Mamata aide at Bhanu meet - First time after 1985, govt celebrates birth anniversary

Darjeeling, July 13: The state government today celebrated the birth anniversary of Bhanubhakta Acharya for the first time since 1985.

On the occasion, theatre personality Bibhash Chakraborty visited the hills as Mamata Banerjee’s representative, read out a message from the chief minister while announcing that the Nepali Akademy would be revived — all parts of the new government’s initiative and determination to reach out to the people of the region and identify with their sentiments.

Bhanubhakta (1814-1868), is the most revered literary figure in the Nepali community and all schools, colleges and government offices always declare a holiday to commemorate the birth anniversary of the “Adikavi”.

But the earlier Left Front government, perhaps wary of former DGHC chairperson Subash Ghisingh, never celebrated the birth anniversary of the poet despite the occasion being very dear to the hill sentiments.

“After the agitation in the eighties, the state government might have celebrated it on one or two occasions but it had never been a regular feature. The last time was in 1985.” said a district official.

The poet, who hailed from Chundi Ramgha near Pokhara in Nepal, had first translated Ramayana into Nepali from Sanskrit. Literary figures believe that the translation helped popularise Nepali literature and reached it to the masses, and hence, the title “Adikavi”.

Ghisingh’s disinterest in Bhanubhakta largely stems from the leader’s political stunt to replace the word “Nepali” with “Gorkha”. Ghisingh had wanted the language to be recognised as “Gorkha” under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, much against the wishes of the literary figures. Ultimately both the words “Nepali” and “Gorkha” were included in the Constitution in 1992.

Chief minister Mamata, not only directed the district information and cultural affairs department to celebrate the event but also sent Chakraborty to represent her at the Darjeeling event.

A message from the chief minister was also read out in Nepali, English and Bengali during the 197th birth anniversary celebration held at the Southfield College auditorium today. “Highly admired by scholars and adored by the common people, his greatest creation, the Nepali translation of Ramayana has stood him alongside Tulsidas and Krittavas. Being the Adikavi in Nepali, his original writings in Nepali language are tales of his land and people,” read the chief minister’s statement five days before she is expected to visit the hills for the tripartite meeting between the state, the Centre and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

The state government and the Morcha have reached a consensus on a draft of the agreement to set up the Gorkhaland Territorial administration, a new authority for the hills. The draft is awaiting the Centre’s approval after which it is expected to be signed in Darjeeling on July 18.

Mamata has also announced that the bi-centenary birth anniversary of Bhanubhakta would be celebrated in a grand manner. “On this occasion I am pleased to announce that the 200th birth anniversary of Bhanubhakta in 2014 will be celebrated in the state with due respect and enthusiasm. The state government will also honour all who have made significant contributions in Nepali literature and culture,” the chief minister said in her message.

Sources said the earlier government had not shown any interest to hold a celebration, despite proposals being sent by the district administration. “In the past, proposals were sent to the state government on many occasions to mark the birth centenary but we received no clearance from Calcutta,” said a district official.

In the absence of the state government’s initiative, the responsibility of celebrating the birth anniversary had been shouldered by the Nepali Sahitya Sammelan in Darjeeling.

In fact, the Sammelan, along with literary giants like Dharnidhar Sharma, Surya Bikram Gewali and Parasmani Pradhan, were the first to coin the term “Adikavi” in the forties.

It was also because of their effort that the first statue of Bhanubhakta was made by a Scottish sculptor E.F. Thomson and installed at the Mall in 1949.

During Ghisingh’s time, the statue was beheaded on July 10, 1992. The Sammelan, however, immediately reinstalled it by collecting donations for the hill people.

The new government seems to have immediately recognised the sentiments of the hill people. “We also felicitated 14 literary figures from Darjeeling who have received the Sahitya Akademy Award,” said P.D. Bal, district information and cultural affairs officer.

Chakraborty in his speech supported the demand for the revival of the Nepali Akademy, a move which was welcomed by the Darjeeling MLA Trilok Dewan.

The Nepali Akademy, on the lines of the Bangla Akademy has been defunct since 1985. Even the Bhanu Purasakar, used to be given by the Bangla Akademy from 2002 but it was stopped in 2006. 

~The Telegraph