POET JANAKI VALLABH SHASTRI WAS THE SOUL OF LYRIC LITERATURE, PT SHIVDUTT MISHRA WAS A THINKER AND A LITERARY FIGURE: Dr. ANIL SULABH

POET JANAKI VALLABH SHASTRI WAS THE SOUL OF LYRIC LITERATURE, PT SHIVDUTT MISHRA WAS A THINKER AND A LITERARY FIGURE: Dr. ANIL SULABH

13-FEB-ENG 5

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA------------------------Acharya Janaki Vallabh Shastri, a pioneer of Hindi literature and a pillar of the song tradition, was the soul of lyric literature. He was not only a leading scholar of Sanskrit and Hindi, but also a great ascetic of literature and music. He was a spectacle at poetry gatherings. When he sang songs with his cuckoo-like voice, thousands of hearts would stop. On the stage of poetry gatherings, no one could match him except the national poet Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' and the king of songs, Kumar Gopal Singh Nepali.

These remarks were made by conference president Dr. Anil Sulabh while presiding over the celebration and poetry conference held at the Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan on Thursday, marking the birth anniversary of the great poet Janaki Vallabh Shastri and the thoughtful literary figure Pt. Shivdutt Mishra. Shastriji began his literary journey with Sanskrit poetry. However, under the guidance of Mahapraan Nirala, he began composing poetry in Hindi and quickly became as radiant as the sun in the vast sky of the world of songs. He wrote prolifically across all genres of literature, including stories, novels, memoirs, plays, and ghazals.

Remembering Pt. Shivdutt Mishra, who was the conference's vice-president, Dr. Sulabh said that Mishraji was a sensitive poet and a writer with philosophical thoughts. His book, "Kaivalya," reveals the depth of his spiritual contemplation. He was also the pioneer of the consumer movement in literature. He was a humanitarian, simple, and friendly literary figure. He played a highly valuable and unforgettable role in the movement for the liberation of the Sahitya Sammelan.

On this occasion, the conference chairman honored two young Hindi writers, Vijay Jyoti and Jai Prakash Pandey, with the "Mahakavi Janaki Vallabh Shastri Memorial Award."

Welcoming the guests, conference vice-president Dr. Madhu Verma said that women hold a highly significant place in the poetic works of the great poet Janaki Vallabh Shastri. He wrote authoritatively in almost all literary genres. His literary vision was socially oriented. Former Indian Administrative Service officer and senior poet Bachcha Thakur, Dr. Ratneshwar Singh, Dr. Pushpa Jamuar, Vibha Rani Srivastava, Dr. Manoj Govardhanpuri, Dr. Archana Tripathi, and Banke Bihari Saav also expressed their views.

The poetry conference organized on this occasion began with a hymn by Chanda Mishra, the late Mishra's wife and poet. Conference Vice President and senior poet Mrityunjay Mishra 'Karunesh' paid tribute to the great poet by reciting his ghazal, "It has been a long time since my heart has cried/ I haven't felt the wounds of time/ When I asked how and why this happened/ I said the time has not come yet!" He said that Shastriji's birth anniversary should be celebrated as 'Poet's Day'.

Senior poet Dr. Ratneshwar Singh recited his song, saying, "How far is the distance between the earth and the sky/ How far is the distance between the body and the mind/ Still I remember him, what a helplessness this is/ The desire of the heart remains unfulfilled!"

Senior poets Dr Poonam Anand, Shankar Sharan Madhukar, Jai Prakash Pujari, Kumar Anupam, Dr Shalini Pandey, Engineer Ashok Kumar, Dr Meena Kumari Parihar, Dr Richa Verma, Dr Amarendra Mishra, Dr Poonam Deva, Madhu Rani Lal, Meera Srivastava, Arjun Prasad Singh, Sunita Ranjan, Surya Prakash Upadhyay, Vijay Jyoti, Neeta Sahay, Indu Bhushan Sahay, Nehal Kumar Singh 'Nirmal', Dr Bindeshwar Prasad Gupta, Prafulla Chandra Thakur, Siya Ram Pandey and Satyamedha Kumar also recited their compositions. The stage was conducted by poet Brahmanand Pandey and vote of thanks was given by Management Minister Krishna Ranjan Singh