FLORAL TRIBUTES PAID TO PREMCHAND ON HIS 144TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

FLORAL TRIBUTES PAID TO PREMCHAND ON HIS 144^TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

6-AUG-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------Under the banner of Bhojpur District Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, floral tributes were paid to the Katha Samrat Mushi Premchand on his 144^th birth anniversary. Prof. Baliraj Thakur, president of the Bhojpur Hindi Sahitya Sammelan presided over the meeting while Dr. Nand Jee Dubey, former Head of the Department of Hindi, Veer Kuer Singh University and secretary, Bhojpur District Hindi Sahitya Sammelan extended vote of thanks. Professors, teachers, journalists and others garlanded the portrait of the Munshi Premchand. Rakesh Kumar Tiwari conducted the meeting.

Prof. Mahesh Singh, Dr. Diwakar Pandey, Gunjan Sinha, Dr. Rajiv Nayan Agrawal, Jagatnandan Sahay, Shivdas Singh, Vashishth Muni Chaudhary, Renu Mishra, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari and others spoke on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Jagatnandan Sahay said that if one wishes to see India or understand India, Premchand is the window. India is a country of continuous labourers and farmers and Premchand wrote about them.

Journalist Gunjan Sinha lamented that today Premchand and other laureates like him are vanished from the text books. Once when they were students, Premchand and others were taught in classes and their ideals influenced them. He advised that Premchand should be included in the courses of studies once again to know India better. He added that today’s generation knows little about Kanhaiya Lal Sehgal and Begum Akhatar and therefore, there is a need today that we should tell the present generation about our ancient writers and storytellers so that they too become familiar with their ideals and move forward by adopting their ideals.

Shivdas Singh said that Premchand is the backbone of Indian literature. There are differences at the national level. Premchand should be calculated by combining the past and the present. The government is not interested in promoting Premchand literature and if the government takes interest, literature will be benefited.

Vashish Muni Chaudhary said that Premchand was bone on July 31, 1880 who had said that even shedding a drop of blood for the country is a service to literature.

Prof Mahesh Singh while addressing the meeting said that the literature of Premchand is the literature of India. Most of his stories are village related. Premchand’s literature is the basis of the principle of Indian culture and civilization whereas today’s literature promotes only modernity while the Indian culture is a synthesis of modernity and antiquity and that is seen in Premchand’s literature.

Dr. Diwakar Pandey, Head of the Bhojpuri Department, Veer Kuer Singh University said that Premchan’s personality is as vast as the Himalayas. No corner of Hindi literature is untouched by Premchand. Citing example from Godan, he said that in the story, the writer had reconciled two cultures at a time like two banks of a river which is between the two stories of Indian life.

Prof Baliraj Thakur in his presidential address, said that Premchand’s Hindi is incomparable. Premchand was a visionary. He was fighting for freedom with his pen and the Premchand’s literature is the true history of 20^th century India. He added that Premchand was not with any party. He was waiting for some upcoming party which would awaken new political consciousness among the people. He stated that Premchand had said that he wanted to leave two or four high quality works but his aim was also to achieve independence. He was realistic artist. He wanted to assess the truth of life and refute the illusions of life. Premchand’s voice is the voice of the invincible people of India and that is why Premchand is still with us. The flag of literature with which Premchand was moving forward was the literature of public progress. Even within the non-violence of the world, there is dignity of the nation or country and the echo of this non-violence is the literature.

The 144^th birth anniversary of Katha Samrat Mushi Premchand was also celebrated grandly under the joint aegis of Jan Sanskriti Manch, Bhojpur unit, District Sarvodaya Mandan and Antryodaya Chetana Mandal Ara (Bhojpur).

Speaking on the occasion., Jitendra Kumar, President, Bihar State Jan Sanskriti Mamch said that Katha Samat Munshi Premchand was the pioneer of communal harmony and progressive consciousness. He wrote about three hundred stories and one and half dozen novels which have been translated into many languages of the world. A film was also made on his novel ‘Godan’ and many of his stories have been dramatized and staged.  He was the he founder and editor of literary magazine like ‘Hans’ and weekly newspaper ‘Jagran.’ Sushil Kumar, former secretary ‘BHOR’ said that Munshi Premchand was an ideal-oriented realistic storyteller. His literature depicts the Indian society of a hundred years ago. Journalist Gyanendra Gunjan Sinha took inspiration from the ‘Kuta’ of Premchand and brought out a magazine for the students. Senior Advocate Laxmi Narayan Rai, Chandra Bhushan Kumar of Sarvodaya Mandal, hundreds of school students and teachers were present on the occasion. Ram Nath Thakur, Secretary, Antyodaya Chetana Mandal, Ara conducted the meeting.