PATNA BOOK FAIR

Meeting with CM

Program of Dr. Thakur on December 18-26 2004

Mithila State in Patna Book Fair

Discusion with Dayanand Jha

Next Incoming Meeting or conference

A voice of Mithila State

Patna Dec 12 2004

On the occasion of Patna Pustak Mela-cum- Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahotsava, a seminar on Need of Mithila State for the educational Development of Mithila was held on Dec.12 in Gandhi Maidan under the presidentship of Shri Abhimanyu Khan, ex-teacher Ranchi University and Netarhat School.

The seminar was started by the Bhagawati Vandana. Initiating the topic Shri Premkant Chaudhary, Jt.Secy. IMC & President,Mithila Samnvaya Samiti, Guwahati , said that  now in the era of smaller blocks and districts smaller states are quite logical. The plight of the flood-ravaged people of Mithila cannot be understood by others and hence, Mithila State is a must. Shri Narendra Jha,Gen.Secy., Patna Pustak Mela  said that though people of Mithila are on high profile everywhere Maithis are not given due respect and are, mixed with Biharis. He said that Maithils never indulged in castiesm but now they are made to suffer.  Young turk leader Adbhutanand was critical of the present scenario and asked for organising the units of the IMC in every town, district and university of Mithila, which was appreciated by all.  A portrait of Vidyapati made by Shri  Pramod Kr. Sinh was released by the president Abhimanyu Khan. Shri Shashidhar Thakur asked the IMC to start its agitation from village level instead of the Capital. Replying to it the chief speaker Dr. Dhanakar Thakur, Founder President, International Maithili Council said that the IMC is the village based organisation and he had visited his village Bangaon (Saharsa) way back in 1996 and the meeting was pesided by Shri Abhimanyu Khan himself and again he has come there to preside over. IMC had already its village –level 72 hours camps in Jainagar, Narayanpatti,Ugna(Madhubani),Ajnaul(Samastipur),Sukhsena(Purnea), Manechowk(Sitamarhi), Kuangarhi(Munger), Motia-Dumaria(Godda) apart from smller camps in Hulas(Supaul),Bhramarpur(Bhagalpur) like place. Though IMC was founded at Ranchi in 1993,he took up extensive padyatra’s in the interiors of Mithila and not only IMC had shifted its headquarters to Jainagar like rural place for better international coordination with Nepal’s Maithils. He also said that he wanted to die in a Mithla's village. Speaking on the topic he said that Mithila, the mythological and historical kingdom had been synonymous with the scholarly traditions. Pairs of Janaks and Yajnavalkyas, the philosophical traditions of Kapil (Sankhya), Jaimini (Vaisheshik), Gautam (Nyay) are prominent. Among females the tradition of Garagi and Maitreyee was continued till the period of Bharati (7^th century). Vachaspati (9th century) is still remembered for Bhamati tika on Shankarbhshya. But the Sanskritised scholarship took a turn when in 14^th century Jyotirishwar Thakur wrote an encyclopedic Varnratnakar, the first prose writing available in any north Indian language. It was followed by Vidyapati’s eternal Padavali. With the advent of Turk and Moghuls the continuity was broken though Mithila maintained its schools of Nyay, etc. in which students from Bengal also  came to learn. Vachaspati (II) in 15^th century wrote volumes on the different Karmkands of Hindus. Politically, the Kingdom of Mithila was maintained till late under different kings till British annexed it.  Sugauli treaty of 1816 divided Mithila in Nepal and India. In British India, Mithila was made a part of Bengal and gradually the ancient educational system of Mithila was changed and was put under Calcutta and then Patna University. Scholastically hitherto unknown Bengal and Bihar (except the Buddhist teaching centre at Nalanda) were made fountain-head of education in Mithila. Maithils on their merit starved hard and soon some of them were on top in new education through English. But the net result after 150 years of it, is a paradox for the Mithila. While Mithila produces highest number of IAS/IPS, the literacy rate is one of the lowest in India (here too, Sheohar and Kishanganj are notable to be on bottom ranks). World over the educationist say the child should be taught in mother tongue for his/her proper development. The proposal of instruction through Maithili was rejected by anti-Maithili Bihari lobby.Logically, Mithila’s population is more than any other linguistic group but Maithili’s rights were always maliciously ignored by non-Maithili Biharis- from BPSC to schools and colleges. These have not been restored despite Patna High Court’s Judgements in Maithili’s favour and recently its inclusion in the VIII Schedule of the Indian Constitution. As a result of it the literacy rate is low in Mithila and huge migration –both internal and external is going on. Though there are 8 Universities in Mihila region (Bihar’s BR Ambedkar Bihar University, B. N.  Mandal University, Madhepura, L.  N. Mithila University, Darbhanga, Tilka Manjhi University, Bhagalpur and also KSDSU, Darbhanga for Sanskrit teaching, Pusa and Sabour’s Agriculture Univiersities and in Jharkhand Siddhu-Kanho University at Dumka the education is for namesake only qualitatively taking to the consideration of the existing potentialities of the Mithila region which can compete globally.

Bihar with a population of over 80 millions is having more persons than most of the countries of the World and hence, for the administrative reasons its further division in Mithila and Bihar is needed for proper planing and implementation of any project be Sarv Shikha Abhiyan or anything else. Unless it is done complete literacy will remain a nightmare.  Education is the best infrastructure for any development and unless it is in Maithili medium, poor may not read properly. And hence, Mithila State is a must for the educational development of Mithila. Shri Abhimanyu Khan in his presidential speech advocated for the expression of freedom of thought and devolution of power to Panchayati level. He was critical of the criminilisation of politics . He also  asked for All India Judicial Services for the transparency in the system. Eminent  authors Mrs. Usha Kiran Khan, Dr. Panna Jha, Prof. Veena Karn, Shri Manjar Suleman, Prof. Wali Khan also attended.

--Dr. Dhanakar Thakur

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