My Reply to an Anti-Mithila Bihari

An anti_Mithila Bihari who turned to an eager Maithili learner

Extracts from my Reply

Dear,

Regarding your comments I do not know your backgrounds (age, job and ideological convictions) and hence, I can give general reply only.

Thanks for appreciate the work for Mithila and for Maithili language but let me say that I had to join that work at a mature age of 37 years in 1992 when Maithili was removed as a subject from the BPSC by Laloo Govt. and had gone deep in the subject and am fairly convinced with facts and figures as to how a group was systematically neglected continuously in a state to which it does not belong principally.

Incidentally on 6.6.2007, I visited Bihar Govt.'s website-
http://gov.bih.nic.in/Profile/default.htm

You will be surprised to know that there is no mention of word Maithili and Mithila though its history has started from Sitamata.

This is the attitude of almost every non-Maithil Bihari and Maithils in fact constitute majority of Bihar only they are not united.

Even the name Bihar is Bihar not Vihar due to Maithili's way of writing "B" but would one consider renaming it as a whole as Mithila or even Mithila Bihar/Mithila Vihar which is logical after the separation of Jharkhand?


Sure," There is a need to understand that the regional conflicts in India are on rise," but India is constitutionally a Union of States and plurality of language and culture has been accepted and should be respected and our fight is democratic and constitutional- even Maithli's inclusion n the VIII Schedule was also a Constitutional one though protracted unnecessarily while it was in the Sahitya Akademy accepted since 1965,it could be included in 2003 only(and Govt. of Bihar and Jharkhand has yet to accept is as a State language though it boasts for Urdu which had divided India- though only 8 per cent Pakistani speaks Urdu).


"We will fell apart if we (all Bihari people) start thinking for the sake of our own culture/language instead for the whole region..." which region is Bihar only Patna where despite congestion of population Govt. wants each and every developmental icons-centres of excellences."

And there is nothing as BIHARI- and it can never evolve in the given mind set where you callously neglect around 50 per cent population.

"As far as representation is concerned it has to do with merit -" In which respect 'merit' you meant- if for language, Maithili is merited as one among best for its literary traditions even before Vidyapati-1360-1448 AD(with which Hindi and Bangla starts), we had encyclopedic work (Varnratnakar by Jyotitishwar-1280-1340 AD).


"And the 'real' people understand the meaning of unity," I could not follow it but till you respect diversity unity is improbable.


"Those who believe in numbers should be in politics-" Political education is one thing and partisan politics is other. In a democratic country every one should be politically educated.

"Lets first talk about development of Bihar-" True but whether Bihar is minus Mithila?
Come with data that out of how many new institutions how many in Mithila region-- I always say commissionary-wise allocation of higher centres and district-wise philanthropic/developmental work..
What are the figures of Bihar Govt.. go to website. .Mithila's Sheohar, Kishanganj least developed.. Patna, Nalanda highest..
So what should be priority?


"Once we are developed rest all the things will fall in place- ", but how with this mind set of having all things in your (Constituency's) cup...

"India had paid heavy price for being so diverse country. It becomes easier to provoke people and break their unity. We could have got independence in 1857 if we were united and not thought about regional gains. In fact we could not have been slaves for many years if we were united.-"

I do not know your ideological convictions- I am a RSS-bred person who has been working for past 43 years continuously for the national work of different dimensions (and has founded one of its wing- in most challenging branch of doctors) though I for some years have made myself free from prejudices.

Our idea is to see not unity n diversity but Bharat is one it looks different (and hence I have no apathy with a Bhojpuri or a Baluchi; a Magahi or a Manipuri as all sings the same song of Ram and Krishna). Talking for language and development is not breaking the unity. India's every language and region should develop otherwise a developed area would be a tumor (like Hyderabad is for AP and Bangalore for Karnataka and Mumbai for Maharshtra- if these are the indices of development. You must be aware that highest farmer's suicide is in Maharashtra and so Naxal menace in AP and north Karnataka is bubbling due to under development...when I say for Mithila more or less the condition is same while Patna is flourishing above national averages Mithila is drowned in floods..

Therefore, talking regional development of the underdeveloped areas is most national thing today. Even India's history des not start with 1947 or 1857 you quoted--which unity you wanted and which developed people- you delve deep in 1857 history -t were developed group/people who sided with British.

Slavery was imposed on us because Hindu society did not felt united- it was not a question of Hindu-Muslim unity...slavery started since 1193 with the establishment Muslim empire with the fall of Prithwiraj..not with 1757..by which time India was again with its inherent potential to fight had resurrected itself 1763..Panipat III (Marathas and Punjabis could made India free already but sure were not united against Abdali).
So it is a matter of Hindu unity.. wherever Hindus became less there is problem- Punjan, Bengal,Sindh(Pakistan), Kashmir , Nagaland. Manipur., Mizoram, Assam,Tripura, ....

This issue need not be compared with Maithili-Mithila issue- just that is a State of India we demand like Orissa or Kerala or Jharkhand- it has nothing to do with national unity as it would not be practical to teach all Biharis in Maithili (because it is spoken by maximum number there and had richer heritage than even Hindi which too start with Vidyapati's lyrics..) nor it would be practical to say Maithili or any other regional language to make them irrelevant in favour of Hindi(or English as some modern thinkers could say who see Shining India forgetting the poor Bharat).

In Bihar problem is not with Maithils problems is with other that they want to throttle Maithili and Mithila and if you cannot give respect to us better leave us, even otherwise we are poorer part not difficult to shed off like rich Jharkhand.

Yes, some politicians would lose value at Delhi but if three or four state person like Lalu will be contained a smaller area and if all good CMs they cant take more resources from centre(and less cost on aerial visits)- even the smaller parties would gain being national status like that of NCP (in three states, I told Ranjita, MP from Saharsa last year on a dais incidentally we were together at Faridabad).

After all these very big states need partition like in a big family.

When Bihar was made it was of 3 crore(today Kerala, the highly developed state, is 3 crore) so shelve it ..

0n 28.8.06 I had written in TOI,"A State should be formed with sufficient mass(area and population) for its self-sustenance to overcome rigid socio-economic as well as linguistic forces. This way it assumes a nearly well defined cultural shape. The mass of Indian states should be 2.5-5 per cent of area or population. Smaller states and Union Territories should be merged and bigger states shelved for optimal political potential. Mithila, Vidarbh, Purvanchal, Bundelkhand need serious consideration like Telangana."

In India I have been traveling all regions for past three decades and probably may be one who could do this with service and have no apathy with any one group.
On 5.6.2007, , a Manipuri website has published my article on Manipur..
http://www.e-pao.net/epSubPageSelector.asp?src=Manipur_the_Mani_of_India&ch=leisure&sub1=EI
( You might need to copy and paste the whole sentence if clicking on
the above link gives an error)

Maybe by my entering in Mithila fray it has become more nationalistic agitation, which could have gone in the hands of other divisive forces.

Nice to hear from a young man of 29 years.

Cast/creed is ok but about religion it is confusing word- Hinduism is not a religion but a Dharma, a way of life.
India was divided on the name of religion and may further divide for which Hindu thinkers have been apprehensive as it is their only motherland- in past too Hindus persecuted in Uganda, Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Sri Lanka take refuse in their only abode here.

True, if Indians shed their egos and work for their country then no one can stop them from becoming developed nation.

It is not that I do not change my views bit there should be convincing arguments.
Many times questions and answers both are tricky.

Though Indians are in better state than many countries our progressing would have been more.

Japan can become superpower once demolished completely during the time when India got Independence because they are nationalists to the core and give utmost importance to the primary teachers (only next to their King).

For solutions one need to know cause/s as well.

One will have to go back to history as well but for making a brighter future.
The countries, which are not taking lessons from its history, go to Archives.
We may be poor country materially bit have many things better than so called advanced countries and mere imitation is not good.

We may be one of the most corrupt in the world though for corruption every developed country too is famous (Japan, Amercia and many others) yet most of the corruption in India is embedded in its social causes. J used to say extravaganza in dowry, shraddha etc. were cause of corruption in our state, which is true to a large extent.
Honest persons though get honor in the end their life is miserable.

Today (11.6.07) is my ekadashi- I wanted to take curd with chura and asked two shops for curd- MRP printed was Rs.4 but both asked Rs.5, I did not take- it is also a type of corruption but not taking was not sufficient but I had no time and energy to approach authorities concerned.
And system will not be corrected without that..

Bihar's case cannot be seen isolated.

Not only Lalu Yadav his predecessors too did nothing for Bihar.

The fault of other Biharis is that they choose such leaders due to caste-afflictions and they are bound to suffer for that (and for that matter even Neetish is a cast leader- his party too is a caste party , personally he may be honest that is other thing).

Probably they are already segregated and distinct as people of Mithila, Magahi or Bhojpuri and it is better accepted as in past 100 years they could not be co leased and would not be in next 100 years as it is a matter of culture which though as Hindu is same is different regionally as those of Malayali and Tamil or Gujarati and Marathi.
And if country had no problem giving them their due status there would not be granting us our status as per provisions in the Constitution.

It is indeed sad that Bihar Gov removed Mathili from BPSC syllabus(and did not restore despite High court's severe remarks against them- now that the VIII Schedule status was granted by Vajpayee Govt. Bihar Govt. has restored in BPSC but yet to accord it a State language status though it is happy with Urdu as second language.
In fact Maithili deserves first language status in Bihar.

An unbiased census done by an Irish Sir G. A. Grierson in 1911 as the official Linguistic Surveyor General of India had put Maithili's figure 93, 89, 376 (including in-migrants in Bengal-1,96,782 and in Assam- 66,575 adding Nepal's 610,624 exact figure was 10,263,357 meaning around 1 crore in the then Bihar (of 3 crore) under Bengal presidency.
Now that Jharkhand is out (one third), Maithili speakers should be equivalent to that 1 in 2 crores (and increasing population taking same in all groups. it is half).
However, anti-Maithili propaganda by anti-Maithili Biharis has eroded its area as Angika and Vajjika and what not..

It is surprising that Tripura-Bengladesh- WB- Jharkhand/Bihar Bangla is same but Deoghar to Darbhanga Maithili is not same(Remember Binodanand Jha was from Depghar) and so from Champaran to Kishanganj..
It is because we were not granted a statehood..

Visit Bihar Govt.'s official website. http://gov.bih.nic.in/Profile/default.htm
there is no mention of Mithila or Maithili..
And so in different projects Mithila remains last or even not that..
had we a state at least one ALL India organisation must be within us- be IIT/AIIM/IIM anything which all are gifted to Patna on flimsy grounds..

Yes, the consensus of all non-Maithil Bihari leaders have been opposing Maithli including revered Dr. Rajendra Prasad who despite a dissent note by Dr.Amarnath Jha (on whose name there is still a hostel at Allahabad University and one hostel on his father Sir Ganganath Jha's name father and son were VCs there one decade each when it was the fourth University of India)..did not allow education by Maithili medium in 1930s during provincial government's day..

Jharkhand was historically a separate area and in fact for many decades Bihar exploited its revenue (and all Chara ghotalas were from that area).
Yes, from a nationalistic point of view what is difference if another 3-4 small states out from Bihar or U or MP or AP or Maharashtra?

As long as the people of those new states are prospering and living a dignified live all is fine. People will decide what they want. We can influence them with our thoughts but they will make the last call.

It is not that it is always for personal gains - Chhattisgarh has developed so much..and Sibu Soren had hardly been the cause of Jharkhad creation though he too struggled (and while a different thing than this debate...he might have taken bribe but what about the scholar PM of Cong(I) who gave bribe?? Press is silent and public ignorant.

TRS has got immense popularity in the region which is very much under developed and hence, Naxal infested .

If Maithls say they want a state it is dangerous but what about all others- from Manipur to Gujarat from Kashmir to Keral..India's states have been linguistic whether you like or not??
Probably smaller states (not too tiny like Goa or Manipur) do prosper(about 2-3 crores population) as I wrote for efficient administration and hence , all BIMARU states need division for development-.

Because I am from Mithila I can ask my people that it fits most appropriate in the Bill- even Syed Shahabuddin, Muslim ideologue(not criminal Shabauddin) and Govindacharya(Hindu ideologue) had supported Mithila's case..

Hindi bashing in Tamil Nadu has different cause though common Tamilian does not hate Hindi. Raj Thakrey, Sheela Dikshit do not represent their local people.

Punjab-Haryana, Assam carnage are pathetic and Karnataka - Maharashtra episodes are dangerous for India, true but why in-migration because of non-development of the vast track of BIMARU area for obvious reasons which need political, economic restructuring on a faster level.

'Tit for tat' is not advisable in any case.

How Biharis have been treating Marwaris/Nepalis like jews or 'Cooleys' to Indians in South Africa?

Only talking for unity will not work- one will have to work on various planes- local village/district/regional as well as national.

I do not want you be submerged in anyone's seniority but be pragmatic in thinking and work..
I can tell you what I was doing when I was 29 years( in 1984 was struggling for my MD as well as undertook a 41 day tour of south India to propagate a medical journal in Hindi working for a national organisation of Medicos I founded in my 22nd year- still I am working for that on national level. Yesterday I talked a Tirupati physician to organise its conference there(and he was a Christian?)- Where I have problems if other party is able to understand my genuine grievances- do you think that I had stopped my anti-conversion view. No .
But still we can work for common scientific development..
It needs a magnanimity of personalities which is to be inculcated by rigorous and continuous efforts.

It is not the question of how many students enroll for Maithili or any language.
SC has direction even if 10 students a teacher is to be provided in primary education.
Question is you can allow Bengali and Urdu but not Maithili language in Bihar State School?
" If there are enough students to learn Maithili then this move is really in bad taste."

Maithili is offered in almost all Universities of Bihar up to D Litt?
When it was removed from the BSC its students strength of such classes came down before that it was in thousands in many universities and would again be same after its restoration in the BPSC(JPSC on the anvil) and inclusion in the UPSC.

1992 to 2006 - Govt. of Bihar tried to throttle a language, the language of Vidyapati and many great persons to name Nagarjuna in the end(who is said to be fakkad poet after Kabir).
Hindi starts with Vidyapati but does not end with Yatri Nagarjuna or Suman- it is the irony of Hindi that it is not accepted by people like me who ask for Sanskrit as national language.
I agree it is not only Maithli language but most of the Indian languages are loosing to English in a really slow poisonous way but it is ONLY MAITHILI which has been facing a step-motherly attitude by GOVT.( of Bihar). If the subject is removed for 15 years from the examination worth job who will take up that?

It is a genocide like sacrilege Lalu did and he met to his fate. Others too will not be spared for.
Let me say that in 1917 Sir Ashutosh Mukhejee included Maithili as a subject in Calcutta University but it was protested by Patna and Bihar University.

Except Magahis and Bhojpuris none of the indian is Maithili-baiter.
And hence, we want ourselves to be out of the black hole of Bihar.

>"At the same time, I would like to know when people from Bihar move out from state (people speaking Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magahi etc) they send their children to convent school and obviously they don't learn Maithli or any other such language over there in schools."- It is applicable to all Indian languages.
They are very passionate about their mother tongue so they speak their language in their home.
These people have better job opportunities as well.
"At the same time if students back home have to study local language along with Hindi and English don't you think it would be unnecessary burden on them."
"NO, a polyglot is a better student of any faculty other than language too as per the scientific evidences. Moreover it is applicable to majority of Indians Malayalee, Tamil, Telugu ,Bengali, Assame, etc. .etc..'
Even being different language the literature of all is same- it is one looks different and hence it sharpens the mind of baby rather than burdening him/her.
"If they are really in love of their mother language they will continue to spread its beauty but if they have to choose between a language with can offer then job and mother tongue then most people would opt for English."
- Those who had better mother tongue also could have better English-Is in India anybody to challenge Amarnath Jha or Damodar Thakur 's English.
Remember they all spoke Maithili in house.
True-"This is the irony of poor country we just keep loosing our local customs / languages at the cost of languages which are saleable." and language is a part of our culture.

>"I know about Mulayam Singh Yadav who supports Hindi and at the same time sends his son to Australia for higher studies. This is hypocrisy."
Though am not supporter of Mulayam but sending someone for higher studies(i do not which faculty) is not bad and more so such high profile have several security concern to their children as well.

>"I think the problem is deep rooted. The core here is: choose any one between = your mother tongue OR a language which can offer you job. And people go for option 2."
So far students are not allowed by State boards at least to take English as mother tongue-In CBSE too there is mother tongue paper.

>"We need to first understand why people dont want to learn their own mother tongue?-" Our objection is on throttling Maithili, if the Govt. 'paranoidically' decided NO INDIAN Languages will be taught where we are but if you force us to read Hindi as mother tongue we will object- as Rastra Bhasha paper ok but our mother tongue is different. And you should respect that OR Make us separate where we can teach our students all subjects in our tongue at school level as per direction of the HC.

>"Whatever be the reason it is really sad that Maithili language is dropped from syllabus in Bihar. If we can show the figure to Bihar Govt. that there are enough people ready to learn Maithili then may be they will reconsider their decision."
"If a population of half of the state has not even some students to read Maithili then OK we deserve MINORITY LANGAGE STATUS and then more privileges we will have- Patna HC had already warned Bihar Govt. in this matter.

>Bit I know how to deal with these politicians. They only know electoral strength and I have calculated that in 89 (28 in Mithila and others by in-migrant voters) parliamentary constituencies Maithils have sizable votes and am organising them to vote for those who would help Mithila State or Maithili's cause.
As Vajayee did a lot for Maithili we were binded with BJP but not that condition would be with other leading BJP or failing his work in states like Bihar and Jharkhand.
Let them neglect us we will show them the doors."

Differences in opinion should be welcomed efforts must be united.
Lenin had said (though I am not a communist),"March separately, strike together."

Peoples views on separate states would differ but India is a Union of States and Mithila fits the Bill on any count including language, culture, economics, national security etc.etc. and there is no point that any one equates it or any nationalists demand for statehood to any anti-national campaign like Khalistan.


"I don't have any concrete reason (facts that prove me that linguistic separation leads to prosperity). - It gives homogeneity like in Bengal or Kerala things are done in their languages be education or administration.

Our problem is to become like even if Punjab in prosperity not to talk of Singapore.
You have picked up another issue which needs details as to what happened with Sikhs which is a matter of long article but let me say in a line that Sikhs are part and parcel of Hindus and it was the British ploy who made them different seeing their valour and were apprehensive of rebellion from them just after 1857(Kooka Revolt)

Yes, there was a time before World war I (1814-19) that Sikhs and other under Lala hardayal had made Gadar Party to free India but now from there Khalistan sings..Who patronised Bhinderwalan? same Indira whom they killed.
When political considerations have upper hands than national these happen.

I never thought to go abroad though was well equipped with knowledge to settle anywhere for my organisational responsibilities and though I could work it was not without a price on my personal life but it happens with all who are non-compromising with values.

Whenever a young takes interest in social problems it gives pleasure to person like me.
I have not even asked from where you belong to but if you can concentrate on work as per your choice and area it is good but be genuine.
If you work for Bihar , currently Mithila is half of and that is its due.
If you work for your area or district working for that is equally important.
If you work for nation, Bihar constitus 8 per cent.
Problem comes when one on a potion to work for whole becomes myopic..
Remember Dhritrastras are born old and Abhimanyus die young.

Some MPs from Mithila have tried in their capacity for the uplifting Mithila Region but most of them are not even aware of the problems for the development and or of Maithli language.

I have no hesitation to talk to other non-Maithils who are in Bihar but I am sorry most have vision of Dhritrashtra(in past one century and they have proved unworthy of the job to retain us along with them).

If you write where you are I can refer some Maithils of that area.
I am not aware of learning Maithili online but such a course should be explored to start by some of our IT workers even if it was there already.
(Rajeev Ranjan Lall rajeevranjanlall[at]gmail.com has accepted this responsibility. Other should help him in sending words, phrases, Maithili Grammar book, etc. so that the course takes a shape within few days.)

Dr. Dhanakar Thakur
Spokesman,
Antarrashtriya Maithili Parishad
www.geocities.com/maithili_parishad