BIRTH ANNIVERSARIES OF BABU MAHESH NARAYAN, MAITHALI SHARAN GUPT AND RAMDAYAL PANDEY CELEBRATED

BIRTH ANNIVERSARIES OF BABU MAHESH NARAYAN, MAITHALI SHARAN GUPT AND RAMDAYAL PANDEY CELEBRATED

7-AUG-ENG 3

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA---------------------------Babu Mahesh Narayan was the pioneer of free-verse poetry in Hindi literature and the progenitor of the Bihar movement. Mahesh Babu was also the patriarch of Hindi journalism in Bihar. The initial resolve to establish Bihar as a separate state originated in his mind; he gave momentum to this movement by launching the newspaper 'Bihar Times'. Following his demise, his associate Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha provided successful leadership to the movement, eventually leading to the creation of the state of Bihar.

These remarks were made on Thursday evening by Dr. Anil Sulabh, President of the Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, while presiding over the birth anniversary celebration and poets' gathering (Kavi-Sammelan) organized by the institution. Recalling the great poet Maithili Sharan Gupt—who was honored with the title 'Rashtra-Kavi' (National Poet) by Mahatma Gandhi and the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India—Dr. Sulabh noted that Gupt Ji advocated naming the newly developed 'Khari Boli' dialect 'Bharti' instead of 'Hindi'. He believed that since it was the language of 'Bharat' (India), it should be named 'Bharti'. Throughout his life, Gupt Ji sang the praises of Bharat and Bharti, praying: "May the people of this land perform *Aarti* (worship) for it in the temple of the soul; Oh God! May our 'Bharti' (language/voice) resonate across the land of Bharat." He was a towering figure among the champions of Khari Boli and the first Hindi poet to narrate the story of Lord Rama in the form of the epic poem 'Saket'.

Dr. Sulabh stated that the great poet Ramdayal Pandey embodied self-respect, idealism, and patriotism. He was a distinguished freedom fighter, a spirited orator, and an immortal poet of nationalistic fervor. He was one of the most dedicated servants of the Sahitya Sammelan, having been elected its president four times. During the construction of the Sammelan's building, he personally carried bricks and mortar on his head and inspired other litterateurs to contribute to the cause. He refused to accept the freedom fighter's pension, stating, "I served Mother India like a son, not like an employee expecting a service fee."

Dr. Sulabh also honored poet-journalist Bindeshwar Prasad Gupta with an *Angavastram* (ceremonial stole) and a floral garland on his 72nd birthday. Senior litterateurs Dr. Ratneshwar Singh, Dr. Shashi Bhushan Singh, Dr. Manoj Govardhanpuri, and Shambhunath Pandey also shared their views.

The poetry symposium organized on this occasion began with an invocation (*Vani Vandana*) by Chanda Mishra. Senior poets—including Prof. Sunil Kumar Upadhyay, Siddheshwar, Dr. Poonam Anand, Shama Kausar ‘Shama’, Dr. Om Prakash Pandey, Sadanand Prasad, Er. Ashok Kumar, Vibharani Srivastava, Rajnish Kumar Gaurav, Indubhushan Sahay, Surya Prakash Upadhyay, and Ashwini Kaviraj—recited their poems.

Kumar Anupam welcomed the guests, poet Brahmanand Pandey conducted the proceedings, and Krishna Ranjan Singh proposed the vote of thanks. Distinguished individuals such as senior satirist Banke Bihari Sao, Pravir Kumar Pankaj, Vijay Kumar Singh, Geeta Prasad, Sohini Priya, Mohini Priya, Prem Prakash, Saumya Kumari, and Abhiram were present.