown Medico.” regarding reorganization of Indian states based on 2.5 to 5 per cent of Indian population and or area . I said him about Mithila movement in Nepal and in India, He was aware of as he had worked at Patna for long though he belonged to Lucknow. He pointed on one scan of the Hindustan’s report in the Maithili Sandesh.
I told him that one stinger/reporter of the Hindustan, some Singh of Madhubani (who had listened to me at Bhaura Chowk in 1994)had made me a leader of Mithila state movement from an unknown pedestrian. (His 4- column news when there was only one edition of the paper created awareness all over Bihar,including Jharkhand of modern time.
The Hindustan’s editorial team had picnic in 2009 also on the Republic Day at Bikramshila but that day too I had to catch Vananchal Express at 1530 and it had no stoppage at Bikramshila, still seems a deserted place in between Kahalgaon and Pirpainti.
In year 2010 they had already voted for ‘the best ideaba’j(might be Binay whom editor might have a perception of Samajvadi because I perceived editor as a Samajvadi seeing his kurta-pyjama in that way); ‘best jhuthbaj,’ was probably for some Mishra as Binay guessed but I saw a young person asking editor that he would have to play in fancy football or cricket I could not discern but editor had an excuse that he was without a boot despite which young man was adamant that he would have to play(or a referee he might have been!). A small unit should behave like a close-knit family and it was an example to that.
With Binay I went to the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College where I could meet some boys and talked about the NMO. I went there after a lapse of many years. I had probably first organizational tour to that medical college in 1980 which I still remember that I had slept in an electric shop of a market near Ajanta Talkies, of a co traveler due to engine failure of that passenger train from Patna. I had been going there since then when it was merely ,”Bhagalpur Medical College,” housed in ‘Naulakha building,’; there are many new buildings but that was still unique. I remembered Mandalkothi Hostel and others;I recall NMO’s IV National Conference there in 1988.
I talked medicos to work who were apprehensive that social work might hamper their studies to which I opposed giving my own example of competing post graduation in most difficult subjects of medicine and paediatrics despite remaining busy in the NMO work all through.
I suggested them to have some tree-plantation in the hostel premises and to conduct some medical symposia by medical students. I gave them my own example of my Darbahanga Medical college days when I conducted 13 consecutives symposia ,e.g. on congenital hear disease students can speak on the embryology of heart, physiological changes at birth, anatomy of heart chambers, signs and symptoms of cyanotic and acynotic congenital heart diseases, management of congenital heart diseases,etc. I told them that in one of such seminar on carcinoma breast former principal and renowned surgeon Dr.S.M.Nawab became so happy that he gave Rs. 300 to give boys as prize which I gradually disbursed them purchasing books of ELBS seires like Julian’s Cardiology.
Binay said that had some medicos with his group during Koshi flood of 2008, medicines would have been better utilized. He also asked me as to how malnutrition can be screened in a community which I replied.
The medicos had some reservation on a recent happening with a Hindustan employees’ relative about which Binay told me while we were returning. As medicos said doctors’ number is always less than required for proper duties ,I feel empathy should be for a dying patient and also should know that medicine is more an art than science and more so at critical times and at that time art of communication must be learnt by seeing how seniors deal such events; more so in the setup of public undertaking where few doctors like me are serving a closed community and also I feel media should have restraint and pacifying role if such an ugly event take place and the matter should not be personalized but taken as a social disease needing rectification from many angles, law utmost can be a small player in that whatsoever its dimension may be; willful negligence cannot be excused but it cannot also be treated like a motivated crime.
There was as usual many jams on the road as our cities are becoming destinations for poors due to uneven growth of villages and centralized system of governance. After some time, Binay while Binay was returning back to same road,I guessed he had forgotten to purchase curd for my ekadashi at Kalifabagh. And so it was, infrint of Devendra Jalpan Grih from the shape of the shop I guessed that must be a meeting and gossiping place of Bhagalpur where an advertisement on railway stations of Mysore etc. I had seen,’A lot more can happen over a cup of Coffee..” and so it may be like famous Coffee House..Anyway I do not take tea or coffee and so have not been a part of such evolutions.
But Binay said that the curd centre was the best of the town and one can get even quintal of curd on just order and I got the answer as to what will happen to Mithila’s economy which people say will remain in red as it has only water(and floods) and sands! I use to say that despite’Lauraj’ making Bihar bankrupt Sudha had been in benefit. So, I feel Mithila can replicate many’white revolutions,’even Kurien would not have contemplated and so ‘Green revolutions,’ better than Norman Boroloaugh’s imagination,after all green revolution of Punjab and Haryana was due to the sweats of Maithil labourers who had migrated there for menial work being devasted by ill-conceived flood-making bandhs on Koshi and Kamla and Baghmati and Adhwara..
Kushha flood was due to lack of 10 liters of diesel there at that black night but surely it was the cause that generated emotions in many Binays heart to work for them whom till then they had not felt that those were the part and parcel of their social fabric. I recall many stories Binay told me while in way to Sultanganj in my previous visit where we saw people fighting for water..
“Water water everywhere not a drop to drink..’ could be written by S.T. Coleridge for ,”The Ancient Mariner,’ while in the salty sea but Mithila has an abundance of potable water,even bottling of which can make any millionaire if not fish production which can remove the malnutrition among poor, Binay was asking and some years back Sahniji had said in theMadhubani conclave for Mithila that he would make Mithila self-relieant only by selling fishes! I am an exceptional Maithil being a vegetarian but peole say Mithila’s fishes are tasty.
As a doctor my duty is to remove diseases like diabetes where like “Water water everywhere not a drop to drink,” glucose is present in every body tissue but body is unable to utilize that. Maybe Mithila’s water problem is like that. And if Ang and santhal remains with Mithila they will get it abundantly if some Bhagirath is there, Gangajal will be on the banks of Babadham’s Shivalaya, making fertile the hilly soils in between which will work like de-silting agents for purifying water and so I call them to join Mithila;at least the posterity should not blame me that they were not asked/given opportunity to join Mithila and hence, I go to Bhaglapur as many times possible not merely that it is a portal to my entry to Mithila.
Binay went to his group picnic and I spent some time in Binay’s room waiting for a call from the young boys of Nathnagar but it did not come. After my bath and worship, I ate delicious curd(full of fat otherwise harmful for coronaries) with new chura he had purchased in the way for my ekadashi day.
The Vanachal(again it should have been ‘Bananchal,’) Express was in time and was returning with one more memory. When the train started I saw Sabour passing must be Binay there receiving his award of ‘best ideabaj,’
After some time, I saw Mother Ganaga near Kahalgaon and bowed my head in reverence. Seeing which an RPF constable asked me whether I am reverent to Ganga to which I replied in affirmative that She was the mother of all of us.
He said me in very poor and broken English that he repented that he could not enter to a college after his matriculation but he could recall few strings of a very famous poem…” Some flowers are on the street but some are fortunate to get place on God”’ I completed that with my memory from the same Hindi Textbook I read some 10 years before him in 1969-70.
” Chah nahee hai surbala ke gahnome guntha jaun..
Chah nahe Main Premimalame bindh pyari ko lalchaun
… Mujhe tod lena Banmali dena us path par fenk..
Matribhumi par sheesh charhane jis path jaben veer anek..”
He said that his father had not given him any day money in his pocket (Mujhe shauk laga rah gaya ki pitji kabhi mere pocketme paisa dete) and had given property to other brothers but mother before her death had blessed me (tum hamesha khush rahoge)..and he was happy growing his children, educating them well.
I said my grandfather had also said thus to my father. I said that everybody does not get everything in his/her life. (I too did not ever remember but I do not curse God for that).
When Bikramshila passed, I did not notice but I noticed Pirpainti and I recalled Dr.Vijay Shankar Singh of Bamangama (Sarath, Deoghar) again who had entrained there in 2009 exactly on 26th January in the same train and that RPF constable was there was remarkably helpful to a rural woman at a station that Mirja chauki had a scheduled stoppage of that train.
At Pakur three ladies and a young man entrained. The younger lady much fairer than others had a child and she talked with child in Bengali. The other lady not so old missed to bring packet of puri-sabji, then the fair young gave few from her bag which too had a modern version from a modern tiffin box and for that all her clothes and materials were modern while the older women had old patterned plastic jholas of rural area . I thought that the older ones might be her maid and her brother and the young man too from their families.
The fair lady asked young man in a very polite tone to take eggs etc. at next next station. The old ladies and the boy were talking in the dialect I thought Bhojpuri and just to clear my confusion I asked the boy from where he belonged. They were from Hirnpur,Pakur and I recalled one school teacher Jhaji who had met me many years back while I was tarvelling from Jasidih to Bhagalpur probably by a bus and could not make a trip to Pakur for Maithili work however, the Maithili Sandesh was being sent to
Bal Vidyapati Sansthan, C/O Shri Bimalkant Jha,R.K.High School,Hiranpur,
Pakur(Mithila) 816106.
The boy told me that he himself was a teacher there and knows three Jhajis. I could not recall the name of Bimalkant Jha then which I have written above from address list and gave him four pamphlets for Mithila state to give them one each and asked them to call me so that I might knew whom I had met and plan to visit Pakur which we claim as a district under Mithila.
The boy was going to Dhanbad (where his brother was a guard in the railway) for the treatment of the oldest lady, his mother and the other old lady was his sister. What a surprise, the fair lady was the wife of his brother! When I asked about her Bangla speaking he told me that she speaks Bangla also. Still I have a picture of her in my mind that she was a Bengali lady however the fact remains that it is akin to Maihtili spoken till Santhal Pargana and a the difference in the standard was due to her husband’s job in Government sector.
This difference has cropped up in almost all Maithil families due to large scale migration and we are to patch this by economic regeneration of the Mihtila villages which is but a difficult task and for that Makhan Lal Chaturvedi(about whom today’s i.e. 2nd February 2010’s Aaj a brief biography of that great nationalist and journalist is published) famous lines
,”Mujhe tod lena Banmali dena us path par fenk..
Matribhumi par sheesh charhane jis path jaben veer anek,” will have new dimension of development of nation and that too with equitable distribution and for that we all social workers should strive.
I returned Ranchi almost sleeping in the way passing through Dhanbad, Bokaro and Muri with many questions unanswered as to how these goals can be achieved in short life span probably a flower’s life like whatever left is to be utilized and hence, to work and work and work for the goal is only way.
The nationalism has inverse relation with the distance from capitals and likewise the poverty has a direct relationship with the distance from capitals
People of Ang (and also Vajji region are to choose between the tradition of Janki and Jarasandh
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 Dr.Vijay Shankar Singh of Bamangama (Sarath, Deoghar),a co-traveller in the Vananchal Express in 2009 winter while I was returning with my sister from Forbesganj after first Varshi of my father) who turned to a Maithili worker and his 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 the Hindustan that the season was 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 blood pressure with low salt diets and proper medicine which the victim had ignored altogether!).
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 drop 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 requested by Binay of Purnea. I saw the house of Dr. Mahanand 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 Bhagalpur 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 co-traveller 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 Choudahry 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 via Jaigaon where scores of Maithils 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.
Cold Mithila:Cold Maithils(23-26.1.2010)-II; Bhagalpur, Purnea, Araria, Forbesganj
The nationalism has inverse relation with the distance from capitals and likewise the poverty has a direct relationship with the distance from capitals
At Bhagalpur bus stand I entered into nearby Sabji Market where in November also I had purchased some vegetables while going to bachelor and young journalist Binay’s house-I remembered that that day I had taken old and rotten cabbage as I do not do marketing usually and was still happy that it would have been given some money to the village girl who was waiting for the last cabbages to be sold. This time I was cautious and purchased cauliflower, beans and tomatoes instead and before reaching the place while in auto, I ate an orange and 2-3 small apples given by my sister at Ranchi. Whole day I was busy and had not taken food and hence, was apprehensive of vitamin deficiency to which I am susceptible and so at Binay’s room I ate two tomatoes from which I had purchased. He came after sometimes purchasing cabbage again but cooked cauliflowers and rice which we had purchased.
It was a 23rd January night and I was in the memory lane of my marriage way back in 1989 this night which I do not when it was broken after three months like the death day of Netaji Subas Chandra Bose who was born on this very date; from English timings my marriage finally had cropped into 24th .I went to the top of the room and saw in reeling cold amid fog some vehicles still plied on the road below.
On 24th morning I got up around 7 to take bus to reach Araria by 1 PM. It was fog all over the bus stand and though I got a Purnea bus quickly, it could reach there in 3 hours, not bad from the point of foggy road. I could not ascertain when Koshi bridge passed. There was a call from Araria’s Sudhirnath Mishra when I had passed Gedabadi(a junction for Katihar) and expressed hope that I would be in time but I missed the connecting bus and next bus started around 12 noon which had many college students at zero mile to go to Kasba College.
I saw many labourers who climbed to roof top of bus with their cycles to go to Balua bazaar area, must be for some road construction, devastated by Kushha breach in 2008. It will take any decades to mitigate the miseries of Koshi victims and in fact Koshi culture is denude and is facing serious threats of poverty. Many poor might have been collapsed this winter when nobody remembers them- even blankets sent by NGOs from Delhi for them would be distributed to other localities’ poor! After all one needs serious organizational infrastructure to reach the last men of any tragedy and that never happens as per my experience in such calamities since 1977’s Andhra cyclone I worked.
I could work in 1988 Nauhatta breach ( towards Kopariaghat) and again in 1987 in and around Katihar and Manihari in other devastating flood, many areas I crossed again in the foggy winter.
By the time I reached Araria around 130 PM, there was broad sunshine, after many days first time as if for my ensuing meeting for Mithila state. I went to Lalitmohan Thakur’s house and had my daily snan-puja and lunch(though it was arranged at other place, if I would have reached in time and would have introduction/initiation of other worker to movement).
When with Lalitji I reached the Mahila College campus, there were some important personalities of area already present. It was my home subdivision, in the sands of which I had my childhood in Forbesganj, even a bigger town than this present district headquarters. I had my middle and secondary examination centre there at Araria in 1965 and 1970 I recalled.
We discussed many organisationl things apart from benefits of Mithila state. I lambasted Md. Taslimuddin’s hoardings as SEEMANCHAL GANDHI. “We had listened to SEEMANT GANDHI of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan but taking the name of that great person by an ordinary politician is a joke and insult to the great warrior,” I said. I was also critical of birthday and other greetings by hoardings and mentioned January greetings by great Hindu leader Dr.Murli Manohar Joshi at Varansi who even if liked so should have waited till Chaitra shukladi to come. Such ideological compromises mislead the followers.
There was a question by ex-BJP president of the area,” newer states did not give better results,” to which I named all such states(southern, Gujarat, Haryana, etc) and shown them Hindi India Today Dec. 30,2009 issue-“It has been accepted by the National Developmental Council for 11th Plan document that the three newly carved states- Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand had achieved higher growth rate than their parent states.
Jharkhand achieved 6.9 per cent growth rate when target was 11.1 per cent
Chhattisgarh achieved 9.2 per cent growth rate when target was 6.1 per cent
Uttarakhand achieved 8.8 per cent growth rate when target was 6.8 per cent.
There were some youth leaders who promised to work for Mithila movement. After the meeting Sudhirnathji and I took a rickshaw for the Ambedkar Chowk where could get a bus to Forbesganj, my hometown, where I was born and brought up.
It has changed a lot since my childhood days but all changes were not good. I said Shanbhu Mishra whose father was Minister that around Sultani Pond, the ‘jungle’(where even ‘peepul’ I had seen to grow as shrub) with ‘indigo vats’ would have been a tourist attraction with many cemeteries of British, one of them was probably of a dog also. Shambhu Mishra’s father Saryu Mishra was lone opposition for its sell out.
My home has no provisions and I had put my bag to the house of the daughter of my mentor Pt. Ramchandra Jha. I also could meet Teju master, my house care taker and Jamuna Yadavji, bosom friend of my elder brother. I went to Sudhirji’s son house who was residing in my teacher Khagendrababu’s house on rent. I could take my teacher’s blessings too toughing his feet. Once upon a time, my most favourite teacher Agamlal Mandal was also residing in that complex.
Sudhirnathji’s son had talked with me while in December I was at Delhi to come and discuss for an organization for the welfare of Koshi victims. I suggested him to take up those issues under the banner of the Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad(AMP) itself not only because it will be problematic to have one more organization but also being Koshi an international river, AMP workers can mutually cooperate.
Sudhirnathji’s grandson left me on bike to the telecom complex, where I had left my bag. In the way again I saw my school the LEE ACADEMY and the roads of the small but nice town which have still many dogs. It was cold and few movements were around at 930 PM.
I discussed many familial matters with son-in law of my mentor and initial teacher, Pt. Ramchandra Jha (whose son Bibhakar has turned to be an astrologer and surprisingly at Ranchi itself and saw a big photograph with his disciple Dr.C.P. Thakur, an ex- Cabinet Minister..I cannot understand why a man of his caliber is in the realms of astrology and I recall modern Newton, writer of ,’A Brief History of Time,”, Sir Stephen Hawk while he was in India to deliver his talk at the Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi (which was a live telecast and I had gone to my residence to listen to that leaving my chamber in the hospital); his reply to a question on validity of Astrology, ”I cannot say.”
The only two times more I had left my chamber while duty time for listening to TV- once more when Vajapayee was taking oath for the first time as PM and incidentally at Forbesganj itself in 1969 when I was 14 years old I had met him closely while he was on tours and after breakfast denying Chadars as Brahminical bidai, I had quipped,” aapne kal moti dakshina le lee hai,”(I made my fingers as a purse which he had taken previous day in meeting for party fund).” He laughed and took bidai from Rekhchand Samdaria, a close friend of my father and local Jan Sangh worker.
The bath room was very cool and so water was in cold wave but the morning of 25th January was with broad sunshine for the first time in the season. I went to my home in front and did snana-puja there. Though Teju master Sudhirji came, his son and other workers for Koshi did not turn up. I went to meet my friend Saboo’s mother in front- took her blessings and went Sunita’s house to take my bag. I had some feeling of incomplete evacuation of stool and had to go toilet several times. I took some food and came back to my house which has an open field with some school rooms where children had come. In the morning I had listened to Prabhat feri of children for the Republic Day next day. In smaller towns such days have more enthusiasm than of metros. The nationalism has inverse relation with the distance from capitals and likewise the poverty has a direct relationship with the distance from capitals and so I use to say ,”In India, we are capitalistic in one sense surely that here every developmental thing emanate from Capitals.’,” and probably so I want a capital for my Mithila too(Bihar’s capital Patna has higher per capita income than national average though Bihar as a whole is on the near bottom on this scale).
Sudhirnathji and I reached railway station where while enquiring for train to Purnea, one young ASM,Manoj Kr. Jha recognized me. He was from village Jonki Mahinathpur of Madhubani district. I did not recall where I met him and on my query he told me that some times back when I had come to take a train. (but found in my diary on 1st February 2010 night that I had met him on 11.4. 2005 when I had gone to search one Manikant Jha, Sr. Sectional Engineer hailing from Ujiarpur, Samastipur and had asked Manoj to arrange next day a meeting of Maithils he knew there but Manoj was discouraged by Manikant that it was not possible. I had some confusion as the number I saved with name was again MK and clarified on phone on 2.2.2010 that this time I could met MK was Manoj Kumar and I asked him that now he had experience in the my hometown and should work for Mother Maithili’s advancement like Ranchi’s station manager late Chadrakant Jha was doing; wearing a dhoti-kurta he was a symbol of Maithil culture himself!I had also enquired for one other young ASM whose quarters I had gone there but he was transferred probably near to Katihar somewhere.
From Forbesganj station, I had asked Lalit Rang of Sukhsena to arrange a small gathering but he was busy in the Republic day preparations. I had stayed in his village many years back during a Maithili Workers’ Training Camp and in November 2009, I could get his number incidentally and was a guest for night after my meeting in the Law College. I wanted this time meeting at a newer place .
Since the Essay contest on Mithila state’s need in the Purnea College could not be arranged on 25th for the concerned teacher was busy with college audit, I had requested him to call some persons for an informal meeting there but I could not get him on mobile and was thinking my one day CL was wasted. I told this to Binay and he suggested me to contact his father. His father was happy that I was coming to his house again. I requested him to assemble some persons.
In the train to Purnea(Katihar) there was rush but since the introduction of broad gauge rush is accommodated. I recalled the horrific travel in meter gauge some years back. The passenger train is cheap and takes less time.
Seeing the ways, familiar to me, Dholbazza of Yogendra Jha, my other mentor in the matter of discipline, Araria RS(Railway Station), and Araria Court etc. intermingled with many new halts in between(which has a large Bangladeshi population settled as well), Kushiargaon(where hardly any sugarcane is now),Garhbaniali(of hisatorical Maithil rulers)’ Jalalgarh(on the name of Jalaluddin-whether Akbar ,I do not know but want to call it as Jai Lal Garh), Kasba(meaning a small township) where was a crossing and then Purnea-our old district headquarters, named on Purain(lotus) or Purandevi temple(where Pandavads during Ajnyatvas had prayed) or Purna Aranya(full of forest), I do not know but was mesmerized by the fast talk of two ladies-of short height and was eager to know which languages they were talking. Both had equally fast speed. I thought initially they were talking in Assemese or Boro or CoochBehari dialect but when I asked them, one of them replied,” Bengali.”I said ,” Bengali aami jani kintu..eto fast..”
I feel that is the case Maithili also with many dialects. Angika or Vajjika some claim as languages are faster versions of Maithili with lesser grammatical bindings.
She replied that everybody had different speed of talks. When I asked where they lived, one of them named some mohalla of Purnea. She said that where ever is a Bihari there is a Bengali.
When I came out to take a seat in auto, all were set to go to some Satsang(maybe of Mehibaba or so). After some time, I could get one to go to bus stand who left me at Line Bazar, no wonder the same days newspaper had a news that for three wheelers, Purnea was second in selling only to Gaya and Patna was poor fourth after Muzaffarpur.
There are no comparative data available to me but surely Patna will rank one in for wheelers. Poor need shared commutation and so Mithila’s Purnea and Muzaffarpur lag behind even in the matters of three wheelers from Magadh’s Gaya!
Line Bazar had many medical clinics where many of my friends do practice and get good number of patients but I chose another way despite a medical consultant where I do serve. I took a rickshaw to go ill-known Teachers’ Colony near Chhathi Pokhari. Many English schools are opening in every corner of Mithila and Purnea is no exception. There were many Muslim mohallas in between which too probably signify the amount of infiltration from Bangladesh.
After some time on bad road, I reached Teachers’ colony where some retired persons assembled quickly. I addressed them about Mithila’s culture and demand for statehood. Though number was small they represented interior villages (Amaur, Vishnupur,etc.) and I entrusted them task of awareness there. With one of them I could make contact with Shri Dhirendra Mishra, ex-IAS and vice-president of the AMP, Jharkhand. It was enchanting to see the faces of his classmate and other an uncle who was presiding my meeting.
Initially two youth were there and I was happy to see them but soon they left. One was apprehensive of money collection as was done by some persons sometimes back in the name of Maithil Brahmin Sammelan. I told them that to me every person of Mithila was a Maihtil not merely this or that caste and I do not preach or practice casteism. Yet they left and there was none even to send release to press-all were old and retired persons there. It give me an opportunity to visit press bureau to of Hindustan, Aaj and Dainik Jagarn while in way to bus stand.
It was difficult to get a Xerox shop and when I could get one the quality was poor. Though everywhere release was received by correspondents themselves none interrogated me much and were under pressure for 26th January advertisements that release of Araria and Purnea could not get space despite might have been their willingness as I could ascertain from body language. Whether newspapers are for news or otherwise are a matter of concern.
Despite some food at Forbesganj had no desire for not full utilization of the day but when Binay’s sister told me that she had cooked for me which will be wasted, I ate that food and then went out hurriedly moving to Purmea press beaureaus could get last seat in a Bhagalpur bound state Govt. semi-Deluxe but preferred a Cabin seat where too soon overcrowding was because of many persons taken without tickets and most of them were to be dropped where bus had no scheduled stoppage. That is the cause of Bihar’s backwardness- corruption at every level. When I reached Bhagaplur Tilaka Manjhi Chowk, I preferred to take note of the first martyr who lead a struggle against British in 1785 when Baba Tilka was a mere 35 year youngman; I had confusion from a mazar near a banyan tree where he was hanged that was it his but Binay clarified in the night that Santhals’ dead bodies were buried not burnt. However, I was happy to note that some floral garlands were decorated on the Republic Day eve.
Cold Mithila:Cold Maithils(23-26.1.2010)-III; Bhagalpur- People of Ang (and also Vajji region are to choose between the tradition of Janki and Jarasandh
When I reached Binay’s place opening his gate was a difficult task for three workers of ‘Binay Mess’ and they initially failed despite asking Binay on mobile who opened and closed that lock many times(more in night being an editorial staff of a daily newspaper, Hindustan). ’Jiski bandariya vahi nachaye,’ said the youngest amongst them, the waiter-cum-cook who ultimately could open the lock).
Every time I go there I am amused with the writing of its signboard Binay -it is ‘B,’ in Hindi and no ‘V,’ which in fact should have been(and also a ‘Murdhanya Sh’ rather than a ‘dantya S’ for Mess in Hindi).
It may seem a ‘mesh,’ of wordings as Binay is not coming under Mesh Zodiac sign but Vrish as per Hindu astrological divisions but here lies the proof that whatever claims residents of Bhagalpur area may do on the name of ‘Ang,’ it is linguistically and culturally part of Mithila. I had seen some banners in the Bhagalpur town, ’Ang Deshki Rasham Nagari me ,’ in the same visit; of course Bhagalpur’s silk was world famous once upon a time and so might have been ‘Ang’ in the days of Mahabharata but it was more so Munger which was awarded by Suyodhan (or Duryodhan as popularly he is called) to Karna for making him fit as a king but nowadays Mungeris are not so vocal for their Angship than Bhagalpuris are for some reasons not so well understood.
In fact, for long the area was ruled by Bengali dynasties and no proper historical records are available as to show a continued tradition of Ang rulers, if any, which I had said in my previous visit to the youth of Nathnagar without any disrespect to Ang area and have suggested them to have movement for joining Mithila as any Govt. of Mithila will pay more attention to develop the dialect of that region than Govt. of Bihar could do in almost one complete century.
The people of Ang (and also Vajji region are to choose between the traditions of Janki and Jarasandh- again I am not saying it with disrespect to Magadh but after all Magadh is known for its empires not for wisdom and sacrifice though Chanykaya was there, he probably was a Maithil and so Nalanda was there but again Buddhists made big universities but Buddhistic teachings could not be continued while Santan Hindus had ‘Guru-Shishya parampara’ and still that is continued in some form or other and so much so that probably not a single Buddhist family of Buddha days are in present Bihar due to bloodless logical war by Maithil scholars like Mandana and later Udayanacharya; had they sent their pupil to offshore like Buddhist Ashoka sent his son and daughter –Mahendra and Sanghmitra to Sri Lanka and many monks to China, Korea, Japan, etc. probably all would have returned to the shadow Santan Banyan and might be as a consequence the word would have been in a more peaceful state with least conversion to Islam due to weakening of security which could be and recent problems in China’s Han province and others would not have taken as more Islamic conversions were in the land where Buddhists had more propagation).
When I say thus I do not undermine the importance of Bishnupad of Gaya, the most important seat of Lord Vishnu or Patndevi of Patna, one of the 52 Shaktipeetha where right thigh of Mata Sati was fallen but Mithila is Mithila where it is impossible to say where left arm of Mother was fallen and at Baidyanath Deoghar the heart after that Yajna Dhwans of Daksha Parajapati (on which I had written a small play in Maithili,”Vambhru,” seeing dearth of such plays based on epical stories)and so they are culturally same, Dakshinmargis unlike of Magadh.
Any place where fell the body part of Mother Sati is a Holy Shakti peeth but where fell parts below naval is worshiped by Vammargis and no wonder area of Magadh is under the arm influence of leftist Maoist and has been an area of caste inferno to which Mithila is so far immune and any example of recent happenings at Khagaria was in fact result of the company of Bihari rage (Sangat Sanjayte Kamah; Kamat Krodhobhi jayte,Gita 2:62).
Probably segregation of Mithila from Bihar will add to the pristine glory of our Holy Motherland.
The people of south of Ganga(east of Magadh) till Deoghar are speaking Dakshini Maithili which some persons in retaliation (of their insult by early Maithil Brahmin Maithili scholars)have named ‘Angika,’ though the correct word as per linguist Dr. Subhadra Jha would have been, ‘Aangkiya,’ (and likewise ‘Vajjkiya’ for Western Maithili) which George Grierson did term,’ Chhika-Chhiki,’ from the verb form though ‘Dakshini Maithili’ would have been appropriate as to my wisdom and I love to use it with respect to the dialect and I wish many more literary work and theses in it which should be recognized as the standard form of Maithili. In any case the state language of Mithila will recognize all such dialects to be used for official work whatever literary form may be for scholastic work; Sanskrit has 10 verb form, including one ‘let lakar,’ only used for Vedas.
Coming to ‘Binay Mesh,” in Maithili ‘B,’ is usually used not ‘V,’ and that is why on the railway station of Ang’s most famous historical site, I had read some times back as ‘Bikramshila,’ not ‘Vikramshila’.
On that token even ‘Bihar’ is either wrong (for ‘Vihar’ would have been right) or Maithilized (and so ‘Jharkhand’ is misspell which should have been ‘Jhadkhand’- nor ‘R’ of Ram but ‘D’ of ‘Ladka’(for a boy) as Jhad is for forest not for jharna (water fall) which too are abundant in Jhadkhad full of forest and greenery.
Maithili’s ‘B,’ for ‘V, is more pronounced in Bangla, eg. Rabindra is name of famous ‘Gurudev,’ not ‘Ravindra’ and so is ‘Basu,’ instead of ‘Vasu’ and it is so much more in Oriya that there is no alphabet as ‘V,’ as once Swatika, an Oriya hardware engineer of MECON, Bangalore had told me and hence, I corrected a name as ‘Binita Panigrahi,’ while editing Souvenir for All India Steel Medical Conference while someone in the programme sheet had entered her as ‘Vinita.’
If this ‘B’ for ‘V’ is to be taken in the account, I should have been surprised long before that ‘Binay’ Tarun was my host (and his certificate name ‘Binay,’ was rather correct from Maithili standpoint though he had taken a confusing email id from Vinay and again incidentally he became a tenant where on his name ‘Binay Mess’ was already running on the ground floor and no wonder, the mess workers were very obedient to him.
Further ‘Murdhanya Sha’ is pronounced in Maithili as ‘Kha’ which is as per Panini’s rule( SSHRhr pareshu Sha khakarah) that when ‘Murdhanya Sha’ is followed by,’‘Talavya Sha,’ ‘Murdhanya Sha’‘Dantya S ‘ ref’ and ‘H’ it should be pronounced as ‘Kha’, hence, ‘Varsh,’ is ‘Barkh,’ in Maithili but ‘Manisha’ is not ‘Manikha.’ Proximity to such difficult rules of Sanskrit adapted so easily in colloquial Maithili is a matter of pride for us and Maithili thus is the closest to Sanskrit and in fact traditions and culture of Mithila are one on which every Indian should be proud of not merely Maithils.
Binay returned late in night and again cooked rice and vegetable cursing his sister as to why she did not send some ‘khir-paratha,’ with me though his father had given me an electrical coil for repairing eclectic short circuit.
Once I went to roof again and saw to some vehicles plying in cold but could not find any rickshaw, seeing one of them from the same place, I had SMSed a poem to an AIR announcer girl of the town on 4.12.2009 at 1.05:39
A Foggy Midnight at Bhagalpur
“This chilly midnight
In your city
From the roof top
Of 4th floor
I saw on the road
A rickshaw puller
Happy he might be
On a lonely road
Like I am
In a bachelor’s house.”
Foggy weather like
Mystic world
People work
For their hunger
Those who have
Sleep under warm
Blankets of sheep wool
Who had it to protect
Them from the cold
Despite street light
Nothing was seen
The rickshaw was
Advancing
On assumed
Road to station
As we all are
Advancing to
The road of
Dead end
Or station of
This universe.”
-(4.12.2009 at 1.05:39,
Completed on 2.2.2010 noon 130)
Well, cold was there though reducing day by day but in the morning when I woke up late so that water was supplied after repairing electric line but it was not done by that time but from the roof top I saw again National Tricolour unfurling in the opposite Muslim High School and remained in attention till National Anthem was over.
It was the same place where last year(2009) to I had viewed Republic Day. I could find a difference rather addition to the past year’s parade- the NCC cadets had one batch with different dress like that of ‘jungle,’- whether they were of any Commando training group under the changing atmosphere of militancy?
I was happy more so that it was in a minority institution though many believe that many of them are called fundamentalists. The other face of coin also flashed in my mind that surely Republic Day was of greater moment of joy for them because it was the Constitution of India which had given them more rights as minorities while non-Muslims have been denied so in Islamic countries not only in India’s shelved parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh but also in the Middle East countries; may be some Far East countries are better in this regards.
Maybe for them this reason the day might have been more joyful than Independence Day though 26th January was in fact celebrated as the Independence day from 1929 to 1947. It was on 26.1.1929 that Jawaharlal Nehru (then called as ‘President’ ) had declared on the bank of Ravi river at Lahore ,’Purn Swarjya(Full Independence though only for fools Independence may not be full) as goal but even that Lahore could not remain in India when She got Independence.
I remembered in NMO’s XXX Natioanl Conference at Katihar on 28.1. 2007, even Muslim medicos recited Bande Matarm voluntarily(again ‘Vande Mataram’ though seems correct, it is a Bangla song transposed in a Bangla novel, ’Anandmath,’ and hence, my logic to write it as Bande Matarm was though not accepted by the editor of The Hindu, he published my letter after many e-mail transactions on the philology and linguistics of eastern Indian languages. ‘No body will like to misspell proper noun of its writer Bankim as Vamkim,’ like ‘Ravindra,’ for Rabindranath Thakur(again Tagore is a misspell nobody calls his father Maharshi Devendranath Thakur as Tagore).
Our country has progressed a lot in 60 years of Republic. I had read a lot of data in the Dainik Jagaran, 25th Januray issue some are here:
1950 2010
Population
36 cr. 166 cr.
Per capita income
255 Rs. 37490 Rs.
Life expectancy
32 years 68 years
Infant Mortality Rate/1000 134 53
Doctor/lakh 16 60
Salary of administrative officers on joining 350 Rs. 26000 Rs.
Gold value 10 gram 98 Rs. 16645 Rs.
The data I was reading in the India’s poorest zone(a vast zone of Mithila around 60 million population) to which I belonged and hence, for its economic emancipation I wanted to work and being doctor my priority was health sector to which my suggested model has been accepted by GOI (not exactly as Diploma in Medicine or lMP but as MBBS –Rural though by 205 half of Indian will be urbanized and MBBS(Slum) may be required by then? I am of the opinion of one system only in hospitals and or education.
I asked Binay to accompany me to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College to meet some young medicos for the National medicos Organisation (NMO) work.Without taking bath or puja we went out to take his bike from the press premises where editor Nagendra Pratapap was waiting for other 36 editorial staff and their family members for a picnic to Sabour Agriculture College Guest House.
The media persons have few holidays and thus they wanted to enjoy that. They also in competition probably want so many editions and latest news input that they have become nocturnal species(like bats or owls) which is effecting there health. A good research paper can be made if a survey is done and probably will establish my postulates on ‘shift neurosis,’ in swift shift change workers.
I could get a casual patient in an underweight friend of Binay and suggested some drugs for his hyperacidity syndrome though he needed some investigations like endoscopy and stool examination as well as some blood examinations.
The editor was surprised on Binay’s punctuality- many others were late but Binay quipped that he was also late as Tricolour was already unfurled. The editor asked for snacks to us but I did not because I had no bath till then but it saved me from those fast food and sweets. ‘Fast food kills fast, ’will take time to be understood and priority of fruits over sweets need health education.
I gave a copy of “Aayurvigyan Pragati( a quarterly medical journal of the NMO and the Maithili Sandesh “( a quarterly bulletin of the Aatarrashtriya Maithili Parishad(AMP) and pages from my, unpublished, ”The Autobiography of an Unknown Medico.” regarding reorganization of Indian states based on 2.5 to 5 per cent of Indian population and or area . I said him about Mithila movement in Nepal and in India, He was aware of as he had worked at Patna for long though he belonged to Lucknow. He pointed on one scan of the Hindustan’s report in the Maithili Sandesh.
I told him that one stinger/reporter of the Hindustan, some Singh of Madhubani (who had listened to me at Bhaura Chowk in 1994)had made me a leader of Mithila state movement from an unknown pedestrian. (His 4- column news when there was only one edition of the paper created awareness all over Bihar,including Jharkhand of modern time.
The Hindustan’s editorial team had picnic in 2009 also on the Republic Day at Bikramshila but that day too I had to catch Vananchal Express at 1530 and it had no stoppage at Bikramshila, still seems a deserted place in between Kahalgaon and Pirpainti.
In year 2010 they had already voted for ‘the best ideaba’j(might be Binay whom editor might have a perception of Samajvadi because I perceived editor as a Samajvadi seeing his kurta-pyjama in that way); ‘best jhuthbaj,’ was probably for some Mishra as Binay guessed but I saw a young person asking editor that he would have to play in fancy football or cricket I could not discern but editor had an excuse that he was without a boot despite which young man was adamant that he would have to play(or a referee he might have been!). A small unit should behave like a close-knit family and it was an example to that.
With Binay I went to the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College where I could meet some boys and talked about the NMO. I went there after a lapse of many years. I had probably first organizational tour to that medical college in 1980 which I still remember that I had slept in an electric shop of a market near Ajanta Talkies, of a co traveler due to engine failure of that passenger train from Patna. I had been going there since then when it was merely ,”Bhagalpur Medical College,” housed in ‘Naulakha building,’; there are many new buildings but that was still unique. I remembered Mandalkothi Hostel and others;I recall NMO’s IV National Conference there in 1988.
I talked medicos to work who were apprehensive that social work might hamper their studies to which I opposed giving my own example of competing post graduation in most difficult subjects of medicine and paediatrics despite remaining busy in the NMO work all through.
I suggested them to have some tree-plantation in the hostel premises and to conduct some medical symposia by medical students. I gave them my own example of my Darbahanga Medical college days when I conducted 13 consecutives symposia ,e.g. on congenital hear disease students can speak on the embryology of heart, physiological changes at birth, anatomy of heart chambers, signs and symptoms of cyanotic and acynotic congenital heart diseases, management of congenital heart diseases,etc. I told them that in one of such seminar on carcinoma breast former principal and renowned surgeon Dr.S.M.Nawab became so happy that he gave Rs. 300 to give boys as prize which I gradually disbursed them purchasing books of ELBS seires like Julian’s Cardiology.
Binay said that had some medicos with his group during Koshi flood of 2008, medicines would have been better utilized. He also asked me as to how malnutrition can be screened in a community which I replied.
The medicos had some reservation on a recent happening with a Hindustan employees’ relative about which Binay told me while we were returning. As medicos said doctors’ number is always less than required for proper duties ,I feel empathy should be for a dying patient and also should know that medicine is more an art than science and more so at critical times and at that time art of communication must be learnt by seeing how seniors deal such events; more so in the setup of public undertaking where few doctors like me are serving a closed community and also I feel media should have restraint and pacifying role if such an ugly event take place and the matter should not be personalized but taken as a social disease needing rectification from many angles, law utmost can be a small player in that whatsoever its dimension may be; willful negligence cannot be excused but it cannot also be treated like a motivated crime.
There was as usual many jams on the road as our cities are becoming destinations for poors due to uneven growth of villages and centralized system of governance. After some time, Binay while Binay was returning back to same road,I guessed he had forgotten to purchase curd for my ekadashi at Kalifabagh. And so it was, infrint of Devendra Jalpan Grih from the shape of the shop I guessed that must be a meeting and gossiping place of Bhagalpur where an advertisement on railway stations of Mysore etc. I had seen,’A lot more can happen over a cup of Coffee..” and so it may be like famous Coffee House..Anyway I do not take tea or coffee and so have not been a part of such evolutions.
But Binay said that the curd centre was the best of the town and one can get even quintal of curd on just order and I got the answer as to what will happen to Mithila’s economy which people say will remain in red as it has only water(and floods) and sands! I use to say that despite’Lauraj’ making Bihar bankrupt Sudha had been in benefit. So, I feel Mithila can replicate many’white revolutions,’even Kurien would not have contemplated and so ‘Green revolutions,’ better than Norman Boroloaugh’s imagination,after all green revolution of Punjab and Haryana was due to the sweats of Maithil labourers who had migrated there for menial work being devasted by ill-conceived flood-making bandhs on Koshi and Kamla and Baghmati and Adhwara..
Kushha flood was due to lack of 10 liters of diesel there at that black night but surely it was the cause that generated emotions in many Binays heart to work for them whom till then they had not felt that those were the part and parcel of their social fabric. I recall many stories Binay told me while in way to Sultanganj in my previous visit where we saw people fighting for water..
“Water water everywhere not a drop to drink..’ could be written by S.T. Coleridge for ,”The Ancient Mariner,’ while in the salty sea but Mithila has an abundance of potable water,even bottling of which can make any millionaire if not fish production which can remove the malnutrition among poor, Binay was asking and some years back Sahniji had said in theMadhubani conclave for Mithila that he would make Mithila self-relieant only by selling fishes! I am an exceptional Maithil being a vegetarian but peole say Mithila’s fishes are tasty.
As a doctor my duty is to remove diseases like diabetes where like “Water water everywhere not a drop to drink,” glucose is present in every body tissue but body is unable to utilize that. Maybe Mithila’s water problem is like that. And if Ang and santhal remains with Mithila they will get it abundantly if some Bhagirath is there, Gangajal will be on the banks of Babadham’s Shivalaya, making fertile the hilly soils in between which will work like de-silting agents for purifying water and so I call them to join Mithila;at least the posterity should not blame me that they were not asked/given opportunity to join Mithila and hence, I go to Bhaglapur as many times possible not merely that it is a portal to my entry to Mithila.
Binay went to his group picnic and I spent some time in Binay’s room waiting for a call from the young boys of Nathnagar but it did not come. After my bath and worship, I ate delicious curd(full of fat otherwise harmful for coronaries) with new chura he had purchased in the way for my ekadashi day.
The Vanachal(again it should have been ‘Bananchal,’) Express was in time and was returning with one more memory. When the train started I saw Sabour passing must be Binay there receiving his award of ‘best ideabaj,’
After some time, I saw Mother Ganaga near Kahalgaon and bowed my head in reverence. Seeing which an RPF constable asked me whether I am reverent to Ganga to which I replied in affirmative that She was the mother of all of us.
He said me in very poor and broken English that he repented that he could not enter to a college after his matriculation but he could recall few strings of a very famous poem…” Some flowers are on the street but some are fortunate to get place on God”’ I completed that with my memory from the same Hindi Textbook I read some 10 years before him in 1969-70.
” Chah nahee hai surbala ke gahnome guntha jaun..
Chah nahe Main Premimalame bindh pyari ko lalchaun
… Mujhe tod lena Banmali dena us path par fenk..
Matribhumi par sheesh charhane jis path jaben veer anek..”
He said that his father had not given him any day money in his pocket (Mujhe shauk laga rah gaya ki pitji kabhi mere pocketme paisa dete) and had given property to other brothers but mother before her death had blessed me (tum hamesha khush rahoge)..and he was happy growing his children, educating them well.
I said my grandfather had also said thus to my father. I said that everybody does not get everything in his/her life. (I too did not ever remember but I do not curse God for that).
When Bikramshila passed, I did not notice but I noticed Pirpainti and I recalled Dr.Vijay Shankar Singh of Bamangama (Sarath, Deoghar) again who had entrained there in 2009 exactly on 26th January in the same train and that RPF constable was there was remarkably helpful to a rural woman at a station that Mirja chauki had a scheduled stoppage of that train.
At Pakur three ladies and a young man entrained. The younger lady much fairer than others had a child and she talked with child in Bengali. The other lady not so old missed to bring packet of puri-sabji, then the fair young gave few from her bag which too had a modern version from a modern tiffin box and for that all her clothes and materials were modern while the older women had old patterned plastic jholas of rural area . I thought that the older ones might be her maid and her brother and the young man too from their families.
The fair lady asked young man in a very polite tone to take eggs etc. at next next station. The old ladies and the boy were talking in the dialect I thought Bhojpuri and just to clear my confusion I asked the boy from where he belonged. They were from Hirnpur,Pakur and I recalled one school teacher Jhaji who had met me many years back while I was tarvelling from Jasidih to Bhagalpur probably by a bus and could not make a trip to Pakur for Maithili work however, the Maithili Sandesh was being sent to
Bal Vidyapati Sansthan, C/O Shri Bimalkant Jha,R.K.High School,Hiranpur,
Pakur(Mithila) 816106.
The boy told me that he himself was a teacher there and knows three Jhajis. I could not recall the name of Bimalkant Jha then which I have written above from address list and gave him four pamphlets for Mithila state to give them one each and asked them to call me so that I might knew whom I had met and plan to visit Pakur which we claim as a district under Mithila.
The boy was going to Dhanbad (where his brother was a guard in the railway) for the treatment of the oldest lady, his mother and the other old lady was his sister. What a surprise, the fair lady was the wife of his brother! When I asked about her Bangla speaking he told me that she speaks Bangla also. Still I have a picture of her in my mind that she was a Bengali lady however the fact remains that it is akin to Maihtili spoken till Santhal Pargana and a the difference in the standard was due to her husband’s job in Government sector.
This difference has cropped up in almost all Maithil families due to large scale migration and we are to patch this by economic regeneration of the Mihtila villages which is but a difficult task and for that Makhan Lal Chaturvedi(about whom today’s i.e. 2nd February 2010’s Aaj a brief biography of that great nationalist and journalist is published) famous lines
,”Mujhe tod lena Banmali dena us path par fenk..
Matribhumi par sheesh charhane jis path jaben veer anek,” will have new dimension of development of nation and that too with equitable distribution and for that we all social workers should strive.
I returned Ranchi almost sleeping in the way passing through Dhanbad, Bokaro and Muri with many questions unanswered as to how these goals can be achieved in short life span probably a flower’s life like whatever left is to be utilized and hence, to work and work and work for the goal is only way.
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