Dr. Bhimnath Jha डॉ. भीमनाथ झा

Bhimnath Jha was born on 17 February 1945 in Koilakh (Pubari Tol), in Madhubani district, the eldest son of Pandit Taranath Jha and Bhagirathi Devi. The family has long been close to Maithili letters, and friends call him affectionately “Bhim Bhai” and his students “Bheembabu.” He and his wife, Pramila Devi, live in Darbhanga.

He had his early schooling in Varanasi, passed his matriculation from the high school in Koilakh in 1958, and graduated from C.M. College, Darbhanga, in 1962. After about a decade working as a co-operative supervisor, clerk and librarian, he joined Mithila Mihir, the Maithili weekly published from Patna, as sub-editor in February 1973. He stayed until October 1982 and helped bring a generation of new writers into print. Along the way he completed an M.A. in Maithili at Magadh University (1975) and a Ph.D. at L.N. Mithila University (1982), with a critical study of the Maithili works of the poet Kashikant Mishra ‘Madhup’. From 1980 to 1983 he held a Junior Fellowship from the Department of Culture, Government of India.

In November 1982 he became a lecturer at C.M. College, Darbhanga. In 1988 he moved to the University Department of Maithili at L.N. Mithila University as Reader. He became University Professor of Maithili in 1996 and retired in February 2005. Fifteen research scholars completed their doctorates under his guidance, and he later gave about 2,400 books from his own library to the University Department of Maithili. He has served on the Sahitya Akademi’s Advisory Board for Maithili (1978–1987 and 1998–2002) and its General Council (1998–2002). He has also been associated with the All India Maithili Sahitya Parishad since 1990.

His first poem, ‘Kaliyugak Dharm’, appeared in the Darbhanga magazine Vaidehi in April 1960. His first collection, Tridhara, followed in 1968 and six more over the next four decades. In 2013 all seven were brought together in a single volume, Kavitadhan. Alongside the poetry runs a large body of criticism. Parichayika, his studies of the literary contribution of leading Maithili writers from Jyotirishwar to Gangesh Gunjan, was first published in 1978 and reached its third edition in 2024. He also wrote the Sahitya Akademi monograph Sitaram Jha (1983), the essays of Vividha (1989), and later collections such as Vimarsh (2004) and Naammatra (2024). His other prose includes a memoir, Man-Aangname Thaadh (2000), and a newspaper column collected as Tower Chaukse (2009).

As an editor he has brought seventeen volumes into print. They include the letters of the poet Kashikant Mishra ‘Madhup’ (1988), the collected writings of Govind Chaudhary (2010), four volumes of Maithili course material for IGNOU (2012), and the Sahitya Akademi anthology Samakalin Maithili Kavita (1988, with Mohan Bhardwaj). He also helped prepare felicitation volumes honouring Prof. Harimohan Jha, Prof. Umanath Jha and others.

Vividha received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992. Later honours include the Prabodh Sahitya Samman (2014), the Vishwambhar Maithili Sahitya Samman (2021) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vidyapati Chair of L.N. Mithila University (2024). His writing is part of the UGC NET syllabus for Maithili. Three books have been devoted to his life and work: the felicitation volume Bhavbhumi Rasvant (2011); Leekhi Pathaol Aakhar (2016), 475 letters written to him by 135 writers; and Pothik Patpar (2020), which gathers his forewords and opinions on 151 books.

भीमनाथ झाक जन्म 17 फरवरी 1945 केँ मधुबनी जिलाक कोइलख (पुबारि टोल) गाममे भेलनि। ओ पं. तारानाथ झा आ भागीरथी देवीक ज्येष्ठ पुत्र छथि। ई परिवार बहुत दिनसँ मैथिली साहित्यसँ जुड़ल रहल अछि। मित्र हुनका स्नेहसँ “भीम भाइ” आ शिष्य “भीमबाबू” कहैत छथिन। सम्प्रति ओ अपन पत्नी प्रमिला देवीक संग दरभंगामे रहैत छथि।

हुनक प्राथमिक शिक्षा वाराणसीमे भेलनि। 1958 मे उच्च विद्यालय कोइलखसँ मैट्रिक, 1960 मे रामकृष्ण महाविद्यालय, मधुबनीसँ आइ.ए. आ 1962 मे चन्द्रधारी मिथिला महाविद्यालय, दरभंगासँ बी.ए. कयलनि। तकर बाद लगभग दस वर्ष धरि ओ सहकारिता पर्यवेक्षक, लिपिक आ पुस्तकाध्यक्षक रूपमे काज कयलनि। फरवरी 1973 सँ अक्टूबर 1982 धरि ओ पटनासँ प्रकाशित साप्ताहिक ‘मिथिला मिहिर’क उपसम्पादक रहलाह, जतय ओ नव पीढ़ीक अनेक लेखक केँ प्रकाशमे अनलनि। एही बीच 1975 मे मगध विश्वविद्यालयसँ मैथिलीमे एम.ए. आ 1982 मे ललित नारायण मिथिला विश्वविद्यालयसँ पी-एच.डी. कयलनि। शोधक विषय छल कविचूड़ामणि काशीकान्त मिश्र ‘मधुप’क मैथिली कृतिक आलोचनात्मक अध्ययन। 1980 सँ 1983 धरि ओ भारत सरकारक संस्कृति विभागक जूनियर फेलो रहलाह।

नवम्बर 1982 मे ओ चन्द्रधारी मिथिला महाविद्यालय, दरभंगामे व्याख्याता भेलाह। फरवरी 1988 मे ललित नारायण मिथिला विश्वविद्यालयक विश्वविद्यालय मैथिली विभागमे उपाचार्य बनलाह, 1996 मे विश्वविद्यालय प्राचार्य भेलाह, आ फरवरी 2005 मे अवकाश लेलनि। हुनक निर्देशनमे पन्द्रह शोधार्थी पी-एच.डी. उपाधि प्राप्त कयलनि। बादमे ओ अपन निजी पुस्तकालयक लगभग 2400 पोथी विश्वविद्यालय मैथिली विभाग केँ दान कयलनि। ओ साहित्य अकादेमीक मैथिली परामर्श मण्डल (1978–1987 आ 1998–2002) आ सामान्य परिषद (1998–2002) तथा अखिल भारतीय मैथिली साहित्य परिषद (1990) सँ सेहो जुड़ल रहलाह।

हुनक पहिल कविता ‘कलियुगक धर्म’ अप्रैल 1960 मे दरभंगासँ प्रकाशित ‘वैदेही’मे छपल, आ पहिल कविता-संग्रह ‘त्रिधारा’ 1968 मे आयल। तकर बाद छओ आओर संग्रह प्रकाशित भेल, आ 2013 मे ई सातो संग्रह एकहि जिल्दमे ‘कविताधन’ नामसँ संकलित भेल। कविताक संग हुनक समालोचना-कर्म सेहो विपुल अछि। ज्योतिरीश्वरसँ गंगेश गुंजन धरि मैथिलीक प्रमुख साहित्यकारक साहित्यिक अवदान पर केन्द्रित ‘परिचायिका’ 1978 मे पहिल बेर छपल आ 2024 मे एकर तेसर संस्करण आयल। संगहि साहित्य अकादेमीसँ प्रकाशित विनिबन्ध ‘सीताराम झा’ (1983), ‘विविधा’ (1989), ‘विमर्श’ (2004) आ ‘नाममात्र’ (2024) सन पोथी सेहो छनि। संस्मरण ‘मन-आङनमे ठाढ़’ (2000) आ स्तम्भ-लेखनक संग्रह ‘टावर चौकसँ’ (2009) हुनक गद्यक आन रूप थिक।

सम्पादकक रूपमे ओ सत्रह ग्रन्थ प्रकाशमे अनलनि। एहिमे कवि काशीकान्त मिश्र ‘मधुप’क पत्र (1988), गोविन्द चौधरीक रचनावली (2010), इग्नू लेल चारि खण्डमे मैथिलीक आधार पाठ्यसामग्री (2012) आ मोहन भारद्वाजक संग साहित्य अकादेमीक संकलन ‘समकालीन मैथिली कविता’ (1988) सम्मिलित अछि। प्रो. हरिमोहन झा, प्रो. उमानाथ झा आदिक अभिनन्दनग्रन्थक सम्पादनमे सेहो हुनक योगदान रहल।

‘विविधा’ लेल हुनका 1992 मे साहित्य अकादेमी पुरस्कार भेटलनि। तकर बाद प्रबोध साहित्य सम्मान (2014), विश्वम्भर मैथिली साहित्य सम्मान (2021) आ ल.ना. मिथिला विश्वविद्यालयक विद्यापति चेयर द्वारा आजीवन उपलब्धि सम्मान (2024) सेहो भेटलनि। हुनक रचना यूजीसी नेट मैथिलीक पाठ्यक्रममे सम्मिलित अछि। हुनक जीवन आ कृति पर तीन पोथी प्रकाशित अछि: अभिनन्दनग्रन्थ ‘भावभूमि रसवंत’ (2011), ‘लीखि पठाओल आखर’ (2016; 135 व्यक्तिक 475 पत्र) आ ‘पोथीक पातपर’ (2020; 151 पोथीक भूमिका-सम्मति)।