English Translation of Gajendra Thakur's Maithili Novel Sahasrabadhani by Smt. Jyoti Jha Chaudhary
Jyoti Jha Chaudhary, Date of Birth: December 30 1978,Place of Birth- Belhvar (Madhubani District), Education: Swami Vivekananda Middle School, Tisco Sakchi Girls High School, Mrs KMPM Inter College, IGNOU, ICWAI (COST ACCOUNTANCY); Residence- LONDON, UK; Father- Sh. Shubhankar Jha, Jamshedpur; Mother- Smt. Sudha Jha- Shivipatti. Jyoti received editor's choice award from www.poetry.com and her poems were featured in front page of www.poetrysoup.com for some period.Her Mithila Paintings have been displayed by Ealing Art Group at Ealing Broadway, London.
SahasraBarhani:The Comet
Environment of outside was warm with the discussion of maintenance of wrestling spot. The game of wrestling in morning was really enjoyable. Children and youths of all ages used to gather in the morning. The ground of wrestling place was as soft as a mattress. It was made by ploughing and filtering the soil. Jhingur Babu was missing his son not finding him in the group of other children. People used to console him by reminding how important the study of his son was because of what he is apart from him. Earlier there was only one wrestling loving Thakur family in the village that came from Akkour years ago. Now there are five such families. The Thakurs have now got an equal share in the distribution of fish of dakhi pond, equivalent to a tola of village. Now there are eight families participating in wrestling considering children belonging to the same age group of Kalit. These boys had already achieved the dignity of being recognised as wrestlers. A messenger reached with a message written in Tirhuta on a bhojpatra. After giving one small bucketful of water and a lota to the messenger Jhingur Babu read the letter. It was probably an invitation for sacred thread ceremony called upanayan sanskaar. “Don’t forget to visit the fair of Paratapur”, He insisted to the messenger. He felt a true affection towards the relative related to the old generations of his family through mool and gotra. He started reading letter in his courtyard:
Respected Jhingur Babu! As adorable as Lord Vishnu! Please accept Gulab’s millions pranaam (great respect) to your sacred feet. Everything is fine here. I am very pleased to announce the sacred thread ceremony of my two sons – Shree Ganesh and Shree Chandramohan. Your great grandfather and my great grandfather were classmates. My grandfather had instructed me to be in touch with people of same gotra. Any news whether it is good news or sad news should be exchanged within our villages otherwise ignorance of maintenance of ashauch may prove harmful for both of us in future. At present I would like to request presence of five of you respected thakurs in this auspicious ceremony. You are supposed to be aacharya of my elder son. The area around Partapur was visited by you so lots of people are curious to talk to you. Your arrival on the first Monday of the next month will assure the flawless continuation of all preparation. The ceremony will be started from the following Wednesday. Good bye.
The sabhagachhi- the famous meeting place used to be under dense woods of Partapur at the bank of the river Balan. The river of Balaan was very deep and calm. Once a huge tree from Himalayas fell into it and blocked its way. The river was split into two parts. In this way a new river Kamala was born. The river of Balaan is flowing towards Jhanjharpur and Kamala is directed towards Maihath, Narua and Gariyar. Balan is very deep and clear. No sand peep through it; on the contrary, Kamala is not so deep but very wavy and very destructive. Sand and water started disturbing the land adjacent to this river in flood. Depth of Balan is same throughout the year. Crossing it without boat is not possible even in summer. But, Kamala is shallow enough to be crossed by pedestrians in summer. The previous spot of sabhagachhi in Partapur was destroyed by one of such destructive floods by Kamala and the sabhagachi place was shifted to the village of Saurath. But, in the age of Jhingur Babu, Partapur used to be the centre of panchkoshi- the area that conserves the authentic Mithila culture. Although Sabhagachi was shifted to Saurath later on, Partapur remained as the centre of panchkoshi.
“Kalit is returning on day after tomorrow, I will take him to Akkour. The poor boy! He has been apart from family for a long time. I will take him to his maternal uncle’s place and my sister’s place this time.” Jhingur Babu thought.
As per plan both father and son reached Ekkour. Jhingur Babu didn’t find this himself a stranger in this village in any respect. The usual tradition of intellectual discussion was going on in gathering of scholars there too. The topic was the British rule and Indian Army structure. Being a part of army Mangaru Babu had witnessed many wars in his red uniform. He started describing his experience of accompanying Sir Charles Napier in the British 1867-68 expedition to Abyssinia. He also described how lack of time was resulted in faded uniform in lieu of red uniform to the soldiers in the second war of Afghanistan. The same uniform became famous as khaki uniform after that. The Enfield rifles used in 1857 revolt of Indians struggling for freedom are replaced by bigger snider rifles in 1887. Mangaru Babu also talked about Congress. On the other hand Jhingur Babu became busy in listing and estimating things for coming feast. Kalit too found companions to play with. Fannu Babu from Raje village was also present among those scholars. His sister and brother-in-law were living in Ekkour so he used to visit the village quite frequently. He had not seen Kalit in that village earlier. He became curious about Kalit. When Fannu Babu came to know that Kalit was Jhingur Babu’s son he went to him. There he came to know that getting permanent employment in Jamindari, Kalit got the authority to collect cess in Mithila region on behalf of Darbhanga Raja and he was to go to Katihar for that work. Meanwhile, Kalit had also completed study of Farsi and English. As long as Kalit’s marriage was concerned, Fannu Babu was also looking for an appropriate groom for his daughter. Then it was agreed that Fannu Babu would visit Partapur Sabhagachi and give Jhingur Babu a chance to host him. But as soon as that marriage proposal was known relatives of Jhingur Babu they forced him to finally fix the marriage and complete the formality of Siddhant in Bharam. He was suspecting his wife’s refusal but, against his anticipation, his wife was filled with ecstasy when she heard that. All her worries, that had been for last four days, seemed to be disappeared at once.
There were only two options of transportation- walking of feet or bullock cart. The barat started its auspicious journey- Groom in a mahfa, young people on feet and other elders on bullock cart. The group of servants were following them. A warm welcome was performed in arrival of barat at the door by the people from bride-groom side. As soon as they reached the bride-groom’s house a barber washed their feet; perfume was spread; posies were presented; and snacks were served. And then chatting was started - intellectual as well as humorous. The courtyard was venue for all rituals of marriage and the guest-area in outside place of social meeting. The conversation of barat was interrupted by some querries like “where is jewellery?”, “who will present gift to bride at the time of ghoonghat”, and “where is sari for ghoonghat?” every now and then. In this way, the environment of courtyard as well as the environment of outside of the house was filled with joy till 5 o’clock of the morning. The sacred thread of marriage was tied on the couple’s arms that remained for four days. After that marriage was completed. After few days passed, Jhingur Babu informed the auspicious day and Kalit returned to his parent’s place from in-law’s house. Now he had to start for Katihar. It was an emotional moment for Kalit to apart from his mother and other people of the village. He started to Katihar after bidding them bye.
Crossing the area destructed by the river of Koshi Kalit reached Katihaar and became expert in his work very soon. Due to overburden of work he called his cousin and nephew to share the work. It didn’t take time to gain good fame for Kalit. People living in that area had very bad experience regarding the final settlement of Jamindari. Kalit had removed the corruptions in the work. But the destiny had decided something else for him. Kalit’s mother died before the second marriage that is arrival of bride in her in-laws house. She had many dreams about her daughter-in-law. Sometimes she used to say that she would fight with her daughter-in-law to test Kalit that whom he would support. Jhingur Babu stared being very miserable. Kalit told him to come with him. But it was not easy for him to leave the place where he had spent all his life yet.
Kalit’s second marriage ceremony was settled on third year of first marriage. Jhingur Babu was little bit relaxed after that. He told to Kalit that when Kalit had been living out of house most of the time for his studies, Buchia was taking care of the parents. He was thinking that he would find a groom for Buchia himself but death of his wife had made him very weak. He added, “As you are self-dependent now. If someone has a son as young as five years old people use to tell him that he shouldn’t worry as he has a five year old son. And you’re well educated and earning son.” After handing Buchia’s hand over to his daughter-in-law Jhingur Babu died. Kalit had never seen him in so hurry. He used to be cool and patient. He used to worry about the fruits of his harvest. But separation from his life partner made him so impatient that he didn’t wait for crop harvest.
While staying in Katihaar, Kalit kept on worrying about marriage of Buchia. He never had such worries when his father was alive. But now he had to prove that Buchia was not an orphan in absence of her parents. Marriage proposal couldn’t be raised till first death anniversary of Kalit Babu. After giving a grand feast to villagers on the first death anniversary of his father Kalit had started the searching the groom for Buchia. He had visited the Paratapur Sabhagachhi but he didn’t find any groom suitable for Buchia. The leave of fifteen days from work was wasted. While working he came to know about some Maithil families from Giddhhaur, Baarh etc. the villages situated on the south of the river of Ganges. He liked a boy from Baarh who was working in estate of Giddhaur.
He visited Giddhaur to meet the boy without delaying. The boy possessed impressive personality. Seeking address from the boy he reached Baarh and talked to boys father. The marriage proposal from Panchkoshi had reached the village after a long time so none was intended to refuge it. After fixing everything and completing the formality of registration called Siddhant in Bharam he reached Mehath. Everyone was shocke to know this. So was the father, so is the son. Jhingur Babu had done the same thing when he fixed Kalit’s marriage; after doing Siddhant he informed everyone. Same thing is repeated by Kalit. However marriage was fixed outside the familiar area but since Kalit had been living in that area so having faith in Kalit’s experience and decision everyone in village accepted this marriage happily. The entire Tole started preparation of that marriage. Buchia would not have any problem. She was blessed with all good qualities. Either it is question of singing song or cleaning worship place she was expert. She could make thousands of Mahadev so efficiently in a minute. Wherever she would go she would enlighten the place.
Marriage ceremony was finished in the best traditional way. The groom side has proposed the second marriage to be followed immediately but Kalit didn’t agree so they had to return with the print of hand of the bride. Kalit’s wife was very good and she had established sisterhood with Buchia. Buchia was also fond of her sister-in-law. The second marriage was fixed in the third year. The maid who was sent with Buchia to her in-laws place started explaining about that place. Kalit’s wife became emotional. She used to ask Kalit about the village of Barh. Everything can be settled by time. Buchia had come twice or thrice from her in-law’s place, her sister-in-law became relaxed. In this way Kalit had become alone again. He had to spent the threatening nights with his wife, two daughters and a son on the bank of the Mahadev pond during the earthquakes of 1934. After that he went to Katihaar again. The reason was the consequences of several earthquakes that had been occurring for a month. But wife had started worrying about the house. His old house was destroyed in the earthquake so Kalit had made a new house on the side of the fulwadi. He established his new house in the new land after giving the old land to his relatives. He got one more son and one more daughter afterwards. Family life of Kalit had started going on as usual. Good days don’t take time to pass. His daughters grew as well. However own child always seems to be a child but it was time to arrange marriages for daughters. His first daughter got married to Kachhabi and the second one to Kharak. Family of Kachhabi was also employed in Raja’s place. It was a royal ceremony, horse, mahfa etc. etc. But the first daughter died while giving birth to her daughter who started living with Kalit’s family. However, she was also not blessed with long life and died at the age of five years after being suffered by a stomach pain. Kalit Babu kept on witnessing all this facts of life and deaths. Sometimes the villagers were suffering Cholera sometimes Plague and many more. As soon as one dead body was burned another death used to be noticed. But Kalit’s family was untouched.
Kalit had been rewarded by promotion and growing fame every now and then. His cousin and nephew’s family were living with him as usual. His both sons were studying in Kejariwar High School. After finishing marriage ceremony of his third daughter in Aamarupi, a village near Tamuria, he became relaxed. His elder son got married and he had full confidence in his younger son’s academic talents. But he also knew that his younger son was very superstitious. Because once a rumour spread that in dense fields of gram some miserable things used to happen then his younger son went to see that. When it was time to select one subject from Science and Arts Kalit Babu agreed with his younger son to opt Science. Many people told him that Satyanarayan Babu and many boys couldn’t pass in science so they had to restart by selecting Arts. But Nand didn’t agree. Rather, he had opted for Maths amongst other Science subjects. Kalit thought that by studying science Nand would not believe in the invisible but omnipresent God anymore. Kalit seemed to be very carefree after that. Once he returned from Katihaar and was washing his hands after coming from toilet , suddenly lota fell out from his hand and he himself fell down on the ground. His wife ran to him but it was too late. Life comes once and goes once as well. Nand had witnessed his father’s death. This form of death had always remained unique and mysterious for Nand. The authenticity of Scientific principles were diminishing in front of the power of almighty God for Nand.
(c) २००८ ⠎⠈⠗⠧⠱⠮⠻⠅⠱⠗ ⠎⠂⠗⠈⠅⠯⠻⠞⠲ (c)२००८.⠎⠈⠗⠧⠱⠮⠻⠅⠱⠗ ⠇⠄⠨⠅⠱⠮⠻⠝ ⠂⠁ ⠚⠞⠽ ⠇⠄⠨⠅⠅ ⠝⠱⠍ ⠝⠓⠻ ⠐⠗⠡⠻ ⠞⠞⠽ ⠎⠊⠏⠱⠙⠅⠱⠮⠻⠝⠲
'⠧⠻⠙⠄⠓' (⠏⠱⠈⠅⠯⠻⠅) ⠎⠊⠏⠱⠙⠅- ⠛⠚⠄⠈⠝⠈⠙⠗ ⠺⠱⠅⠂⠗⠲ ⠳⠞⠽ ⠈⠏⠗⠅⠱⠩⠻⠞ ⠗⠉⠝⠱ ⠎⠘⠅ ⠅⠭⠏⠻⠗⠱⠜⠾ ⠇⠄⠨⠅/⠎⠊⠈⠛⠗⠓⠅⠈⠗⠈⠞⠞⠱ ⠇⠇⠅⠝⠻⠅ ⠇⠛⠍⠄ ⠗⠓⠞⠈⠝⠓⠻, ⠍⠱⠈⠞⠗ ⠳⠅⠗ ⠈⠏⠗⠹⠍ ⠈⠏⠗⠅⠱⠩⠝⠅/⠂⠈⠗⠅⠱⠜⠧⠅/⠐⠗⠊⠈⠛⠗⠄⠚⠻-⠎⠊⠈⠎⠅⠍⠞ ⠐⠗⠝⠂⠧⠱⠙⠅ ⠐⠗⠮⠻⠅⠱⠗ ⠳⠓⠻ ⠊ ⠏⠈⠞⠗⠻⠅⠱⠅⠄⠌ ⠡⠅⠅⠲ ⠗⠉⠝⠱⠅⠱⠗ ⠐⠗⠏⠝ ⠍⠉⠇⠻⠅ ⠂⠁ ⠐⠗⠈⠏⠗⠅⠱⠩⠻⠞ ⠗⠉⠝⠱ (⠚⠅⠗ ⠍⠉⠇⠻⠅⠞⠱⠅ ⠎⠊⠏⠃⠈⠗⠼ ⠔⠈⠞⠞⠗⠙⠱⠽⠻⠈⠞⠧ ⠇⠄⠨⠅ ⠛⠼⠅ ⠍⠈⠮⠽ ⠡⠈⠝⠓⠻) ggajendra@yahoo.co.in ⠂⠅⠻ ggajendra@videha.co.in ⠅⠄⠌ ⠍⠄⠇ ⠐⠗⠾⠅⠉⠍⠄⠈⠼⠾⠅ ⠗⠃⠏⠍⠄⠌ .doc, .docx ⠂⠁ .txt ⠖⠭⠈⠗⠍⠄⠾⠍⠄ ⠏⠺⠱ ⠎⠅⠅⠞ ⠡⠹⠻⠲ ⠗⠉⠝⠱⠅ ⠎⠊⠛ ⠗⠉⠝⠱⠅⠱⠗ ⠐⠗⠏⠝ ⠎⠊⠈⠅⠯⠻⠈⠏⠞ ⠏⠗⠻⠉⠽ ⠂⠁ ⠐⠗⠏⠝ ⠈⠎⠅⠅⠝ ⠅⠳⠇ ⠛⠄⠇ ⠖⠇⠾⠇ ⠏⠺⠄⠞⠱⠓, ⠎⠄ ⠂⠩⠱ ⠅⠗⠅⠞ ⠡⠻⠲ ⠗⠉⠝⠱⠅ ⠐⠗⠊⠞⠍⠄ ⠾⠱⠜⠏ ⠗⠓⠽, ⠚⠄ ⠊ ⠗⠉⠝⠱ ⠍⠉⠇⠻⠅ ⠐⠗⠡⠻, ⠂⠁ ⠏⠓⠻⠇ ⠈⠏⠗⠅⠱⠩⠝⠅ ⠓⠄⠞⠂ ⠧⠻⠙⠄⠓ (⠏⠱⠈⠅⠯⠻⠅) ⠊ ⠏⠈⠞⠗⠻⠅⠱⠅⠄⠌ ⠙⠄⠇ ⠚⠱ ⠗⠓⠇ ⠐⠗⠡⠻⠲ ⠍⠄⠇ ⠈⠏⠗⠱⠈⠏⠞ ⠓⠇⠽⠃⠱⠅ ⠃⠱⠙ ⠽⠹⠱⠎⠊⠘⠧ ⠩⠻⠈⠣⠗ ( ⠎⠱⠞ ⠙⠻⠝⠅ ⠘⠻⠞⠗) ⠳⠅⠗ ⠈⠏⠗⠅⠱⠩⠝⠅ ⠐⠗⠊⠅⠅ ⠎⠃⠉⠝⠱ ⠙⠄⠇ ⠚⠱⠽⠞⠲ ⠳⠓⠻ ⠊ ⠏⠈⠞⠗⠻⠅⠱⠅⠄⠌ ⠈⠩⠗⠻⠍⠞⠻ ⠇⠈⠅⠈⠯⠍⠻ ⠺⠱⠅⠂⠗ ⠈⠙⠧⠱⠗⠱ ⠍⠱⠎⠅ 1 ⠂⠁ 15 ⠞⠻⠹⠻⠅⠄⠌ ⠊ ⠈⠏⠗⠅⠱⠩⠻⠞ ⠅⠳⠇ ⠚⠱⠜⠞ ⠐⠗⠡⠻⠲
⠗⠉⠝⠱⠅ ⠐⠗⠝⠂⠧⠱⠙ ⠂' ⠏⠂⠝⠠ ⠈⠏⠗⠅⠱⠩⠝ ⠅⠻⠊⠧⠱ ⠂⠈⠗⠅⠱⠜⠧⠅ ⠔⠏⠽⠇⠛⠅ ⠐⠗⠮⠻⠅⠱⠗ ⠅⠻⠝⠃⠱⠅ ⠓⠄⠞⠂ ggajendra@videha.co.in ⠏⠗ ⠎⠊⠏⠈⠗⠅ ⠅⠗⠃⠲ ⠳⠓⠻ ⠎⠱⠜⠾⠅⠄⠌ ⠈⠏⠗⠻⠞⠻ ⠴⠱ ⠺⠱⠅⠂⠗, ⠍⠮⠃⠇⠻⠅⠱ ⠉⠉⠮⠗⠻ ⠂' ⠗⠈⠩⠍⠻ ⠈⠏⠗⠻⠽⠱ ⠈⠙⠧⠱⠗⠱ ⠫⠻⠚⠱⠜⠝ ⠅⠳⠇ ⠛⠄⠇⠲
⠎⠻⠈⠙⠮⠻⠗⠈⠎⠞⠂
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