एक संस्मरणः दहेज मुक्त मिथिला केँ धरातल पर उतारबाक लेल शुरुआत ऐतिहासिक सौराठ सभा सँ कएल गेल, ताहि सम्बन्ध मे एक अंग्रेजी लेख
– प्रवीण नारायण चौधरी
This was really a historical day in my life!
Mere talking big for our society cannot really do big unless we act and do big. I recall how we discussed in length regarding Dahej Mukt Mithila in early March 2011 on Facebook group. I had challenged friends and they accepted too – challenge was to prove what we say we do. And, that was how our journey had started meeting the patron Ajit Azad at Hotel Fort in Patna through the associated youth activist Sonu Mishra. As always, our guide and elder Ajit Bhai said so many things in gist about Saurath Sabha. I had heard that my ancestor had dug a very famous well (इनार) there. Altogether I dared to launch DMM on ground via Saurath. And it clicked too. The decision of social media reached to ground zero via one of the most famous historical heritage. DMM – Dahej Mukt Mithila had decided right then that mere appeal for making society dowry free will not be heard in our Mithila. The people in Mithila are so clever and cunning too. They give damn to any appeal unless their own consciences do not realize the real Tattva (essence of any activity). So, it was Saurath Sabha, the place of convergence of Brahmin grooms ready to get married, whom people from different classes and sects of Brahmins interview and select to marry with their daughters/sisters. A great tradition which a very few developed societies had or have. Mithila was great on this aspect! You will wonder when know more about the model of deciding whom and how to marry among the brahmins and few more castes like Karna Kayastha, Dev Samaj, and also others who followed Panjee Parampara (registering the marriages). In the photograph, you can see one Jhajee on left from Muzaffarpur district, then another Jhajee from Supaul (Sakhuwa village), I – Jha-turned-Choudhary from Kurson (Darbhanga) and another Jha-turned-Choudhary from Loha (Madhubani) – all of us were on initial mission of Dahej Mukt Mithila to participate in the convergence of Maithil Brahmin grooms, and also all other castes/classes for the purpose of fixing marriages without demanding any dowry from bride’s party. Our slogan was simply take a vow not to demand any dowry from the family/person whom we will make a sacred relations like marriage – a process by which two souls become one; how can one imagine of giving pain to any family/person and then enjoy blissful and happy married life! How can you get offspring from such brides who would ever become like Bhagirath who did the hardest austerities to get thousands of his forefathers (Sagar-Putra – sons of King Sagar) who met death untimely and whose souls were made the keep by opposite side. It was Bhagirath who did everything to perform the water oblation (Tarpan) and thus he brought divine river Ganges on the earth and took Her through the way Sagar-Putra were kept; as Bhagirath moved so did Ganges and this way those kept souls were liberated. We must learn some lessons from this. Today, our Maithil identity is in crises. It is made ‘kept’ like Sagar-Putra and we need to pay hard austerities to get it liberated. And, this memory has given me a punch again, I recall what I am vowed for. I will liberate Mithila. You will liberate Mithila. Mithila will get liberated I am sure.
Harih Harah!!
