Book on the life of Acharya Jyotindra Prasad Jha unveiled
PNS
Deoghar
On the occasion of the 107th birth anniversary of Acharya Professor Jyotindra Prasad Jha ‘Pankaj’ — a great scholar, litterateur, freedom fighter, and social worker of Santhal Pargana — a book titled Itihas ke Vatayan Se – Pankaj-Goshthi, Khairabemu aur Acharya Jyotindra Prasad Jha Pankaj, written by Dr. Amar Pankaj (a noted historian from Delhi University and renowned ghazal writer), was released at a programme held at the Sarvajanik Bharati Library on the banks of Shiv Ganga.
Speaking as the chief guest, Ashokanand Jha, Manager of Hindi Vidyapith and Director of Takshashila Vidyalaya, said, “We can pay true tribute to Acharya Pankaj only by taking literature to every corner of society.” He urged today’s writers to follow in Pankaj’s footsteps by spreading literature in villages and towns to preserve India’s cultural identity.
Main speaker Ashok Kumar Rai, a former student of Acharya Pankaj and Government Advocate at Deoghar Court, shared inspiring anecdotes from his teacher’s life, highlighting his courage in supporting the weaker sections of society. He recalled how Pankaj bravely rescued Congress leader Sarayu Prasad Mirdha after he was attacked during Mahatma Gandhi’s 1934 Harijan temple entry movement in Deoghar.
Other speakers, including retired KV official Uday Narayan Khawade, Deoghar Municipal Councillor Shailesh Mishra, and Pandit Shivram Jha, paid rich tributes to Acharya Pankaj’s contributions as a teacher, scholar, and social reformer.
The programme was followed by a poetry symposium presided over by senior poet Sarveshwar Datt Dwari, in which many local poets presented their works as a poetic tribute. The event was conducted by Dr. Vishwanath Jha and the vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Amar Pankaj.