SAHITYA AKADEMI- FESTIVAL OF SHAME 2014 SAHITYA AKADEMI AND DOWNFALL OF INDIAN LANGUAGES (IN SPECIAL CONTEXT OF MAITHILI LANGUAGE) PART-I When Maithili was recognised by Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters- of India) way back in 1965, Late Ramanath Jha stated that his Maithili language is saved now (Maithilik Vartman Samasya, Ramanath Jha). He was wrong on this on two counts. What he referred to, was applicable, if it was applicable at all, only to Maithili -geographically located in Indian part. Maithili is spoken, natively, in India and Nepal both. After treaty of sugauli (ratified in 1816), which was in the aftermath of Anlo-Nepalese war of 1814-16, the hilly regions were incorporated in British region, including Nepalese speaking Darjeeling Area. Similarly in 1816 and 1860, the Britishers ceded some Terai region to Nepal. As a result Maithili Speaking Area, which were earlier ruled by Malla Kings (when Maithili was official language of the region), was ceded to Nepal. Even today some Maithili scholars (!!) refers to golden period of Maithili during in the period of “Nepali” Malla Kings (Ramanath Jha, Introduction to Maithili Sahityak Itihas by Dr. Durganath Jha “Shreesh”). Ramanath Jha himself admits that during his visit to “Vir Library” of Nepal (Kathmandu) he came to know about the Nepal legacy (his monograph on kirtaniya natak, which he wrongly presents as Kirtaniya Nach). So he cannot be blamed for his lack of language. He was wrong on the second count also, and this second count was an artificial creation. He began a tradition of elitism and conservatism in SahityaAkademi, as a first convener of Maithili language; the tradition which got stronger and stronger in the last 49 years of Existence of Maithili in Sahitya Akademi. So he ensured that the liberal writers,like Sh. Harimohan Jha, attacking casteism and conservatism did not the award, though the year 1967 go unrewarded and the Ist award in 1966 go to a non-literary book in Maithili (academic book of Philosophy!!!). He himself was casteist conservative confused, the inter-caste marriage in Panji was well known to him, and it was apparent that the great navya-nyaya philosopher Gangesh Upadhyaya married to a “Charmkarini” and was born five years after the death of his father. But he informed it to Sh. Dineshchandra Bhattacharya in a distorted way. Sh. Dineshchandra Bhattacharya writes in “History of Navya-Nyaya in Mithila”- “The family which was inferior in social status is now extinct in Mithila…Gangesha’s family is completely ignored and we are not expected to know even his father’s name.” and he writes that all these information was given to him by Prof. R. Jha. So howcan this casteist conservative confused allow the award to be given to Sh. Harimohan Jha. So the Sahitya Akademi saved Maithili Language by recognizing it, as asserted by Prof. R.Jha, was wrong on these two counts. (continued in Part II)
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 08:01:10 +0000
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