After a truly harrowing travel, I felt sufficiently rested today to read, once more, the treasured copy of "Jeevan Darpan", that you so graciously gave me during our much too brief a visit in Patna. What an emotional experience it is for me to read those entries and reminiscences. They are not just a memoir of an immortal figure in Hindi literature, but indeed an immortal figure in the history of India. Please do not misinterpret it as a mere hyperbole, but the true feeling of a Bihari who is convinced that Bihar and the people of Bihar has always rceived the short shrift by writers who have pretended to be the true chroniclers of literary history, and general history of India. As you may remember, the areas mentioned in the diary - Chhapra, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, etc - are all too familiar to me. And, indeed, I had the privilege to work as a lecturer in Rajendra College while Manoranjan Babu was still the principal (1960). The memories of my youth became alive again. Thanks, my old friend, for your contribution in bringing back those glorious old days.
Dear Mangal:
ReplyDeleteAfter a truly harrowing travel, I felt sufficiently rested today to read, once more, the treasured copy of "Jeevan Darpan", that you so graciously gave me during our much too brief a visit in Patna.
What an emotional experience it is for me to read those entries and reminiscences. They are not just a memoir of an immortal figure in Hindi literature, but indeed an immortal figure in the history of India. Please do not misinterpret it as a mere hyperbole, but the true feeling of a Bihari who is convinced that Bihar and the people of Bihar has always rceived the short shrift by writers who have pretended to be the true chroniclers of literary history, and general history of India.
As you may remember, the areas mentioned in the diary - Chhapra, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, etc - are all too familiar to me. And, indeed, I had the privilege to work as a lecturer in Rajendra College while Manoranjan Babu was still the principal (1960).
The memories of my youth became alive again.
Thanks, my old friend, for your contribution in bringing back those glorious old days.