Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University’s (TMBU) Angika Department organized a Solo Session where Angika Litterateur Dr. Shivchandra Jha’s daughter Jyoti Jha, represented her father’s literary heritage to the students present in the department. The program began with the Head of the Department, Dr. Neelam Mahto, welcoming the esteemed guest with an Angavastra and a Bouquet. Dr. Neelam Mahto also presided over the session as the Chairperson. A welcome speech was presented by Dr. Shobha Kumari, a Faculty Member of the Angika Department, where she introduced the guest and motivated the students with a message of love and respect for one’s language, region, and identity. Dr. Shobha has been incessantly working towards the establishment and development of the Angika Department under the guidance of the Department Head, Dr. Neelam Mahto, and the committee of the Angika Department. During her welcome speech, she also highlighted the literary contributions of Dr. Shivchandra Jha and how his daughter has connected to the roots to spread the message of the language and region, aligning her literary efforts with her literary legacy. She presented her book ‘Angika Sahitya Ka Itihaas’ to the guest. The book is a testament that depicts Dr. Shobha’s profound love, dedication, and efforts towards preserving, enriching, and developing Angika language and several aspects of its rich literature through a new perspective.
Dr. Neelam Mahto addressed the audience with her zealous and inspiring speech, where she highlighted the importance of language and how preserving the essence of the language along with its progress is of great importance. She appreciated the esteemed speaker, Jyoti Jha, for her literary achievements and her sense of responsibility towards her roots and nourishing it through her literary contributions. She spoke about the extensive contributions of Dr Shivchandra Jha to the Angika Language, the Indo-Aryan language from Ang Pradesh, Bihar.
MA, PhD, Dip in Ed, and LLB by qualification, Dr. Shivchandra Jha ‘Angiras’ took to writing after retiring as Sub Divisional Education Officer from the Bihar Government. In his few years of writing journey, he soon became a prestigious litterateur in the Angika language because of his extensive literary contribution. He authored 8 books, several of his articles were published in newspapers and magazines, and many of his allegories were broadcast from Akashvani, Bhagalpur. His distinguished contribution to Angika literature is in the form of his translated work on ‘Srimad Bhagwat Rahasya’ published by Vikramsheela Research Institute. He was invited to be appointed from the Institute Governing Board of Editors for Biographical Inclusion (Millennium Edition), International Biographical Directory of Distinguished Leaders by the International Institute of Biographical Research Inc., India. His short-story collection ‘Chaubatiya’, originally written in the Angika language, has been translated into Hindi by his daughter Jyoti Jha.
Award-winning, Bestselling HR-turned-Author Jyoti Jha, who is primarily an English Writer, is known for her bestselling Hindi novella ‘Aanandi’, which is an illustrative symbol of women’s empowerment. Jyoti shared her keen interest and familiarity with Hindi and Angika due to her literature and language-rich upbringing and which instilled in her the profound love, pride, and inclination towards both the languages despite her education in English medium. She inspired the students towards developing and maintaining love and pride towards one’s language, region, and identity, and how, through literature, one could work towards bringing social awareness and change. She emphasised the challenges of the Angika and Hindi languages in the global landscape and how one can work towards igniting awareness and change, with translations being one of the media. She also urged the students to write in their native language and continue to spread the power of language, and through literature, contribute towards social changes. She also spoke about her book ‘Aanandi’ and how the story from the grassroots of Bihar and especially Ang Pradesh, has received great appreciation from readers, the literary fraternity, media houses, and institutes. The book has been adapted for audio audiobook and theatrical representation. She shared about the contributions of her father, Dr. Shivchandra Jha, and how literature has always been a strong modern source of history for the generations to follow. She discussed ‘Chaubatiya’ and how, through its translation from Angika to Hindi, she has not only offered a literary tribute to her father, but also tried to bring the language to the mainstream. She said Chaubatiya is her literary lineage. An esteemed winner of the Top 50 Indian Icon Awards, Columnist-The Literary Mirror, Senior Editor- Today Magazine, and The Times of India Write India Winner, Jyoti Jha has authored, edited, and translated several books in English and Hindi. TEDx speaker, Speaker at IITs and IIMs, Awarded ‘Vidya Vachaspati’ and Dr Shanti Jain Smriti Samman, Chief Coordinator of the Literary Chapter, Let’s Inspire Bihar, Jyoti has conducted Writing Workshops at IITs and NIT. Her books have garnered much appreciation from readers, prominent media houses, and the literary fraternity.
Dr. Madhukar Dikshit, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, graced the occasion with his eminent presence and shared how Angika, as a language, can prosper. He shared his insights and experience of working towards the development and prosperity of the language.
The program moved toward the question segment, where the enthusiastic students participated by asking questions to the esteemed guest about her literary quests, writings, experiences, language, and literature.
The program concluded with a vote of thanks presented by Sri Anil Kumar, Angika Department. The program saw the presence and participation of teaching staff, faculty members, and students of the department. The students and faculty also gladly gave the esteemed guest a tour of the Dinkar Parisar within the beautiful and vast campus of the university.
