Being a Bihari :-- One inspiring Post by Kisslay Chandra!
I am an Indian. First and Foremost. That is one the of cornerstones of my existence. That is how I perceive myself. I do not know whether it is right or wrong to have a sense of sub-nationalism, but I have a little of it. All my energies reserved for nationalism, patriotism and the occasional jingoism is focused on the motherland, as a whole (including Kashmir). Religion and language are secondary and tertiary. And my caste be damned, I flip the bird and moon at it. In spite of all this, my being born in Bihar, somehow seems more significant, and it casts a shadow. It astounds the hell out of me, that a region which was once the centre of wealth and knowledge is now one of the poorest. Bad Karma?
I am the kind of guy who counts his blessings. So what if I was born a Bihari. I come from a middle-class background, and I never had to face any caste or religion related issues. But what if I had been on the last rung of the caste ladder? I could have been shot dead by Ranvir Sena. What if I had been a poor Muslim, who migrated to Gujarat? Butchered again. Or just a poor guy with a non-technical degree trying my damndest to get a government job? I could have been killed in Assam, or thrashed within inches of my life in Maharashtra . Quite possibly, I could have committed suicide out of sheer frustration, when nobody in Tamil Nadu would have responded to my queries in my accented Hindi or English. Am I exaggerating? Nope. I don’t think so. There was a time when I, being younger and ignorant, used to equate the status of a Bihari in India with that of a cowboy of Texas, both being the butt of a lot of jokes. What a colossal idiot was I! The only bloody thing that is common is the Cow part. Cowboys indeed, it’s more like cow herds. Cowboys are cool, what’s cool about a cow herd?
The reason why quite a few Bihari students land up in IIT’s: “They drop and drop until they end up at an IIT, plus the fact that Bihari students are good at rote learning. “ The explanation given by a fellow class mate when I started college. I had no idea rote learning could get one a seat in an IIT. If only I had made the acquaintance of his greatness earlier! And this very person was antagonistic for some time as I was a B-boy (a felicitous name coined by him). He also called me and the others like me, NRI’s, because Bihar was not a part of India (his idea of a joke).
A common misconception about Bihari students: He is good for only two things. He can be a good student, religiously toiling away, burning midnight oil and whatnot, score high and ultimately steal white collar jobs from the local population of the city he decides to settle in OR He can be a bloody gunda, eve-teasing, politicizing, intimidating and bullying, rambunctious as hell, the root of all evil.
Sometimes the same person can play both the roles.
But there are people like me as well. Neither here nor there. Decent law-abiding birds, who do not spit, eve-tease or create a ruckus.I am also willing to learn the language of the state I am residing in, even if I can get along easily with the help of Hindi and English. I would do so because there are times when I feel inadequate and guilty . Learning the local language would make me feel good and allow me to belong truly and completely .
An incident which involves my friend while he was studying in Pune: My friend had a friend who had a sister. She was being molested on a regular basis by a son-of-the-soil Marathi Manoos, who was also a student in the same college. After repeated warnings, when the eve-teasing did not stop a gang of unruly Biharis decided to take the matter in their own hands, and thrashed the Manoos. The Manoos complained to the Police. The Police arrested my pal who was not even there. When asked why the Manoos named my friend, he said that he knew my friends name; he did not know most of the others who actually were involved. Along came the Manoos’s father. Very angry, incensed as hell. When the B-boys complained that his son asked for it, Manoos Sr. said, “What is the big deal? My son teased a (Bihari) girl? So what? Happens every day!” Need I say more? Owing to the fine fettle that the great state of Bihar is in, there are no good colleges there. So my brethren and I, mostly depend on other states for our higher studies. Some of us were lucky enough to land in Manipal, which is next to paradise. Long live Manipal and the Kannadigas. Thank You! Till this day, I personally cannot complain. I thank God that I did not have to go to any other state. .
An excerpt from a conversation between two fellow students at MIT, Manipal.
Guy A: This dude B really likes you and all.
Gal C: Yeah, I think he is nice. Where is he from?
Guy A: He is from Patna, but he is not like the others. He is different, you have seen for yourself.
Gal C: (Makes a face) Hmmm. Nah.
I am NOT dude B, I wish I was. At least Gal C was interested in Dude B for a fleeting moment.
Had my friend, dude B, been a Punjabi from Delhi, or just from Delhi, that lady would have had no problems in going out with him. I vividly remember how a few of the students from my state would pretend to be from Delhi to hide the "stigma" of being a Bihari in their valiant attempt to appear cooler. There were a few whose families had migrated to greener pastures; they would vehemently deny the charge of being a Bihari, and would completely disassociate themselves from the state. How pathetic is that ?
An old joke, which reflects what Bihar stands for today.
The ideal solution to Kashmir:
Indian PM to Nawaz Sharif/Bhutto/Zardari/Musharraf/Current Despotic Dumbass of Pakistan: We will give you Kashmir but you get Bihar along with it.
Nawaz Sharif/Bhutto/Zardari/Musharraf/Current Despotic Dumbass of Pakistan: Kashmir be damned. We don’t want it. Truce!
Another joke, of its kind.
Japanese premier to Famous politician of Bihar: Give us Bihar and we will make a Japan out of it in 10 years.
Famous politician of Bihar to Japanese premier: Humko Japan dijiye, usko ek saal mein Bihar bana denge. (Give me Japan, and I will make a Bihar out of it in 1)
Louisiana, USA: Bihar of the US, definitely sure that I read it in the TOI. How? Why?
The name of the virulent disease that is plaguing Mumbai: Bihari. Why? Because Mr. T said so “ Ek bihari sau bimari “ ( A Bihari is synonymous to a hundred diseases , or maybe, a bihari is a carrier of hundred diseases literally , take your pick , or go and ask Mr. Thackeray what exactly did he mean )
The munificent compliments that I receive on account of my being fairly fluent in the English language , or due to the absence of the accent which every Bihari is supposedly born with, or (and this is the best of all) my uncanny un-bihari looks ( what the hell is a bihari supposed to look like ? Dark, emaciated, hair dripping with mustard oil, or what? I mean WTF! ) :-
1. You don’t look like to you are from Bihar – Me: I underwent plastic surgery OR Why is that? Do Biharis have horns on their heads? OR I am a Punjabi who was born in Mumbai; my parents were averse to the rich cosmopolitan culture of that great city, so they relocated.
2. Your English is too good for a Bihari – Me: I am sorry; my parents forced me to go an English medium school, which unfortunately had decent teachers.
3. You don’t sound like a Bihari, you don’t speak with an accent - Me: Speech therapy? Larynx transplant? Accent training? My answer depends on the dumbness of the questioner .
4. The way you cuss and swear, it is not very Bihari - Me: I curse, in my best Bihari.
5. Sir, aap Bihar se hain, lagta nahi hai (Sir, It doesn’t seem that you are from Bihar). This one came from a cook who was hired to cook for my friends and I : Me- An expression of incredulity and bewilderedness on my contorted face, mentally hurling abuses at him , and a really big WTF , when I was alone .
6. Man, you should be the Brand Ambassador of Bihar, given that you are so different from the average bumpkin: Hell Yeah. Why not? Moron!
7. An offshoot of # 2 -A Lady, in a train journey, to me – I am an English professor, have heard a lot of Biharis making a mince out of the Queen’s language, but not you - Me: When I was young my mother burned a Webster, a Wren n Martin and a few of the Classics, dissolved the ashes in the holy water from Thames and made me drink it. This is a tried and tested technique; it has worked for my sister as well. (Do not attempt this at home!)
8. Another offshoot of # 2 - Do they have English schools in Bihar? ( An interviewer to my friend, apparently surprised at his command of the English language ) - Me(Had I been there) : No, I went to Eton for my schooling, and then I came back to India to complete my education , you JACKASS !
Maybe I should blush coyly and express my gratitude the next time somebody says something like the aforementioned.
Yesterday, I read in a blog about some sick and twisted bastard who felt that Bihar got what it deserved. That the havoc wrecked by Kosi was befitting. And I have yet to know how earnestly people from the Rest of the India are helping their poor countrymen. I would like to know whether it is being treated at par with the Gujarat earthquake and the Tsunami or not. I hope my fears are allayed. I hope people discard the contempt they usually reserve for Biharis.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Rail projects worth Rs 30,000 crore to be shifted from Bihar to West Bengal
Now , since new governtment has been formed even though with Congress again but railway minister as Mamta Banerjee from West Bengal , the setting up two new locomotive manufacturing units––one in Chapra and the other in Madhepura, and Railways Projects worth RS 30,000 crore is being shifted from Bihar to West Bengal, which could have been a ray of hope for employment oppurtunities in Bihar.
I feel there should be a mass agitation and dharnas and movement by all Biharis to stop this shifting of project. And if we dont get this projects in Bihar , better to ask for Independence of Bihar and Bhojpuri speaking areas from India, May be then we can build a better and progressive bihar with our own capabilities, because the indian central goverment has always been indifferent for economic interests of Purvanchal/Bihar's concerns.
Please reply and suppport this cause
I feel there should be a mass agitation and dharnas and movement by all Biharis to stop this shifting of project. And if we dont get this projects in Bihar , better to ask for Independence of Bihar and Bhojpuri speaking areas from India, May be then we can build a better and progressive bihar with our own capabilities, because the indian central goverment has always been indifferent for economic interests of Purvanchal/Bihar's concerns.
Please reply and suppport this cause
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Bihar fate afteh 2009 loksabha elections
Bihar is underdeveloped, there can be no dispute over that, like no other state and region of India. And there so special and specific about Bihar’s underdevelopment for many reasons ?
On the eve of independence, Bihar produced 8 per cent of India’s food grains; it was 4th among the states in terms of industrial output and the largest producer of coal and steel.
Now, after 60 years of India’s independence, Bihar is the state with the lowest per capita income, barely Rs.10 or so on daily basis, which is less than one-third of Punjab’s, another predominantly agrarian economy. Bihar is the only Indian state where the per capita income has over the years actually declined.
This perpetual backwardness, this prolongation of Bihar’s underdevelopment, or better still non-development, deserves a comprehensive and in-depth study.
Bihar is caught in a trap, a poverty trap, in a vicious circle, and it is not going to be an easy job to break out from that. And this trap has been caused due to Central Government’s partiality and biased attitude and also because of Bihari people’s gullible nature( actually there straight-forwardness , direct , and honesty had been their cause of decline amongst the shrewdness of other western indian states.).
Often, hopes have been generated, say in the ’50s, when the e expanded at quite a satisfactory rate, as also in the latter part of the ’70s to mid-’80s, when total production of foodgrains had risen, and also the income from agriculture’s share had gone up by about 27 per cent.
In the ’90s too, statistics do show a high growth rate in foodgrains production as well as a real increase in area under HYV cultivation. Per hectare fertiliser consumption too has increased from 54.14 kg in 1989-90 to 64.51 kg in 1994-95. Household savings have risen considerably as witnessed in the astounding growth of non-banking financial institutions; take, for instance, JVG whose operational base is in Bihar. In the ’90s, hopes had particularly risen with the ascendancy of a social-justice regime, which in caste-class terms enjoyed the powerful backing of intermediate castes comprising mainly middle peasantry.
True, there are demographic and technological factors too that are responsible for Bihar’s underdevelopment. North Bihar has the highest concentration of mineral resources. With this, Chhota Nagpur’s had a strategic advantage to be developed as an industrial zone
One of the major dimensions of this perpetual backwardness is external, Several economists and social scientists have termed Bihar as an internal colony of India. Bihar has been the supplier of cheap labour and raw materials to agriculturally and industrially advanced states. Uniform pricing policy of coal and steel by the Central government had taken away the locational advantages from the Chhota Nagpur industrial zone.
Then again, plan allocations were heavily tilted against populous states like Bihar and Eastern UP. and per capita plan allocation in the 7th Plan was Rs.622 for Bihar, less than the national average of Rs.920. Per capita investment from all sources — public and private — in Bihar has been lower than other states for over 30 years including the ’80s. Substantial part of the savings go out of the state. Investment of long-term institutional funds through IDBI and other such institutions, and UTI, LIC and GIC etc. is lowest in Bihar. Even in the phase of globalisation and liberalisation, the investment scenario has been rather bleak here: Bihar got the lowest, just 0.14% of foreign capital finvestment from August 91 to May 96, because no SEZs were developed here. In central plan outlays emphasis now has shifted to poverty alleviation and welfare schemes, where the element of capital formation is quite low.
A federal government at the Centre, hardly inspires any confidence in terms of according any any preferential treatment to Bihar. The government is, on the contrary, more susceptible to the pulls and pressures of the powerful lobbies of advanced states.
To add insult to injury, in Bihar even half of the amount allotted to and in plans sanctioned is hardly spent due to callous administration.
Perpetual backwardness or the internal colonial status is, therefore, unlikely to be broken just by more allocation of central outlays or by waiting for the entry of foreign capital. Invoking the regional plank may be good politics for marginalized politicians, but it is bad economics indeed.
The impetus to break the vicious circle must come from within, generating vast internal resources. And here we enter into the other major dimension of the underdevelopment, the internal dynamics of Bihar economy.
Firstly, the arena of land reforms. Radical land redistribution is urgently needed to endow the land to enterprising small farmers. Small landholdings in the possession of small and marginal peasants should be given institutional backing to make them economically viable.
To enforce radical land reforms the political class must be prepared to go the whole hog, up to the nationalisation of all land and its redistribution to enterprising small farmers on lease basis. It is equally necessary to guarantee minimum wages to agrarian labourers both in relation to big as well as small farmers.
Secondly, the large amount of rural and semi-urban savings must be tapped by the state government agencies and redirected to farm-investments as well as building up infrastructure and improving social services.
Thirdly, pressure should be mounted on commercial banks in Bihar to improve their credit-deposit ratio and also for increased investment by term-lending institutions, the IDBI groups, LIC, GIC and UTI etc.
Fourth, the Centre should be pressurised for according preferential treatment to Bihar owing to its historical legacy of backwardness.
Only in the context of the internal vibrancy can the measures to attract capital, including foreign capital, for industrial development be meaningful.
India’s ruling establishment doesn’t bother much about the predicament of the common man in Bihar. With an expanding consumerism they can still sell the largest number of Maruti cars in Bihar. Patna witnesses the highest sale of premium brands of garments like Louis Philippe and Monte Carlo. Large savings from Bihar are channelised to build the fastest growing JVG empire. The best of Bihari brains can always be drained by JNU and Delhi University.
It is for the common people of Bihar and the intelligentsia, who are perturbed by the fact that nearly half of Bihar’s population goes to bed without food, to take the initiative to break the vicious circle. But you cannot expect it to be done by a political class which is deeply enmeshed in corruption, nor can it be achieved through a bureaucracy that is deep in league with the feudal forces.
An incorruptible political leadership with a grand vision for Bihar’s development that stands above the factional caste strifes of elites, coupled with the powerful mass initiatives at the grassroots, can alone break the shackles of poverty in Bihar.
Now one has a ray of hope after the Bihar electoral has united beyond caste and communal lines, making its choice by voting for a leader (read Nitish Kumar) who will unselfishly and considerately work for the economic and social development of Bihar. Also one good thing is that all Bihar leadership, whether Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, and others have united for a common cause that is development of Bihar, even tough they are politically unwilling to shake hands. And with such a conscience we hope they will do something which will be better for the people of Bihar.
Sankat jab vikral ho jata hai, Mahabharat tab anivarya ho uthta hai! (When the crisis becomes colossal then a Mahabharat becomes inevitable!).
Lakin yeh Mahabharat , hum sabhi Bihariyon ko ladna hain , bihar ke pichdepan se , aur center govt se humara poora hissa aur hisaab mangna hai. Taki humphir se ek vishaal aur vikasit Bihar khada kar sakein.
On the eve of independence, Bihar produced 8 per cent of India’s food grains; it was 4th among the states in terms of industrial output and the largest producer of coal and steel.
Now, after 60 years of India’s independence, Bihar is the state with the lowest per capita income, barely Rs.10 or so on daily basis, which is less than one-third of Punjab’s, another predominantly agrarian economy. Bihar is the only Indian state where the per capita income has over the years actually declined.
This perpetual backwardness, this prolongation of Bihar’s underdevelopment, or better still non-development, deserves a comprehensive and in-depth study.
Bihar is caught in a trap, a poverty trap, in a vicious circle, and it is not going to be an easy job to break out from that. And this trap has been caused due to Central Government’s partiality and biased attitude and also because of Bihari people’s gullible nature( actually there straight-forwardness , direct , and honesty had been their cause of decline amongst the shrewdness of other western indian states.).
Often, hopes have been generated, say in the ’50s, when the e expanded at quite a satisfactory rate, as also in the latter part of the ’70s to mid-’80s, when total production of foodgrains had risen, and also the income from agriculture’s share had gone up by about 27 per cent.
In the ’90s too, statistics do show a high growth rate in foodgrains production as well as a real increase in area under HYV cultivation. Per hectare fertiliser consumption too has increased from 54.14 kg in 1989-90 to 64.51 kg in 1994-95. Household savings have risen considerably as witnessed in the astounding growth of non-banking financial institutions; take, for instance, JVG whose operational base is in Bihar. In the ’90s, hopes had particularly risen with the ascendancy of a social-justice regime, which in caste-class terms enjoyed the powerful backing of intermediate castes comprising mainly middle peasantry.
True, there are demographic and technological factors too that are responsible for Bihar’s underdevelopment. North Bihar has the highest concentration of mineral resources. With this, Chhota Nagpur’s had a strategic advantage to be developed as an industrial zone
One of the major dimensions of this perpetual backwardness is external, Several economists and social scientists have termed Bihar as an internal colony of India. Bihar has been the supplier of cheap labour and raw materials to agriculturally and industrially advanced states. Uniform pricing policy of coal and steel by the Central government had taken away the locational advantages from the Chhota Nagpur industrial zone.
Then again, plan allocations were heavily tilted against populous states like Bihar and Eastern UP. and per capita plan allocation in the 7th Plan was Rs.622 for Bihar, less than the national average of Rs.920. Per capita investment from all sources — public and private — in Bihar has been lower than other states for over 30 years including the ’80s. Substantial part of the savings go out of the state. Investment of long-term institutional funds through IDBI and other such institutions, and UTI, LIC and GIC etc. is lowest in Bihar. Even in the phase of globalisation and liberalisation, the investment scenario has been rather bleak here: Bihar got the lowest, just 0.14% of foreign capital finvestment from August 91 to May 96, because no SEZs were developed here. In central plan outlays emphasis now has shifted to poverty alleviation and welfare schemes, where the element of capital formation is quite low.
A federal government at the Centre, hardly inspires any confidence in terms of according any any preferential treatment to Bihar. The government is, on the contrary, more susceptible to the pulls and pressures of the powerful lobbies of advanced states.
To add insult to injury, in Bihar even half of the amount allotted to and in plans sanctioned is hardly spent due to callous administration.
Perpetual backwardness or the internal colonial status is, therefore, unlikely to be broken just by more allocation of central outlays or by waiting for the entry of foreign capital. Invoking the regional plank may be good politics for marginalized politicians, but it is bad economics indeed.
The impetus to break the vicious circle must come from within, generating vast internal resources. And here we enter into the other major dimension of the underdevelopment, the internal dynamics of Bihar economy.
Firstly, the arena of land reforms. Radical land redistribution is urgently needed to endow the land to enterprising small farmers. Small landholdings in the possession of small and marginal peasants should be given institutional backing to make them economically viable.
To enforce radical land reforms the political class must be prepared to go the whole hog, up to the nationalisation of all land and its redistribution to enterprising small farmers on lease basis. It is equally necessary to guarantee minimum wages to agrarian labourers both in relation to big as well as small farmers.
Secondly, the large amount of rural and semi-urban savings must be tapped by the state government agencies and redirected to farm-investments as well as building up infrastructure and improving social services.
Thirdly, pressure should be mounted on commercial banks in Bihar to improve their credit-deposit ratio and also for increased investment by term-lending institutions, the IDBI groups, LIC, GIC and UTI etc.
Fourth, the Centre should be pressurised for according preferential treatment to Bihar owing to its historical legacy of backwardness.
Only in the context of the internal vibrancy can the measures to attract capital, including foreign capital, for industrial development be meaningful.
India’s ruling establishment doesn’t bother much about the predicament of the common man in Bihar. With an expanding consumerism they can still sell the largest number of Maruti cars in Bihar. Patna witnesses the highest sale of premium brands of garments like Louis Philippe and Monte Carlo. Large savings from Bihar are channelised to build the fastest growing JVG empire. The best of Bihari brains can always be drained by JNU and Delhi University.
It is for the common people of Bihar and the intelligentsia, who are perturbed by the fact that nearly half of Bihar’s population goes to bed without food, to take the initiative to break the vicious circle. But you cannot expect it to be done by a political class which is deeply enmeshed in corruption, nor can it be achieved through a bureaucracy that is deep in league with the feudal forces.
An incorruptible political leadership with a grand vision for Bihar’s development that stands above the factional caste strifes of elites, coupled with the powerful mass initiatives at the grassroots, can alone break the shackles of poverty in Bihar.
Now one has a ray of hope after the Bihar electoral has united beyond caste and communal lines, making its choice by voting for a leader (read Nitish Kumar) who will unselfishly and considerately work for the economic and social development of Bihar. Also one good thing is that all Bihar leadership, whether Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, and others have united for a common cause that is development of Bihar, even tough they are politically unwilling to shake hands. And with such a conscience we hope they will do something which will be better for the people of Bihar.
Sankat jab vikral ho jata hai, Mahabharat tab anivarya ho uthta hai! (When the crisis becomes colossal then a Mahabharat becomes inevitable!).
Lakin yeh Mahabharat , hum sabhi Bihariyon ko ladna hain , bihar ke pichdepan se , aur center govt se humara poora hissa aur hisaab mangna hai. Taki humphir se ek vishaal aur vikasit Bihar khada kar sakein.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Bhojpuri -lutela lutela
Look at this very old bhojpuri hip hop song by someone in guyana called SonnyMan
india needed a new govt and PM
I feel somehow that change is good for progress and development of a person , company ,a business and a country , a new leader at the center would have brought new ideas and hopes for the people and the country of India.
UPA coming back to power in 2009 for the second term, will be quite mundane ,sameparty and same PM ruling us again ,the country should have given cahnce to a someone else this time i guess.
Lets hope whoever comes to power this time does something good development work in the country especially for economically backward regions like Eastern UP and Bihar ( i hope i am not too much from our govt being an indian citizen)
UPA coming back to power in 2009 for the second term, will be quite mundane ,sameparty and same PM ruling us again ,the country should have given cahnce to a someone else this time i guess.
Lets hope whoever comes to power this time does something good development work in the country especially for economically backward regions like Eastern UP and Bihar ( i hope i am not too much from our govt being an indian citizen)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
US reconises bhojpuri when ll Indian govt recognize?
An Appeal
LET’S OBSERVE
International Mother Language Day
For the recognition of BHOJPURI
as International Language
Bhojpuri, the language of 84 million people as mother tongue spread over four / five Continents of the Earth places it at the 10th position after Japanese and German among world languages.
It’s the second largest among Indian languages after Hindi. When Govt. would recognize Bhojpuri?
February 21 is observed as International Mother Language Day globally, commemorating those who had sacrificed their lives on this day in Dhaka in 1952, asserting their right to speak Bangla.
The Sunday Indian in association with Bhojpuri Association of India (BHAI) is observing this day for the recognition of Bhojpuri language.
We urge the governments of India, Nepal, Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius to give constitutional recognition and rights for the proper development of Bhojpuri language in their countries.
We also urge United Nations Secretary General and the head of UNESCO to constitute a high level committee for the survey of Bhojpuri speaking people all over the world. We would also request to make a separate department for the development of this International Language in UNESCO.
I would like to thank the US President Barak H. Obama for the inclusion of Bhojpuri and other Indian languages in the list for the US Govts Job.
Mother tongue or Mother Language, after all, is not necessarily the language spoken by one’s mother but the one in which a person is at home from childhood. it does sometimes lead to confusion and bring forth hybrid languages, like hinglish which is threatening to take over North India.
But Politics, Economics & Media have become inextricably tangled with the growth and spread of languages. A few eventually win out while many others are eliminated in the battle for survival. Tribal languages are naturally the worst sufferers in all continents. In India, tribals have to learn the state language, and their own languages or dialects die slowly.
The languages are also being affected by the process of Economic liberlisation and Globalisation. It is hastening the death of many minor languages which may prove to be increasingly useless for money-making purposes.
New generations would find it wasteful to learn them and shall latch on to the dominant one or two languages in every country.
Today, according to a report, world’s 6,000 languages are under threat. And the worst offenders are America and Australia where hundreds of aboriginal languages have died out. Hundreds are on the decline in Asia and Africa while in Europe, about 50 are in danger. Will Bhojpuri also be included in that list after a span of time? It may be the fate of this language too if not recognized, preserved and promoted seriously now.
The increasing pressure from world’s dominant languages like English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and also the mainstream Chinese are threatening the existence of many small or undeveloped languages.
Two dialects — mita and ksarwar — were found in west Bengal which were then spoken by just one person each during the l961 census. In the fastnesses of Arunachal Pradesh, there was a dialect comprising a total of 25 words, more than which was not found to be necessary by those people, who were living in primitive conditions with very limited demands, and not unhappily at that.
How is a language superior to a dialect? “a language is a dialect that has an army and a navy”, said max weinreich. However, the big fish will eat the small fish, and languages which cannot dominate will lose out in the course of time. Russell Hoban had offered consolation, “after all, when you come right down to it, how many people speak the same language when they speak the same language?”
Bhojpuri is a very significant regional language of India, which is spoken not just in parts of north-central and eastern India, western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. But it is also spoken in almost all Metro Cities in India, as well as in adjoining area of southern plains of Nepal.
In fact Bhojpuri is the first Indian language which has got the speakers population and language potential to get the recognition in half a dozen of countries apart from its mother land India.
Apart from India & Nepal, Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius.
The exact number of Bhojpuri speaking people in the world is not known. The fact is most of the Bhojpuri speaking people write Hindi or Urdu as their mother language. This is evident in the census report of the Govt. of India.
Now the government of India is in the process to grant it statutory status as a national scheduled language under 8th schedule of Indian constitution.
The new Govt. of Nepal has also promised to give constitutional recognition to Bhojpuri, Maithili and Awadhi in Nepal.
The fact is Bhojpuri language is shining day by day. Bhojpuri films are rocking Bollywood after Hindi Cinema. Bhojpuri TV Channels are capturing the minds of crores of viewers. The first Bhojpuri national news magazine THE SUNDAY INDIAN is in great demand. And all without any help from the Govt.
But now this is the time to raise hands with clear and loud slogans….
HINDI HAMRI AAN BA
BHOJPURI PAHICHAN BA…
The Background: ================================
The International Mother Language Day was introduced by the UNESCO in recognition of the sanctity and preservation of all vernacular languages in the world. The event began being observed from 21 February 2000 throughout the world to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on this date in dhaka in 1952.
The background to the proclamation of the International Mother Language Day was a proposal from Bangladesh at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris on 17 November 1999 to declare 21 February as an international day on the ground that on this day many had sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue.
It was argued that, since the languages of the world are at the very heart of UNESCO's objectives and since they are the most powerful instruments for preserving and developing the tangible and intangible heritage of nations and nationalities, the recognition of this day would serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop a fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire international solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. The Paris Conference was convinced that one of the most effective ways to promote and develop mother tongues was the establishment of an International Mother Language Day throughout the world with a view to organising various activities in the member states and a language exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters on the same day.
The day the Conference chose for the purpose was 21 February. This was, indeed, in appreciation and recognition of the unprecedented sacrifice made by the Bangla speaking people of Bangladesh for the cause of their mother tongue (matribhasa) on 21 February 1952. The Paris meet also put on record how solemnly the people of Bangladesh have been observing the day as Martyrs' Day (shaheed dibash) ever since 1952, and how the People's Republic of Bangladesh has been observing the day as a special national day since its emergence as an independent state in 1971.
LET’S OBSERVE
International Mother Language Day
For the recognition of BHOJPURI
as International Language
Bhojpuri, the language of 84 million people as mother tongue spread over four / five Continents of the Earth places it at the 10th position after Japanese and German among world languages.
It’s the second largest among Indian languages after Hindi. When Govt. would recognize Bhojpuri?
February 21 is observed as International Mother Language Day globally, commemorating those who had sacrificed their lives on this day in Dhaka in 1952, asserting their right to speak Bangla.
The Sunday Indian in association with Bhojpuri Association of India (BHAI) is observing this day for the recognition of Bhojpuri language.
We urge the governments of India, Nepal, Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius to give constitutional recognition and rights for the proper development of Bhojpuri language in their countries.
We also urge United Nations Secretary General and the head of UNESCO to constitute a high level committee for the survey of Bhojpuri speaking people all over the world. We would also request to make a separate department for the development of this International Language in UNESCO.
I would like to thank the US President Barak H. Obama for the inclusion of Bhojpuri and other Indian languages in the list for the US Govts Job.
Mother tongue or Mother Language, after all, is not necessarily the language spoken by one’s mother but the one in which a person is at home from childhood. it does sometimes lead to confusion and bring forth hybrid languages, like hinglish which is threatening to take over North India.
But Politics, Economics & Media have become inextricably tangled with the growth and spread of languages. A few eventually win out while many others are eliminated in the battle for survival. Tribal languages are naturally the worst sufferers in all continents. In India, tribals have to learn the state language, and their own languages or dialects die slowly.
The languages are also being affected by the process of Economic liberlisation and Globalisation. It is hastening the death of many minor languages which may prove to be increasingly useless for money-making purposes.
New generations would find it wasteful to learn them and shall latch on to the dominant one or two languages in every country.
Today, according to a report, world’s 6,000 languages are under threat. And the worst offenders are America and Australia where hundreds of aboriginal languages have died out. Hundreds are on the decline in Asia and Africa while in Europe, about 50 are in danger. Will Bhojpuri also be included in that list after a span of time? It may be the fate of this language too if not recognized, preserved and promoted seriously now.
The increasing pressure from world’s dominant languages like English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and also the mainstream Chinese are threatening the existence of many small or undeveloped languages.
Two dialects — mita and ksarwar — were found in west Bengal which were then spoken by just one person each during the l961 census. In the fastnesses of Arunachal Pradesh, there was a dialect comprising a total of 25 words, more than which was not found to be necessary by those people, who were living in primitive conditions with very limited demands, and not unhappily at that.
How is a language superior to a dialect? “a language is a dialect that has an army and a navy”, said max weinreich. However, the big fish will eat the small fish, and languages which cannot dominate will lose out in the course of time. Russell Hoban had offered consolation, “after all, when you come right down to it, how many people speak the same language when they speak the same language?”
Bhojpuri is a very significant regional language of India, which is spoken not just in parts of north-central and eastern India, western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. But it is also spoken in almost all Metro Cities in India, as well as in adjoining area of southern plains of Nepal.
In fact Bhojpuri is the first Indian language which has got the speakers population and language potential to get the recognition in half a dozen of countries apart from its mother land India.
Apart from India & Nepal, Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius.
The exact number of Bhojpuri speaking people in the world is not known. The fact is most of the Bhojpuri speaking people write Hindi or Urdu as their mother language. This is evident in the census report of the Govt. of India.
Now the government of India is in the process to grant it statutory status as a national scheduled language under 8th schedule of Indian constitution.
The new Govt. of Nepal has also promised to give constitutional recognition to Bhojpuri, Maithili and Awadhi in Nepal.
The fact is Bhojpuri language is shining day by day. Bhojpuri films are rocking Bollywood after Hindi Cinema. Bhojpuri TV Channels are capturing the minds of crores of viewers. The first Bhojpuri national news magazine THE SUNDAY INDIAN is in great demand. And all without any help from the Govt.
But now this is the time to raise hands with clear and loud slogans….
HINDI HAMRI AAN BA
BHOJPURI PAHICHAN BA…
The Background: ================================
The International Mother Language Day was introduced by the UNESCO in recognition of the sanctity and preservation of all vernacular languages in the world. The event began being observed from 21 February 2000 throughout the world to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on this date in dhaka in 1952.
The background to the proclamation of the International Mother Language Day was a proposal from Bangladesh at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris on 17 November 1999 to declare 21 February as an international day on the ground that on this day many had sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue.
It was argued that, since the languages of the world are at the very heart of UNESCO's objectives and since they are the most powerful instruments for preserving and developing the tangible and intangible heritage of nations and nationalities, the recognition of this day would serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop a fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire international solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. The Paris Conference was convinced that one of the most effective ways to promote and develop mother tongues was the establishment of an International Mother Language Day throughout the world with a view to organising various activities in the member states and a language exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters on the same day.
The day the Conference chose for the purpose was 21 February. This was, indeed, in appreciation and recognition of the unprecedented sacrifice made by the Bangla speaking people of Bangladesh for the cause of their mother tongue (matribhasa) on 21 February 1952. The Paris meet also put on record how solemnly the people of Bangladesh have been observing the day as Martyrs' Day (shaheed dibash) ever since 1952, and how the People's Republic of Bangladesh has been observing the day as a special national day since its emergence as an independent state in 1971.
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