New Delhi: The book English Poetry from Bihar, edited by Prof. Ram Bhagwan Singh, was launched at the Press Club of India, New Delhi on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Prof. RK Dhawan, former professor of English, at the University of Delhi, summarised the entire book, saying that English poetry from Bihar is a great anthology worth reading as it encapsulates poetic contributions from Bihar to the world literary work.
The book is the first-ever anthology of English poems by prominent authors from Bihar. It features 22 poets from Bihar who wrote or write in English, starting from Avadh Bihari Lall (1866-1921) upto contemporary poets such as Tabish Khair and Abhay K.
Other poets featured in the anthology include Gurudas Mukherjee, Umeshwar Prasad, Amarendra Kumar, R.K. Singh, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Ravi Nandan Sinha, Pashupati Jha, Kumar Vinod Chaudhary, Anil K. Prasad, Punita Jha, Vijoy Mishra, Chhote Lal Khatri, Samar Pratap Singh, Kalpana Singh-Chitnis, Binod Mishra, Sumirasko, Bhaskaranand Jha Bhaskar, Surabhi Sonam and Agranee Shree.
Speaking at the book launch poet Abhay K. whose nine poems including Nalanda feature in this anthology, said —“I am delighted to see that a book on English poetry from Bihar has come after the publication of The Book of Bihari Literature, which has generated a great interest in literature from Bihar. This timely book documents the poets from Bihar who chose to write in English and would be a valuable edition to any library.”
Delhi University’s associate professor Dr Prerana Sinha said that poetry brings vitality and enthusiasm.
“Composing a poem entails writing anything using rhyme and rhythm with carefully chosen words to have an aesthetic, emotional and lasting impact on others. It comes from the power of imagination and arouses, awakens, and fills us with the desire to do more.”, added Dr Birbal Jha, noted author and a columnist of Global Bihari.
“Reading poetry allows us to understand fascinating parts of literature and creativity,” said Sudhanshu Ranjan, former additional director general of Doordarshan and Aakashvani. He described one of the poets featured in the book, Professor Gurdas Mukherjee, as an exceptional teacher with poetic skills and literary ideals. “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been his student,” he said.
Speaking as the chief guest of the ceremony, the former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Amod Kanth said, “The collection of poems is pretty intriguing to me, especially those by Prof. Gurudas Mukherjee, who was not only a poet and author, but also a remarkable teacher who left an indelible mark on English literature and the standardisation of English teaching.”
Ram Bhagwan Singh (born 1941), who edited the book, is a professor of English, who retired from Ranchi University in 2001. He is a bilingual writer, translator, critic and reviewer. He writes a weekly column in Educational News, an online journal.
The book launch ceremony was organised under the aegis of British Lingua, an institute for English communication skills. The literary event was convened by Indibar Mukherjee, a professor who taught at Patna University, said, every scholar is an institution in himself and herself to send a message of positivity and creativity in society.
– global bihari bureau
