‘PLUCK ME, O GARDENER; CASTE ME UPON THE PATH…….

‘PLUCK ME, O GARDENER; CASTE ME UPON THE PATH…….

5-APRIL-ENG 10

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-----------------------Great literary figures—such as Pt. Makhanlal Chaturvedi, the poet behind *Pushp Ki Abhilasha* (The Flower's Desire)—a poem steeped in the spirit of sacrifice and composed of lines like, "Pluck me, O Gardener; cast me upon that path—the very path trodden by countless brave warriors marching to offer their heads for the Motherland"—and Pt. Vilas Bihari Jha, the poet of humanity, serve to awaken those who have fallen into the slumber of lethargy. It is through such literature that humanity is forged and society receives its moral compass. Pt. Chaturvedi was not merely a great freedom fighter, poet, and journalist; in the truest sense, he was the "Indian Soul" (*Bhartiya Atma*). This exalted title was bestowed upon him by the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

These observations were made by Dr. Anil Sulabh, President of the Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan (Bihar Hindi Literary Conference), while presiding over a birth anniversary celebration and poets' gathering held on Saturday evening at the conference venue in Patna. He noted that throughout his life, Pt. Chaturvedi remained engaged in a ceaseless struggle for the sake of the nation and the national language. During the freedom struggle, he endured the tribulations of imprisonment, and later—on the issue of Hindi—he even returned his 'Padma Bhushan' honor to the Government of India. *Pushp Ki Abhilasha* remains an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the millions of brave sons of the soil who have laid down their lives for the country.

Remembering Pt. Vilas Bihari Jha, Dr. Sulabh described him as a profound scholar and litterateur who possessed equal mastery over both prose and poetry; he was a deeply moving lyricist and a revered figure in the realm of children's literature. Remaining aloof from the craving for fame, he did not receive the recognition he truly deserved. He made a profoundly significant contribution to the propagation and development of Hindi in South India. While still a student, he fell in love with "Poetry"—his *Kavita-Sundari* (Beautiful Muse). Throughout his life, he pursued the solitary, ascetic devotion to literature, remaining completely immersed in it. His stories for children attained immense popularity.

The Chief Guest at the ceremony—Justice Sanjay Kumar, Chairman of the State Consumer Protection Commission, Bihar—remarked that Pt. Chaturvedi was not only a towering literary figure but also a distinguished freedom fighter. Adhering to Mahatma Gandhi's path of non-violence, he actively participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Steeped in a spirit of nationalism, his literary works are profoundly inspiring.

On this occasion, Justice Shri Kumar conferred the 'Pt. Vilas Bihari Jha Children's Literature Achievement Award' upon the veteran writer Dr. Geeta Pushp Shaw. As part of the honor, Dr. Pushp was presented with a cash prize of five thousand rupees, a ceremonial shawl, and a citation.

Pt. Jha's daughter, Nibha Chaudhary, noted that his novels—*Akal Purush*, *Naye Dhan Ki Gandh*, and *Langotiya*—garnered widespread discussion within the literary community. His autobiography, *Suno Manoram*—written in the narrative style of a novel—holds a distinct and special place in literature. For his children's novel, *Aath Hazar Varsh Ka Balak* (The Boy of Eight Thousand Years), he was honored as India's finest children's writer in 2006. Renowned poet Kumar Jagdali, the conference's Vice-President Dr. Madhu Verma, former Doordarshan Program Head Dr. Om Prakash Jamuar, and Vibha Rani Srivastava also shared their thoughts on the occasion.

The *Kavi Sammelan* (poets' gathering) organized as part of the event commenced with a devotional invocation (*Vani-Vandana*) by poet Jai Prakash Pujari. Veteran poet Bachcha Thakur, *Shayar* (Urdu poet) Ramesh Kanwal, Dr. Ratneshwar Singh, *Shayara* Shama Kausar 'Shama', Kumar Anupam, Om Prakash Pandey 'Badnaam', Prof. Sunil Kumar Upadhyay, Dr. Meena Kumari Parihar 'Manya', Dr. Richa Verma, Dr. Asha Raghudev, Arjun Prasad Singh, Surya Prakash Upadhyay, Indu Bhushan Sahay, Sanjay Lal Chaudhary, Dr. Amarendra Mishra, Arun Kumar Srivastava, and other poets—both male and female—recited their compositions. The proceedings were anchored by Brahmanand Pandey, while the vote of thanks was delivered by the conference's Building Custodian, Pravir Kumar Pankaj.

Distinguished personalities—including renowned satirist Banke Bihari Saw, *Ilmi Majlis* Secretary Parvez Alam, Sachchidanand Sharma, Dr. Chandra Shekhar Azad, Umakant Ojha, and Sanjay Kumar—were present at the ceremony.