Famous writer आचार्य शिवपूजन सहाय forgotten in the land of his birth.

   

In other countries, men of letters are cherished and their memories kept alive even when they are no more. But it seems that is not the case in Bihar. Residents of Unnuwaas in Buxar district are unhappy with the alleged neglect towards preserving the memories of Shivpujan Sahay by the administration. 

An associate and editor of Munshi Premchand, Sahay is remembered by the villagers only through a statue they constructed a few years ago. But even the statue of the man of letters is in a bad shape. Villagers claim that no official bothers to visit his native village even on his birth anniversary, August 9.

Villagers rue that no officials ever come there to remember Sahay. But the villagers do not forget to garland his statue.

आचार्य शिवपूजन सहाय (जन्म- 9 अगस्त, 1893, उनवास ग्राम, उपसंभाग बक्सर, शाहाबाद­ ज़िला, बिहार; मृत्यु- 21 जनवरी, 1963, पटना) हिन्दी साहित्य में एक उपन्यासकार, कहानीकार, सम्पादक और पत्रकार के रुप में प्रसिद्ध थे। इनके लिखे हुए प्रारम्भिक लेख 'लक्ष्मी', 'मनोरंजन' तथा 'पाटलीपुत्र' आदि पत्रिकाओं में प्रकाशित होते थे। शिवपूजन सहाय ने 1934 ई. में 'लहेरियासराय' (दरभंगा) जाकर मासिक पत्र 'बालक' का सम्पादन किया। स्वतंत्रता के बाद शिवपूजन सहाय बिहार राष्ट्रभाषा परिषद के संचालक तथा बिहार हिन्दी साहित्य सम्मेलन की ओर से प्रकाशित 'साहित्य' नामक शोध-समीक्षाप्रधान त्रैमासिक पत्र के सम्पादक थे। 

He worked in Ara as a Hindi teacher from 1903 to 1921 before going to Calcutta to serve as the editor of Hindi magazine Matwala in 1923. The next year, he moved to Lucknow to work for another magazine, Madhuri . There, Sahay worked with Premchand on his famous novel Rangbhumi and his short stories.

आचार्य शिवपूजन सहाय की प्रमुख रचनाएँ निम्नलिखित हैं-

1. 'देहाती दुनियाँ' - 1926 
2. 'मतवाला माधुरी' - 1924
3. 'गंगा' - 1931 
4. 'जागरण' - 1932
5. 'हिमालय' - 1946 
6. 'साहित्य' - 1950
7. 'वही दिन वही लोग' - 1965 
8. 'मेरा जीवन' - 1985 
9. 'स्मृति शेश' - 1994
10. 'हिन्दी भाषा और साहित्य' - 1996 

सहायक ग्रन्थ - 'शिवपूजन रचनावली' (चार खण्डों में), बिहार राष्ट्रीय भाषा परिषद्, पटना।

Sahay worked in a number of Hindi magazines like Aadarsh, Matwala, Samanway, Jagran, Ganga and Himalay which were very famous at that time. He was also the editor of famous Hindi writers like Munshi Premchand and President Rajendra Prasad.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1960 for his contribution to literature and also received a DLitt from Bhagalpur University.

Sahay’s son Mangalmurti told mediapersons over phone from Lucknow: “I have written several times to the district administration about the neglect towards preserving the memories of my father. His statue set up by the villagers needs repairs but we have got no help from the authorities.”

His son, the retired English professor from the College of Commerce, Patna, added: “There is, however, a revival of interest in my father’s life and works. A local trust was established in his name recently in Buxar. they have decide to revive his heritage.”

A member of the trust, Shivpujan Sahay Smriti Sansthan, Pankaj Bharadwaj, said: “We shall never forget Sahayji. His contribution to Hindi literature was extraordinary. From last year, we have started to organise a programme in his memory in Buxar.”

 source:magnificentbihar

Barauni railway station in BIHAR Boon for Orphans.

Barauni railway station in Bihar is witness to a noble initiative. Ajit Kumar and his wife Shabnam take care of orphans at the platforms, and provide them education and home-cooked meals. And their efforts have now inspired railway authorities too, to support their cause. 

"If government implements Right to Education and Right to Food properly then no orphan kids will be spoiled," Ajit Kumar said. 

While Ajit, a government teacher, teaches the children most of the subjects, his wife Shabnab cooks and feeds them. She also doubles up as their Hindi teacher.

"My husband teaches orphan kids and I help him by cooking food for these kids and teaching them," Shabnam said.

"Masterjee teaches us at the railway station and I want to grow up and become doctor," orphan girl Masina said.

"Earlier I use to steal money but now I want to study," orphan kid Noor Alam said. 

So why would Kumar devote his life to these kids? The answer - he himself grew up on Barauni railway station platform helping his father sell tea. He grew up seeing these children surviving on alms and eating leftovers. The moment he got a government job, he knew what he had to do. 

"I have spent my childhood on railway platform. My father was a tea stall owner & I used to assist him. I had a wish to be a teacher, which I have fulfilled," Kumar said. 

His make shift open air-class room started functioning at the platform. Initially railway and police authorities opposed his class room but later when they saw children benefitting from this initiative, they started supporting this cause.

But for Kumar, the biggest challenge is keeping these kids away from being addicted to drugs, gutka or cigarettes.

source:CNN IBN LIVE

Bihar food safety commissioner-cum secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar has been selected for the prestigious 'World No-Tobacco Day Award 2013' by the WHO.

 

In different categories, India has got six awards this year.Kumar told TOI that the representatives of WHO-India have confirmed the award, though the date and venue for giving the award are yet to be decided. He was nominated for the award by Socio Economic Educational Development Society (SEEDS), a civil society group, working on tobacco control in the state.

In his capacity as food safety commissioner, Kumar was instrumental in banning the sale, storage and manufacture of gutka and paan masala in the state for the first time on May 31, 2012, a ban that has been extended recently for one more year. Bihar thus became the third state after Madhya Pradesh and Kerala to do so.

SEEDS executive director, Deepak Mishra said, "Kumar was effective in taking various steps from time to time to engage district tobacco control cells with various stakeholders in many districts to sensitize local administration on tobacco control. This resulted in beginning of imposition of fine on violators of tobacco control law (COTPA) in nine districts." He added, "Kumar was also effective in organizing a high-level meeting with the chief secretary, A K Sinha, on tobacco control. It was the first meet of its kind held in the country."

Kumar also wrote a letter to all the DMs on Monday to hold 'multi stakeholder consultation' to work on ban on TAPS (Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship), which has also been declared as the theme of this year's World No-Tobacco Day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 source:TNN                                                                                                            

Bihar govt to Develop 1200-year-old Lord Shiva temple, popularly known as Koteshwarnath temple at Gaya.

 

This 1200-year-old Lord Shiva temple, popularly known as Koteshwarnath temple, with a huge Shivlinga at the centre with over a 1,000 Shivlinga chiselled into it, at Main village under Belaganj block in Gaya district, attracting devotees since ages. Now people from across the state come here for fulfillment of their wishes.


Located on the bank of river Morhar river at Main village, the temple's sanctum sanctorum is carved in a single piece of red stone and within it is installed a large sized Shivalinga with around 1,008 miniature Shivlingas around 1200 years back. People call it Sahastra Shivalinga built in-one and believe Lord Shiva here showers blessings on the devotees.

An amazing thing near the Koteshwarnath temple is an old Pipal tree, whose large branches have turned towards the temple bending downwards as if offering prayers to Lord Shiva. The priests of this temple said that Lord Shiva is manifested in the Shivalinga.

The state government is to acquire three acres of land surrounding the ancient Koteshwarnath temple and the nearby peepal (Ficusreligiosa) tree whose branches are moving towards the temple, at Main under Belaganj block in Gaya district.

A decision in this regard has been taken following the direction of CM Nitish Kumar, who had recently visited the Koteshwarnath temple and offered prayers to 1,008 miniature shivalings.

As per the CM's directive, a communique of the principal secretary, art, culture and youth affairs department, Chanchal Kumar, is being sent to the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, to take measures to conserve the peepal tree and determine its age and study the scientific reason behind the one-sided growth of its branches towards the temple, said director of archaeology, Bihar government, Atul Kumar Verma.

The CM was surprised to see the one-sided growth of the peepal tree branches. The FRI had, in its report, described it as salutation to the temple. The CM had asked the officials to request the FRI to take measures to protect the tree like it was protecting the sacred Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. The tree is situated 100 metres north of the temple.

On the CM's directive, a photography competition to snap the picture of the magnificent tree near the temple would be organized, Verma said, adding that the idols and sculptures of different deities collected from the villages around the Koteshwarnath temple would be put under an archaeological shade.

Verma said the temple is one of the most ancient ones in Bihar, dating back to transition phase between late Gupta and Pal period. This finding is derived from the architecture of the temple, particularly the magnificent pink coloured single stone pillars constructed around 6th century AD, he said.

This temple is about 60km away from the village Telhara in Nalanda district where existence of a third ancient university of Bihar, Telhara University, dated 6th century AD, has been found, Verma said. He himself was part of the excavators' team that discovered this third ancient university of Bihar.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  SOURCE : TNN