Patna: Global Bihari‘s columnist Dr Birbal Jha, an English litterateur and cultural connoisseur, has coined, designed, developed, organised, and led a paag march, which was taken out for the first time in 2016 with the sole objective of promoting Mithila’s cultural identity and overall development.
This year, he led the march to celebrate National Youth Day and commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand on January 12. This march, led by Dr Jha, began from Rajendra Bhavan, New Delhi, where the participants included the fourth lady judge of the Supreme Court of India, Gyan Sudha Mishra, Sanjay Jha, IPS, and other distinguished scholars. It then rolled out in several districts of Bihar.
According to BBC Radio, it was the largest-ever cultural effort made from the Mithila belt, Dr Jha disclosed.
The march, part of the ‘Save the Paag’ campaign focuses on socio-cultural and economic development in society. It is a campaign to promote using the traditional headdress worn in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. Mithilalok Foundation, a cultural pressure group established in 2016, organises the march. The campaign also includes a proposal to have the paag recognised as the official headgear of Bihar. The campaign also includes a proposal for some representatives in the Bihar Legislative Council to symbolically wear the Paag.
“The main objectives of the march include promoting the use of the paag as a symbol of cultural identity and heritage, royalty and respect, and encouraging social integration and development in the region,” Dr Jha said.
Dr Jha claims the march has connected over 4 crore Maithils globally and gained nationwide attention. The Central Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also issued a postal stamp featuring the Mithila paag in its honour.
“The paag march will continue to be a monumental effort to preserve the cultural heritage of Mithila and pursue creating lasting change,” Dr Jha said.
– global bihari bureau
