Patna: The Department of English, Patna University (PU) organised a one day seminar on “The Legacy of Bihari Literature” on Saturday. The chief speaker poet, diplomat, noted writer and translator Abhay K talked about the conception of the idea of Bihari literature and traced the entire history of Bihari literature and evolution of Bihari languages.
He has recently edited a volume called “The Book of Bihari Literature”. The book is an anthology of works by writers from Bihar and includes writers like Renu, Prem Kumar Mani, Ravindra Kumar and Alok Dhanva. He talked about the earliest poems written in Pali and Sanskrit in Bihar. He recited several translations from the book including the poems of Vidyapati, Abdul Qadir, Naseem, Mahendra Misir, Dinkar, Shaad Azimabadi, Ashwini Kumar and Nagarjuna etc.
He mentioned that Sheikh Deen Mohammed who was the first Indian English writer was also from Bihar. He also answered the questions raised by the audience. He called his book an appetiser that may incite young translators and editors to bring out their own anthologies and promote Bihari Literature. He also discussed the current status of Magahi Literature mentioning the first Magahi novel called “Phool Bahadur”.
The keynote speech was delivered by retd Professor Ram Bhagwan Singh. He said that no book can be complete and the best anthologies are those that invite the publication of more anthologies. He mentioned the review that he had written for the book explaining some of the inadequacies of the book. Prof. Ram Bhagwan Singh also talked in detail about the “Bihari Taste”.
He said that the hospitality of Bihari people must reflect in the writings of the state. He commended Shri Abhay K for achieving so many feats in such a young age.
In the presidential address, Prof (Dr) Arjun Kumar highlighted the significance of the work done by Abhay K. He also emphasised the important traits of Bihari literature underlining that the current trend of translating from regional languages has gained prominence.
