AN UNGRATEFUL NATION HAS VIRTUALLY UNTIED WITH NATIONAL POETS’S
RELATION !
by G. S. JOHAR
December 12, 1964---the National Poet of India, Maithili Sharan
Gupta, passed away ; December 12, 2007---none remembered him, as
usual, and that day crossed away. If any body in whole of the
country could have remember him, that might have been just by the
way. It is sad to note that this great poet of India on his
remembrance day—December 12--- could not create any news either in
TV, radio, or even in a Hindi newspaper. It’s a matter of ‘National
Shame’, but who is to blame ? Even in the country’s Rajya Sabha
where Maithili Sharan Gupta, as its member spent many years, and
where he used his sparkling poetry to put his opinions before the
other members, failed to remember him (as per my information). He
had remained a member of the Rajya Sabha till his death in 1964.
That “India respects poets”, this claim every years goes into
flame. Between the fateful day of December 12, 1964, and December
12, 2007, forty two other twelve-Decembers had come and gone, but
ungratefully we never duly respected our National Poet as a true
icon. Thankfully, however, the Govt. of India did issue a postage
stamp of 25 paise denomination, on July 3, 1974---exactly one month
before his 108th birth anniversary.
Thirty years ago, in the second week of October, 1977, while
passing through the Kanpur-Jhansi Ntional Highway-25, the author of
this article ( GSJ ) specially took a halt at the very small
town—Cirgaon—about 30 kilometers from Jhansi, and enquired from the
local people about the location of the grave of Maithili Sharan
Gupta. Althoug author was immediately taken to the poet’s grave by
some one, but as soon as the author saw it he was aghast and
shocked, and could not believe that any country’s national poet’s
grave could be in that shattered and dilapidated state. The shocked
author could not resist himself from writing a letter to the leading
newspaper of Uttar Pradesh, National Herald , published from
Lucknow. Here under, the author is reproducing his letter that was
published in the People’s Forum, on October 25, 1977 :
PEOPLE’S FORUM
National Herald ( Lucknow )
Tuesday, October 25, 1977
National Poet’s Grave
Sir,---William Shakespeare described a grave---the eternal rest
place of a dead individual---as the house that lasts till dooms day
; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was of the opinion that graves were the
footprints of angels ; William Blake described grave as a heaven’s
golden gate. These sayings might be true in Europe, America and
elsewhere, but unfortunately never in our country. It is a matter of
utmost regret and shame that the grave of our most revered verse
writer and National Poet---Maithili Sharan Gupta---is today lying in
the most dilapidated and shattered condition at “Chirgaon” on the
Kanpur-Jhansi National Highway. The grave of the man who served as
the most dedicated volunteer in the field of Hindi poetry, created
more than 60 priceless “granths”, won the prestigious Mangla Prasad
Paritoshik, was nominated as member of Rajya Parishad by the
country’s President, now appears to be a million years old excavated
piece. There is no body to look after it. The small terrace like
grave is now only a heap of bricks. Dust is everywhere. There is not
even a name plate on the grave that could possibly guide any stray
visitor to that place. This is the way---the Indian style of
remembering our great men.
At the time of poet’s death in 1964 the whole nation was in
tears. Big talks were held in order to raise a monument in the
memory of the departed poet. But alas, only a small grave was
erected at his birth place, Chirgaon, in Jhansi District. Probably a
trust was also constituted to look after the grave. Up to 1966 the
grave had a regular shape, but thereafter from 1967 to-date---there
has been none to care for it. The grave has not been dusted even
during the past decade ! A substantial amount of royalty is being
paid by the publishers on Mr. Gupta’s publications. Some of this
amount could be easily availed for the maintenance of Mr. Gupta’s
grave, but unfortunately a litigation is going on between the son
and nephew of the late poet on the question of who is to receive the
royalty ?
G. S. JOHAR
After the publication of the author’s above letter there was some
impact, and some remedial measures were taken, and the grave of the
national poet was given some shape and figure. But still the grave
has not been given that beauty, respect, and importance that it
deserves. The spot where the grave lies still goes unnoticed by tens
of thousands of people that pass by that Highway daily.
I request the poets of today, as well as non-poet readers of this
article, to put forward their views so that the govt. of India could
be requested for the uplifting of that place so as to make it a
place of national tourism. After all Mithili Sharan Gupta was
(probably as per my personal knowledge) the only personality to have
been decorated with the crown of “National Poet”, and even after his
death the crown has not been transferred on to any other eligible
person.
The American philosopher, Benjamin Franklin [ 1706-1790 ], in his
poetry, “Paper”, had virtually described the same treatment to
poets, as has been given to Miathili Sharan Gupta. Franklin’s poetry
says :
WHAT ARE OUR POETS, TAKE THEM AS THEY FALL,
GOOD, BAD, RICH, POOR, MUCH-READ, NOT-READ AT ALL ?
THEM AND THEIR WORKS IN THE SAME CLASS YOU’LL FIND---
THEY ARE THE MERE WASTEPAPER OF MANKIND.
