GREAT THARUS ABHOR BEGGARY !!! A CASE STUDY OF THARUS OF WEST CHAMPARAN

GREAT THARUS ABHOR BEGGARY !!! 

We do find a large number of beggars  drawn from almost every caste or community on all the crossings of the big cities and even in small towns & villages or in bus or train ,or for that matter anywhere.  Some of them are part of the big racket. Beggary has become  not only a thriving industry  but a big problem  because it tarnishes the image of the country. People  who are engaged in this profession,do not want to do any other  work as  they make a good earnings easily  through beggary.

 It is quite astonishing  but  immensely inspiring that despite backwardness & poverty there is hardly any beggar found in the whole of Tharuhat. A Tharu shudders at the sight of a Tharu beggar. Tharus are  people of self dignity .

The Tharus do not hesitate giving alms to the beggars even though, they may not be in a position to give. This exhibits the   humanitarian aspect of their personality which is hardly  to be found in the so called  highly educated civilized people of the big cities.

PROF(Dr) RABINDRA NATH OJHA (PROF. R. N. OJHA): A RARE PERSONALITY UNHIGHLIGHTED

PROF(Dr) RABINDRA NATH OJHA: A RARE PERSONALITY UNHIGHLIGHTED

PROF(Dr)  RABINDRA NATH OJHA: 

A RARE PERSONALITY  UNHIGHLIGHTED

(All the images are subject to IPR)

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha addressing the gathering on the occasion of release of  a book on him  "Vipra Bahudha Vadanti" in Satyagrah Mandap in  Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Raaj Ghat , New Delhi on 26th April 2009

Shri Siddhanath Ojha & Devmuni Devi 

Born to Devmuni Devi & Siddhanath Ojha in the village Badaka Singhanpura of Buxar district (Bihar, India) Prof (Dr.) Rabindra Nath Ojha did his schooling from Prathmik Vidyalaya Badka Singhanpura & K.P Uchcha Vidyalaya Dumri. He was married to Radhika Devi of Sonwani village, Balia (Uttar Pradesh).

Siddhashram (Village Home) in Badaka Singhanpura
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Sonwani Village, Balia(Uttar Pradesh) 

  Photo by Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

Prathmik Vidyalaya Badaka Singhanpura
Photo by Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

K.P Uchcha Vidyalaya  Dumri
Photo by Dr Ajay Kumar (ojha)

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha with his friend Kailash Mishra
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

He studied in Bhagalpur University & later Bihar University ( Now B.R.A University).Just after completing his post graduation in English  he joined M.J.K college Bettiah as Lecturer and  retired from the same college as University Professor.

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha Bhavan, New Colony  Bettiah
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

M.J.K College Bettiah
Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Prof (Dr.) Rabindra Nath Ojha  has been rightful front-runner amongst the famous scholars of English, Hindi ,Sanskrit and Bhojpuri. He is a well-known name as an essayist, poet, critique, reviewer, analyst, translator, letter-writer, editor, powerful orator, Director (Play/Drama),  successful organizer, trade unionist, champion of the causes of Teachers/Students & Deprived, social activist, philosopher, spiritualist above all humanist  and what not. In the true sense of the 'saying' he has been  embodiment of "Simple Living & High Thinking".

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha with his wife Radhika Devi & Grandson Arnav
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha

Prof ( Dr ) Rabindra Nath Ojha distributing school bags among poor children in Badaka Singhanpura
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar( Ojha)

Enlightened readers of Hindi must be aware of the fact that Ojhajee used to write letters very often. Long letters and that too continuously. His letters have been repeatedly published in Hindi Magazines such as 'Saarika', 'Dinmaan', 'Saptahik Hindustan','Navneet', 'Madhumati', 'Kadambini', 'Aajkal', 'Hans'.

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

'Hans' patrika has honoured him as "Prabuddha Pathak"  in the October edition of 1989.

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha  with Vishnu Prabhakar
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

Though Prof Ojha has used his pen on many aspects of Hindi literature but special mention may be made of his four published books on the collections of personal essays namely  NAIVEDYAM, NIRMALYAM,SATYAM-SHIVAM, SHIVAM-SUNDARAM. After looking at the numbers of  manuscripts of unpublished personal essays it appears that another eight collections can  still be published. Apart from personal essays he has penned down hundreds of beautiful  poems in Hindi as well as in  Bhojpuri.He has also written a very extensive and impressive introduction of the "GEETA MAI" in Bhojpuri written by Ram Bihari Ojha.An introduction written in English by Prof Ojha   of  English Short Story "ICEBERG" has been highly appreciated.

After having retired as Head ,Department of English, M. J. K College Bettiah he has been nominated as member of  Hindi Advisory Committee,Ministry of Railways and later Ministry  of Law & Social Justice  and has offered his important services for the spread of Hindi  for three-three years.

Prof  Rabindra Nath Ojha amidst Tharus in Tharuhat of West Champaran 
Photo(c) Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Prof. Ojha has been honoured by various institutions.He has been appreciated and remained in news for being  a very powerful & arresting orator. An active Gandhian Social Activist Dr. Ojha has always fought for the causes and welfare of Teachers, students &  other deprived sections of society. In the process he has gone on fast -unto -death and courted arrest  several times. 

Prof. Ojha jumped into JP movement. He went to jail twice. First for 18 days  and  later detained even under MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971) for more than two months from 13th July 1974  to 16th September 1974 (First to be detained under MISA in Champaran)  and kept under suspension . His family had to suffer tremendous tension &  great hardship. 

Detention order quashed by  High Court in the matter of an application under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, Rabindra Nath Ojha Vs The State of Bihar & Others (Cr.N.J.C.No.183 of 1974 dated 13th September 1974) in the presence the Hon'ble Justice A.N. Mukharji & the Hon'ble Justice Muneshwari Sahay.

(But even till date he has not been honoured under JP Senani Samman Yojana  by Government of Bihar due to bureaucratic & other lapses for they could not find any proof of his stay in Bettiah & Motihari Jail due to destruction of the records in flood. What proof is more authentic than the order of High Court which has the everything in detail? Will  the supreme  sacrifice of a person go in vain just like this? This is really a shameful state of affair.)  

He has been the leading light of the Federation of Service Associations and Trade Unions of Champaran.

Dr. Ojha has been honoured with the degree of VIDYA VACHASPATI by Vikramshila Hindi Vidyapeeth( Bhagalpur) and on 22nd March 2010   with "CHAMPARAN VIBHUTI" by the Government of Bihar on the occasion of BIHAR DIVAS 2010.

Prof. ( Dr ) Rabindra Nath Ojha has been a very successful Organizer & Director too. Be it a literary programme or cultural or social  he has been successful in organizing all such programmes and even done compering too with all efficiency.He has been President or Chairman of various organizations such as "SAHITYA KALA SANGAM", "PRAGYA PAARIJAT".He successfully produced,staged and directed many plays of Shakespeare in the most backward district  Champaran of Backward State Bihar and that too in early sixties.Really unparellel, unique, unimaginable achievement.

Very few people,rather hardly anyone know that Dr.Ojha has been expert in the field of Music also . This view has been expressed by Dr. Adinath Upadhyaya of Varanasi, who is a great scholar of Music. Very few people are aware that Prof Ojha has been a very good player of Tennis & Football. Playing wonderful Tennis clad in Dhoti -Kurta is again, may be the only one example in the world.

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Prof (Dr.)Rabindra Nath Ojha , a great thinker, philosopher and messenger of Indian sanskar & sanskriti    (Indian Culture) has been above all a very simple , sensitive ,down-to earth rustic, rooted to his soil, lover of nature, and pious human soul, devoid of any ego, any self interest - the only interest being to serve humanity , to give every thing for  the welfare of the people without any expectation of any return either in the form of any prized post or any award or honour. That is why,may be, a multi-splendoured  unique & unprecedented personality remained out of the lens of media or column of Newspapers  which could not zoom in on him even when he breathed his last in the lap of nature during early morning walk , on 13th  May in 2010,  in  HUDCO Park near ANSAL Plaza in South Delhi itself.

HUDCO PARK, ANSAL PLAZA, SOUTH DELHI
Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar (Ojha)

His has been a dynamic personality, restless soul, always aspiring after something good & great. He has been always on the march,never resting, never stopping.Thoroughly disillusioned and disgusted with various organizations- political or religious he went into deep introspection and meditation. Intensive study of scriptures helped him in discovering himself anew. He found peace and harmony deep inside himself. He has been in constant touch with his inner self,determining his life's course in the light of the dictates and directions of his deeper self.

Prof (Dr) Rabindra Nath Ojha with Dr K.K.Chakraborty  IAS
Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Subsequently he developed his own philosophy of life based on his own personal experiences and realizations. His views and visions, feelings and realizations find free and full expressions in his speeches and writings . He has been humane to the core.Love and humanity - these two words have been two most valued words in his dictionary. Through the religion of love and humanity he has been able to achieve the supreme goal i.e. attainment of supreme bliss that is God-realization. All his thoughts ,words and actions  directed towards this very end.

Chief Guest Shri Raghav Sharan Pandey IAS (The then Petroleum Secretary, Government of India) releasing the book "VIPRA BAHUDHA VADANTI"

VIPRA BAHUDHA VADANTI is a small effort but a  rare book  bringing out multi-sided assessment of  this rare multi-faceted/multi-dimensional personality. This book was released in Delhi by Chief Guest  Shri Raghav Sharan Pandey IAS, the then Petroleum Secretary, Government of India in April 2009.  

A  RARE PERSONALITY  UNHIGHLIGHTED.

Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Photo(c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Tennis Racket of Ojhajee

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

Cycle of  Ojhajee

Photo (c) Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

"SARKAR RAJ" IN THARUHAT OF WEST CHAMPARAN

"SARKAR RAJ" IN THARUHAT OF WEST CHAMPARAN

(All the images are subject to IPR)

Photo by Dr Ajay Kumar(Ojha)

The land of Tharuhat of West Champaran is supposed to be very fertile, even more than that of Punjab. People from outside, irrespective of caste or religion , have always an eye on the land of Tharus. A number of Farms have cropped in the Tharuhat since Independence. Before Independence they were few & far between.

Looking at the large number of Farms, the Tharuhat of West Champaran has come to be known as "Land of Farms" or "Country of Farms" or "Area of Farms" or Region of Farms". Most of the Farms are result of gradual but steady alienation of the land of  the simple/innocent Tharus on a large scale by cruel/clever/cunning/selfish & so called "cultured" non-Tharus (Bajis in local parlance) who have infiltrated into the Tharuhat for new and easily available pastures.

Each Farm has its own culture, its own way of suppressing the people of its surrounding area. Owner of the Farm is called "SARKAR". For over a long period the Tharus of the locality were not aware of the any government except that of SARKAR. It has acted like a parallel government. If SARKAR is passing through the way and a  Tharu comes across, he has to salute malik in a particular style.He can be even fined if found disobedient. Each farm is known as "KACHAHARI(Court)" also. KACHAHARI is named after the name of the owner of the farm. So as many FARMS so many "SARKAR RAJ".

The Tharus of West Champaran have been deprived for decades  due to policy paralysis, government's apathy & inaction, bureaucratic in-sensitiveness  and left on the mercy of all types of  so called "cultured" & "civilized" vultures who have exploited & fleeced  the simple Tharus to the maximum.