Most parts of Bhagalpur cut from world, courtesy Telecom officials & Pvt operators

Don't get disturbed if you fail to get any response from your family members when you try to reach out them through the Government telecom service provider BSNL landline phone in most parts of the Silk City.

Telephones lines have fallen dead for the last 10 –15 days. Courtesy to the nexus between the BSNL officials and private telecom operators, who have recently started spreading their base in the district. "The department has been trying to rectify the problem and it will be done soon", says a BSNL officer when contacted by me.

When asked about the situation, PA to the TDM said "ask the Collector who is not taking any action against the private players, who deliberately cut the phone lines while laying their telephone lines."

Surprisingly, no BSNL official is ready say the exact date by which the restoration of telephone services can be expected.

Angered residents, who feel cut from their near and dear ones, blame directly the BSNL officials and Private operators for this problem. The city has been witnessing this problem after every ten or fifteen days making the residents believe that they must go for private services for uninterrupted telecom services.

Chandan Kumar

Saints turn radio jockey in Bhagalpur

People across the country tune in to FM radios to catch popular music. But in a remote corner of Bihar, people have become ardent listeners to spiritual teachings, broadcast not from radio station, but a poverty-stricken saint community that vows to enlighten the society.

In Bhagalpur, Bihar, Sant Gyanmukh Ashhram through its makeshift FM station broadcasts programs on spirituality and even spearheads an anti-dowry campaign.

“The holy men here broadcast good programmes. They tell us about good deeds and positive thoughts,” says Pappu, a local villager who begins his day by listening to this local FM channel.

Though the channel doesn’t have a license, it has become immensely popular among the locals. “They sing about the evils of dowry system. Everybody listens to the programmes with joy. We learn a lot,” says Yogendra Prasad, villager.

The ashram authorities say they are trying to enlighten the locals. “Our elected representatives look for a chance to take advantage of people. We educate people about their rights and duties to protect them from harm,” said Yogesh Gyan Swarup, Saint.

With this local initiative, the ashram plans to catch up with big-time saints like Asha Ram Bapu. And for the locals, it’s good music to the ears.

Setting it right (riot): Hindu priest keeping a mazaar abandoned after Bhagalpur riots

Ghogha (Bhagalpur)

Believe it or not. Bhagalpur, which has been famous for its deadliest communal riots in 1999, has now emerged as perfect example of communal harmony.

Suresh Bhagat, 65, a resident of Amapur, 20 km from Bhagalpur, has been taking care of a shrine since 1999 after it was abandoned by last of Muslim survivors of the riot.

He has left his family with a hope to reinstate Hindu-Muslim solidarity, shaken and challenged after the 1989 Bhagalpur riot killing over 2,000 people.

He has been keeping up shrine and solidarity.

He sleeps on a machaan, elevated platform supported by bamboo sticks on four sides, to guard the Pir dargah, adjacent to a cremation site at Ganga bank.

“No sense of fear and weird thoughts crossed my dreams even once in last seven years”, says Bhagat.

The 300-year-old Bazid Khan Pahalwan dargarh has been attracting Hindu and Muslim devotees alike. Last of Muslim families at Amapur, Ghogha moved to Bhagalpur for a living and to escape “tantrums of dominant Hindus”.

Pakkisarai panchayat asked for a willing caretaker after Kamo Miyan, the last Muslim care taker of dargah, shifted to Bhagalpur in 1999.

Bhagat was ready. There was surely initial resistance from Bhagat’s wife and three sons but Bhagat had his way.

Amapur villagers said “of 12 Muslim families, seven families were killed in 1989 riots”. The surviving families moved to Bhagalpur and Colgong in subsequent years.

Bhagat does not know how to follow Muslim rituals. He only knows to put chadar (sheets) on mazaar. He offers the burnt remains of incense sticks, called bhasm, to Hindu and Muslim devotees who throng from neighbouring Ekchari, Bhagalpur, Ghogha and at times from Kolkata and Lucknow as well.

An illiterate Bhagat wishes he could offer namaz. But he prefers to “internalize” his respect for Islam. “Though I do not know nitty-gritty of any religion, every religion surely talks of love and peace,” says the Hindu keeper.

Bhagalpur administration, however, is not aware of “good example being set by Bhagat”. The Bhagalpur district magistrate Bipin Kumar told “I did not know this. It is a great example of communal harmony”.

Colgong JD (U) MLA Ajay Mandal had promised to renovate the dargah before he successfully contested the last Assembly election. Mandal, however, has not yet fulfilled his promise. Mandal could not be contacted.

It is evening. Bhagat’s son, Anil, who plies a rickshaw, comes to see his father at the shrine. He gives a disapproving look at his father and hands over a tiffin-box to him, who spends 24X7 at dargah.

Bhagat just smiles and rides atop the elevated bamboo platform with his dinner pack to say “Kaash aesi bhi muhabbat ho apne desh mein, jab tere ghar upwaas ho, mere ghar ramzan ho (I wish there is such love when Hindu fasting and Ramzan fall on the same day”.

A Bhagalpur institute sends 57 “uncouth” Biharis to NIFT in four years

Son of a Bhagalpur confectioner has designed a prize-wining pair of shoes, to be displayed soon at Italy’s Linea Pple, an international design fair.

The pair of shoes is among top 20 shoes chosen by the Council of Leather Experts, from among 73 pairs designed by students and industry professions from India and Japan two months ago.

The shoes designed by Akash Kumar won him second prize. The final year textile design student at the National Institute of Fashion and Technology, Chennai, now looks up to work with some big leather brand.

But three years ago, this shy small-town boy could not dream big. After his 12th from Mount Assissi School Bhagalpur, Akash only wanted to do something “different”. But he did not know how.

It was JS Education that brought all the “difference” to Akash and 56 others over last four years.

The coaching institute is being run by Rajiv Kant Mishra, a History gold medalist who quit a manager job at the Central government’s Hindustan Vegetable Oil Corporation in 1999 to start an institute from Bhagalpur that can prepare students for competitive objective exams.

“As Biharis and fashion generally do not go together, preparing students for NIFT entrance was the last thing in my mind initially”, said the JS Education director Mishra, 45.

When he finally decided for NIFT entrance coaching in 2002, people laughed at him. His institute’s initial JS (originally named after Jyoti, his grandmother and grand father Smiriti Kant Mishra) would be “expanded by Jeevan Saathi” by passers-by.

“Hamare bachchon ko bigad dega (the institute will spoil our children” said a parent.

The hurt in Mishra was deep. He anyhow managed eight girls and two boys to prepare them for 2003-07 NIFT session in early 2002.

He got creative writers, painters and psychoanalysts to help the “not-so-sure” students. The institute charges Rs 7,500 for a 10-month course and Rs 9,000 for a year-course in NIFT entrance preparation. The NIFT is under Union Ministry of Textiles.

The final merit list had all his 10 students. He did not believe it. But Bhagalpur did and soon eat its words of disdain for Mishra.

The next three coaching batches had nine, 15 and 23 students getting admission into either of seven NIFT centres in the country. Of 57 students, 34 are girls.

Most of them – belonging to Bhagalpur, Purnea, Araria, Muzaffarpur and Katihar, have come from very modest background. At least, five are sons of farmers.

Mishra said those who thought of making their children civil servants, doctors, engineers and bank officers were forced to include NIFT in their list.

Mishra wanted to break the image that Biharis know little of fashion. “Now my students can dream of rubbing shoulders with Manish Malhotras and Ritu Beris and can dream of designing dresses and accessories for Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee,” said the proud institute director.

Speaking to The Telegraph from Chennai, Akash Kumar said “JS Education gave me the right kind of push, yet unheard in a small city”. He said “Seven students from Bihar at NIFT, Chennai have made their presence felt”.

Neha Pragya, a 2004-08 session student at NIFT, Kolkata, had scored 10 out of 10 in a paper, an all-India record, in semester four.

She said though she came from a businessman Agarwal family at Bhagalpur, she never thought she could make it to the NIFT entrance from being at Bhagalpur.

Back to JS Education’s current NIFT hopefuls, all are brimming with confidence. Eighty students, divided in four batches, have been taking the entrance two-tier entrance test seriously.

Brajesh Kumar, a Bhagalpur resident and son of a teacher, said “only IIM and IIT are not the end of the world. Boys are also learning to take up scissors to cut it to perfection”.

Tulika said the institute engages them in intension creative skill, sketching, colouring and designing sessions”.

Manish Jha, son of an advocate, and Shilpi, daughter of a bank officer, have already thought of designing dresses for Tall Dark Handsome guys “Cargo pant and a T-shirt will suit them most”, said Shilpi with a chirp while others say dress designing has to be “simple, yet dignified”.

by Santosh Singh

JD (U) MLA from Bhagalpur district `threatens' cop

A complaint was registered against a ruling JD (U) MLA in Bihar for allegedly threatening a police officer who objected to his taking along an escort team meant for a Minister.

Badri Prasad Mandal, officer in-charge of Parbatta police station in Naugachhia police district, made an entry in the station diary against Narendra Kumar Neeraj alias Gopal Mandal, accusing the MLA from Gopalpur of threatening to eliminate him after he withdrew the police escort the legislator had unauthorisedly taken along on a trip, police said on Wednesday.

Sources said Excise and Prohibition Minister Sudha Srivastava had to go on a visit to Khagaria from Bhagalpur on Sunday and a police escort was to accompany her from Parbatta police station.

However, before she arrived at the place from where the escort was to join her, the MLA arrived there and asked the escort to accompany him to Chaupar Diara. Midway through the journey, the officer in-charge contacted the escort and asked it to accompany the Minister.

The MLA allegedly later threatened the officer for withdrawing the escort. The officer duly informed SP Shyam Kumar, on whose advice he lodged a complaint regarding the threat to his life on Monday.

When contacted, the MLA denied the charge and described the officer as a "drunkard". -- PTI

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR IN BHAGALPUR

You may not believe it. But it is reality that our city Bhagalpur is going to host the firstever International Seminar in the country on "Molecular Taxonomy" from 12the February.

Tilkamanjhi Bhagalpur University Vice-Chancellor Prema Jha will inaugurate the six-day seminar on 12th Feb to be attended by scientists and experts from several other countries. Dr Rosabell Samuel from Viena University will be there for special lecture on the topic. Dr Jun Wen and dr Elizabeth Jimer from US based Smithsonian Institute have also confirmed their presence.

Girl scores 78 out of 75 in Bhagalpur university exam!

Strange is the functioning of Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU). Few years ago, a girl topped the MA (political science) examination without appearing at the viva-voce. Now, a student has been awarded more than the total marks in one of his papers. Utpal Mandal, a geography honours student of the local TNB College was awarded 78 marks in paper IV, which carried a total of 75 marks. Utpal's classmate Rakesh Kumar Sah could secure only six marks in his subsidiary paper of political science, though he claims he answered all the questions. TMBU controller of examinations Sneh Prabha Jha told TOI:"We have to see whether the errors in totalling the marks obtained by Utpal and Rakesh were committed by the computer or the examiners concerned."

Source : Times Of India

DRM office to be shifted at Bhagalpur

It seems that the long pending demand of the Bhagalpurites is going to be heard soon. Speculations are rife that DRM office at Maldah in West Bengal is going to be shifted at Bhagalpur.

With the opening of the DRM office here, much developmental activities are expected in the city. Acoording to Local residents, the Bhagalpur junction will get automatically status of City Station paving way for a bigger terminal. New trains will be started and number of platforms will be increased.