Chronicle of Communal Riots in India

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA             APRIL 28, 2011                  07.30 P.M.

To begin with , I must emphasize that this not an original blog written by me. I am just reproducing few relevant tweets from the twitter handle of Mr. Pawan Durani , who is a Kashmiri Pandit and is fighting for the Homeland of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir valley.

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Gujarat riots, though an old story now, refuses to die a natural death, or is not being permitted to die by few interested parties and some vested interests , who claim to be liberal and secular. Communal riots are bad and no one in his senses will ever support it. But fact of the matter is that riots happened in every province of India and under every regime. Even during the time of Mahatma Gandhi there were many riots including the notorious riots of Noakhali. Mahatma Gandhi tried his best to bring harmony and peace but almost failed. If Mahatma Gandhi with the moral authority , which he commanded, failed to eliminate communal virus from India, what one expects from Narendra Modi or any other leader ? Instead of helping to heal the wounds and applying balm to the grieving families, these vested interests are hellbent on keeping this festering wound of Gujarat riots open.

Narendra Modi - Chief Minister of Gujarat

The day a junior police officer claimed that he was present in the meeting , which Narendra Modi held at his official home, and heard him saying that Hindus should be allowed to vent their anger so that Muslims should be taught a lesson. Media as usual went agog with glee and Modi bashing started. No one asked this police officer that why was he silent all these years and even if Modi ordered what is being claimed by this particular police officer, why he obeyed this illegal order? isn’t it dereliction of duty?

On that very day Mr. Pawan Durani started tweeting about many communal violences , which occurred from time to time. It was interesting data and I saved it for my future research and decided to chronicle it in the form of a blog so that posterity can use it if they find it relevent.

pawandurani Pawan Durani

OCT 1990 | Communal riots in #patna #Bihar | 18 killed | Ruling Party CONGress | CM _ Jagan Mishra | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1989 -90 | #Bhagalpur #Bihar communal violence | 896 killed | Ruling Party CONGress | CM _ Jagan Mishra | Non calls it communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Oct 1990 | Communal violence in #Beawar < #Maharshtra | Ruling party -CONGress | CM _ Sharad Pawar | Non calls it communal |#Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

OCT 1990 | Communal Violence in #HailaKandi #Assam | 37 killed | Ruling party AGP | CM-Prafulla mahanta | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

OCT 1990 | Communal violence in #Delhi #ChandniChowk | 100+ Killed | Ruling party Janta Dal | Non calls it communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

APR_MAY 1990 | Communal violence in #KANPUR | 30 killed | Ruling party Janta Dal | CM – Mulayam yadav | Non calls it communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Novemeber 1990 | Communal violence in #Agra | 33 killed | Ruling party Janta Dal | CM – Mulayam yadav | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Oct 1990 | Communal violence in Lucknow < UP | 33 Killed | Ruling party Janta Dal | CM _Mulay yadav | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1990 _1991 | #Gujarat riots } Around 270 killed | Ruling party Janta Dal & Cong | CM -Chiman Patel | Non calls it Communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

March 1989 | Communal violence in #Bhadrak , #Orissa | Ruling party CONGress | CM -JB Patnaik | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Sept 1989 | Communal violence in #Kota , #Rajasthan | Ruling party CONGress | CM- SC Mathur | Non calls it communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

OCt 1989 | Communal violence in #Indore | 27 killed | Ruling party CONG | CM-ML Vohra | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Apr-May 1987 | Communal violence in Meerut , UP | 81 killed | Ruling party CONG | CM – VB Singh | Non calls it communal |#Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

July 1986 | Communal violence in #Ahmedabad | 59 Killed | Ruling party CONG > | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

April 1985 | Communal riots in #Ahmedabad | 300 Killed | Ruling party CONG | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

OCT 1984 | Communal riots in #Delhi | 2733 Killed | Ruling party CONG | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

May1984 | Communal riots in #Bhiwandi | 146 Killed , 611 Inj | Ruling party CONGress | CM- Vasandada Patil | Non calls it communal #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Sept 1983 | Communal riots in #Hyderabad | 45 killed | Ruling party TDP | Chief Min – NTR | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

October 1983 | Communal violence in #HazariBagh | Ruling party CONGress | CM- Chandrashekhar Singh | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

June 1983 |Communal riots again in #Malegoan #Maharshtra | Ruling party CONGress | CM- Vasantdada patil | Non calls it communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

May 1983 | Communal riots in #Malur #Karnataka | Ruling party Janta | CM _ Mr hegde | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Dec 1982 | Communal riots in #Baroda | Ruling party Congress | CHief Min Mr Solanki | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Sept 1982 | Communal riots in #Meerut , UP | Ruling party Congress , CM Sripaty Mishra | Non calls it Communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

April 1981 | Communal riots in BiharSharif #Bihar | Around 80 Killed | Ruling party CONGress | Non calls it communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Auguest 1980 | #Moradabad Communal riots | Approx 2000 Killed | Ruling Party Congress | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

April 1979 | Communal riots in #Jamshedpur , West Bengal | More than 125 killed | Ruling party CPIM | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Sept 1978 | Communal riots in #Hyderabad | 19 Killed | Ruling party CONg | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

Oct 1978 | Communal violence in #Aligarh , UP | 30 Killed | Ruling party Janta Party | Non called it communal | #Sickular

4 hours ago

pawandurani Pawan Durani

March 1978 | Communal riots in #Sambhal , UP | 25 killed | Ruling party Janta party | Non calls it communal |Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1977 | Varanasi Riots | Ruling party Janta | Non called it communal |#Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

May 1970 | Mahad #Maharshtra communal riots | Ruling party CONG | Non calls it communal | #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1970 | Communal riots in #Jalgoan #Maharshtra | 43 killed | Ruling party was CONG | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1970 | #Bhiwandi communal riots in #Maharashtra | Around 80 killed | Ruling party CONg | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1969 | Communal riots in #Ahmedabad | More than 512 Killed | Ruling party happened to be CONG | Non calls it communal |#sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

March 1968 | around 100 killed in KarimGanj Assam | Ruling party again CONG | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

August 1967 | 200 Killed | Communal riots in Ranchi | Party ruling again CONG | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1964 Communal riots in Rourkela & Jamshedpur | 2000 Killed | Ruling party CONG . | Non calls it communal | #Sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1947 Communal riots in #Bengal | 5000 Killed | Ruling party happened to be CONG . | Non calls it communal #sickular

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1984 witnesses anti #Sikh riots in #Delhi , Capital of #India , 2700 Killed | Ruling party happened to be CONgress | Non calls it communal

pawandurani Pawan Durani

1992 -93 witnessed communal riots in Maharshtra | The chief ministers were Congressmen | They remain secular | #sickularism

pawandurani Pawan Durani

@shabirgilkar I think millions of muslims do live in #Gujarat and many them admire #Modi

pawandurani Pawan Durani

#Modi has walked this #Agnipath many times ; CONgress can go to any level to stop his march to become next PM of #India

pawandurani Pawan Durani

And who has faith in you ,Mr Bhatt ? “@ibnlive: IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt: No faith in SIT appointed to probe Gujarat riots”

It is unfortunate that all these years communal violence was not prevented and it occurred with impunity under all regimes in all tha provinces of India. It is shameful and we should strive for a riot free India. I don’t think keeping alive the unfortunate memory of a decade old Gujarat riots are going to serve any purpose. But unfortunately Gujarat riots have become the source of income for some people and also a convenient tool to proclaim their secular credentials .

Gujarat riots are unfortunate and milking it by some self – proclaimed secular people for their own agenda is criminal.

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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9 Newcomers of ” Aber ” , My Bhojpuri Film

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA              APRIL 25, 2011               07.15 P. M.

While preparing for the pre – production of ” ABER ” , my Bhojpuri film , I laid down few rules for myself.

1 – I decided that my actors should be genuine struggling actors and not some wannabes, who are well settled in their respective lives and have this everlasting wishful thinking of becoming actors.

2 – I decided that I would give work to the maximum number of my students. And why not ? If I am imparting training and churning out vast number of talented artistes, why should I rummage through the trash bins of some other trainers and sign their discarded and defective museum pieces for my films?

3 – I also decided that I would give chance to maximum numbers of newcomers. Generally people do not understand the process of film – making. They feel that only talent counts. Outsider’s opinion of film industry is based on sweet dreams and some fallacies. Film – making depends on the will and power of financiers and distributors. You wont get money for a non – star cast film. And finally even if you get the money and any how complete the film , you wont be able to sell it to the distributors. So casting newcomers was the most difficult decision, which I took. Though I was adamant and today I am satisfied that there are 9 new comers in ” Aber ” , my Bhojpuri film. I did talk to Rani Chatterjee , Viraj Bhatt , Swati Varma and Aksshey Varma for my film, because they are big stars and I can sell my film on their name. But here also I fulfilled my first commitment. Swati and Aksshey are my students. So out of 4 stablished stars , 2 are my students. And out of  9  new comers , 7 are my students and remaining 2 are new comers but not my students.

1 – Ashutosh Singh : He is the music director of my film and has done just one film. But that film is not released yet. Apart from that film he has not done anything. And since the film he has done is yet to get released , he is as new and fresh as any new comer. Needless to say that he has done fantastic job.

Ashutosh Singh

2 – PRIYA SHARMA : She is the romantic lead of my film and she has not done any film as main lead. She has worked as second lead in a film but it is yet to get released.

3 – PRIYAMVADA PANDEY : She has done a serial for Mahua channel but not a film. After Rani Chatterjee and Swati Varma, who are big stars in Bhojpuri film industry, she is playing the most important character in the film and it was a big and risky decision as per the norm of film industry. But I am firm on my decision and have confidence that she will always be known and shall always be remembered for this role.

She is our student and was in Batch No. 27 of KEATING CHARAKTERS.

Priyamvada Pandey

 4 – PRIYA JOSHI : She is a Marathi girl and has not done any thing either in Hindi or in Marathi. Her role is smaller compared to all the above mentioned female characters but this role is catalyst and it is the pivotal role of the movie. When I informed her about my decision, she went into disbelief. At that time her batch was yet to be completed and even her batch-mates thought that I am not serious. But I had seen the sparks and was adamant  that only she could essay the role.

She is our student and was in the Batch No. 46 of KREATING CHARAKTERS.

Priya Joshi

5 – Sandip Yadav : Again a rank new comer , he has done nothing ; neither stage , nor TV or film. He is from Uttar Pradesh and basically a Bhojpuri speaking person.

He is our student and was in the Batch No. 41 of KREATING CHARAKTERS.

Sandip Yadav

6 – Rajnish Gore : Like Sandip , he is also a rank new comer. Totally without experience, he has done nothing. He is Bhojpuri speaking boy .

He is our student and was in the Batch No. 38 of KREATING CHARAKTERS .

Rajnish Gore

7 – Riddhi Bansal : He is very old student of mine and is basically a dubbing artiste. He is from Rajasthan and is playing a police officer in the film. He has done just one film , which has not been released yet.

Riddhi Bansal

8 – RATAN LAL : He is from Ranchi , Jharkhand and he is a black belt holder. He has done few episode of a serial ” Left Right Left “. Apart from that he has done one Bhojpuri film, which is yet to be released. In my film he is playing the role of a Marine commando.

He is working at KREATING CHARAKTERS as action trainer.

Ratan Lal

9 – Raunak Chaturvedi : He is my son and student too. He has done acting workshop with Nadira Zaheer Babbar. After completing that workshop, he started learning dance from Krishna Sir and is still doing that. Earlier he was with Shiamak Davar’s academy also.

Before admitting him in KREATING CHARAKTERS,  I advised him to work as assistant director so that he should know all the aspects of film making. He has assisted 4 directors. He started with clap boy and graduated to become the 1st assistant director. His last job as assistant was for ” Daddy Cool ” , a Inder Kumar film.

He is our student and was in the Batch No. 46 of KREATING CHARAKTERS.

Raunak Chaturvedi

Poster of " Aber " - A Bhojpuri Film With Difference

1st Publicity Design of " Aber "

2nd Publicity Design of " Aber "

3rd Publicity Design of " Aber "

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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My Column ” Kal Aur Aaj ” in Bhojpuri City – [ 4 ]

 

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA         MARCH 29 , 2011             11.45 P. M.

I am reproducing here the latest article of my fortnighly Hindi column, which comes in ” Bhojpuri City “ . It is a Bhojpuri Film Trade magazine , which is being published from Mumbai.

This article is the 4th in the series and it is published in the Holi edition of the said magazine.

Cover of Bhojpuri City , March 2nd , 2011

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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My Column ” Kal Aur Aaj ” in Bhojpuri City – [3]

NIGHT……………………………….11.30

I am reproducing here my fortnightly Hindi column ” KAL AUR AAJ ” . This is the third article of my first ever Hindi column . First article of the column was published  in the December 1st, 2010 issue of Bhojpuri City. This third article of the column was published in the GOLDEN JUBILEE ISSUE [February 2nd & March 1st , 2011 ] of Bhojpuri City on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Bhojpuri cinema.

It comes and will keep on coming in ” BHOJPURI CITY ” , a Bhojpuri Film Trade Magazine. This fortnightly magazine is published from Mumbai.

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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My Column ” Kal Aur Aaj ” in Bhojpuri City – [2]

I am reproducing here my fortnightly column ” KAL AUR AAJ ” . This is my first ever column and it is in Hindi. First article of the column was published  in the December 1st, 2010 issue of Bhojpuri City. This one is the 2nd article of my column.

It comes and will keep on coming in ” BHOJPURI CITY ” , a Bhojpuri Film Trade Magazine. This fortnightly magazine is published from Mumbai.

Bhojpuri City – Cover of February 1st 2011

Kal Aur Aaj - 2 February 1st 2011

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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Related Articles

• My Column ” Kal Aur Aaj ” – 1 in Bhojpuri City (mevidur.wordpress.com)
• Bhojpuri Language – 1 [ Origin & History ] (mevidur.wordpress.com)
• Bhojpuri Language – 2 [ People , Literature & Script ] (mevidur.wordpress.com)
• Bhojpuri Cinema : Random Facts (mevidur.wordpress.com)

Bhojpuri Language – 2 [ People , Literature & Script ]

Bhojpuri People

The Bhojpuri-speaking region, due to its rich tradition of creating leaders for building post-independence India such as first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad followed by many eminent politicians and humanitarians like Dr. Krishna Dev Upadhyaya, was never devoid of intellectual prominence which is evident in its literature. Apart from our first President Rajendra Prasad, two of our Prime Ministers : Lal Bahadur Shastri and Chandrashekhar, were also basically Bhojpuri speaking persons. Father of Total Revolution and eminent Socialist Lok Nayak Jay Prakash Narayan was a Bhojpuri speaking person too.

Image via Wikipedia - Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Image via Wikipedia - Lal Bahadur Shastri

Bhojpuri literature

 

Image via Wikipedia - Bharatendu Harishchandra

Bhojpuri became one of the basis of the development of the official language of independent India, Hindi, in the past century. Bhartendu Harishchandra, who is considered the father of literary Hindi, was greatly influenced by the tone and style of Bhojpuri in his native region. Further development of Hindi was taken by prominent laureates such as Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi and Munshi Premchand from the Bhojpuri-speaking region. Bhikhari Thakur, known as the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri, has also given theater plays including the classics of Bidesiya. Pioneer Dr. Krishna Dev Upadhyaya from Ballia district devoted 60 years to researching and cataloging Bhojpuri folklore. Dr. H. S. Upadhyaya wrote the book Relationships of Hindu family as depicted in Bhojpuri folksongs (1996). Together they have cataloged thousands of Bhojpuri folksongs, riddles and proverbs from the Purvanchal U.P, Bihar, Jharkand and Chotta Nagpuri districts near Bengal.

Image via Wikipedia - Munshi Premchand

The Bhojpuri literature has always remained contemporary. It was more of a body of folklore with folk music and poems prevailing. Literature in the written form started in the early 20th century. During the British era, then known as the “Northern Frontier Province language”, Bhojpuri adopted a patriotic tone and after independence it turned to community. In later periods, following the low economic development of the Bhojpuri-speaking region, the literary work is more skewed towards the human sentiments and struggles of life.

A recent publication (2009) ‘Bhojpuri-Lok Sahitya: Lok Geeton Ki Samajik Sanskritik Sandarbh Evam Prishthbhumi” (Bhojpuri Folk Literature: Social and Cultural Landscape of Folk Songs) by Dr. Dharmveer Singh (Publisher: Chaukhamba Sanskrit Bhavan, P.O. Box 1160, Chowk, Varanasi-221001, India) contains an exhaustive research on the historical and social background of the origin and temporal development of this language in greatest detail. This book is exhaustive in its approach and is a gem for anyone who is interested in Bhojpuri as a language. The most impressive aspect of the book is the collection of folk-songs that the author has gleaned from various sources. With the advent of modern technology and effect of cinema, these folk-songs are becoming extinct. This book preserves not only the songs in a written form but also provides the context in which they should be viewed and appreciated.

• Bhojpuri Writers - Viveki Rai Is a famous Bhojpuri writer. Bhikhari Thakur, Mahender Misir and Moti B. A. are other notable dramatists and poets. Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan also wrote some books in Bhojpuri.

Writing scripts

Bhojpuri over the course of time has been written in various scripts by various people. Bhojpuri until late 19th century was commonly written in Kaithi script as well as Nasta’liq (Persian) script.

Mention of Bhojpuri literature cannot be complete without Bhikhari Thakur and his immemorial Bidesia. However, it is unfortunate that no conscious attempt is being made to preserve his literature which is mainly in various folklore.

A recent publication ‘Bhojpuri - Lok Sahitya: Lok Geeton Ki Samajik Sanskritik Sandarbh Evam Prishthbhumi” (Bhojpuri Folk Literature: Social and Cultural Landscape of Folk Songs) by Dr. Dharmveer Singh (Publisher: Chaukhamba Sanskrit Bhavan, P.O. Box 1160, Chowk, Varanasi-221001, India) contains an exhaustive research on the historical and social background of the origin and temporal development of this language in greatest detail. This book is exhaustive in its approach and is a gem for anyone who is interested in Bhojpuri as a language. The most impressive aspect of the book is the collection of folk-songs that the author has gleaned from various sources. With the advent of modern technology and effect of cinema, these folk-songs are becoming extinct. This book preserves not only the songs in a written form but also provides the context in which they should be viewed and appreciated.

Kaithi

Kaithi script was used for administrative purposes in the Mughal era for writing Bhojpuri, Maithili, Bangla, Urdu, Magahi and Hindi from at least 16th century up to the first decade of 20th century. Government gazetteers report that Kaithi was used in a few districts of Bihar through the1960s.It is possible that Kaithi is still used today in very limited capacity in these districts and in rural areas of north India. The significance of Kaithi grew when the British governments of the Bengal Presidency (of which Bihar and some southern districts of Nepal was territory) and the NorthWestern Provinces & Oudh (hereafter, NWP&O) selected the script for use in administration and education. The first impetus of growth was the standardization of written Kaithi in 1875 by the government of NWP&O for the purpose of adapting the script for use in formal education. The second was the selection of Kaithi by the government of Bihar as the official script of the courts and administrative offices of the Bihar districts in1880.Thereafter; Kaithi replaced the Persian script as the writing system of record in the judicial courts of Bihar. Additionally, on account of the rate of literacy in Kaithi, the governments of Bihar and NWP&O advocated Kaithi as the medium of written instruction in their primary schools.

 

[ Bhojpuri story written in Kaithi script, written by Babu Rama Smaran Lal in 1898 ]

Nasta’liq (Persian)

Before 1880 all the administrative works in Bihar was done in this Persian script and possibly all the educated Muslims in the Bhojpuri speaking region wrote unofficial works in Nasta’liq script.

 

[ A letter written to the civil court in Patna in Nasta'liq script in 1825 ]

Devanagari

By 1894, official works were carried out in both Kaithi and Devanagari in Bihar which probably started giving way to replacement of Kaithi completely by Devanagari. At present almost all the Bhojpuri works are done in Devanagari even in the overseas islands where Bhojpuri is spoken.

Bhojpuri Media

• In Bhojpuri many magazine and papers published from U P, Bihar West Bengal & Assam. The Sunday Indian, Bhojpuri is world’s only regular National News Magazine in Bhojpuri published by Planman Media, owned by Prof. Arindam Chaudhary and Edited by Onkareshwar Pandey. Sanesh this is a first quarterly magazine from north east Guwahati. Bhojpuri Lok Lucknow
• Mahuaa TV and Hamar TV are the Bhojpuri Channel.
• Bhojpuri Cinema news and movies trailers and release is available on http://www.bhojpuriyacinema.com

[ Like my previous blog about Bhojpuri Language, this one is also not my original writing. Major portions of this blog are taken from various sources on the internet. I am indebted and express my gratitude. This copy-paste was done for the readers , who are not net-savvy but they want to know about Bhojpuri Language and also for the future reference of myself. ]

Vidur

Mumbai – Maharashtra – India

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Bhojpuri Language – 1 [ Origin & History ]

Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and thePurvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh(UP), as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius. The variant of Bhojpuri of the Surinamese Hindustanis is also referred to as Sarnami Hindi or just Sarnami and has experienced considerable Creole and Dutch lexical influence. More Indians in Suriname know Bhojpuri compared to Guyana and Trinidad where the language is largely forgotten.

Image via Wikipedia - Hindi Speaking Regions

Bhojpuri is part of the Eastern-Hindi or Bengali continuum of languages which once extended from Assam and Bengal to Benaras. While the rest of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh slowly adopted the new Hindi standard (Khadi Boli), the language remained strong in the areas between Patna and Benaras.

Image via Wikipedia - Basic Hindi Speaking Regions

Bhojpuri and several closely related languages, including Maithili and Magadhi, are together known as the Bihari languages. They are part of the Eastern Zone group of Indo-Aryan languages which includes Bengali and Oriya.

Image via Wikipedia - Regions of Indo-Aryan Languages

The scholar, polymath and polyglot Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan wrote some works in Bhojpuri. Other eminent writers include Viveki Rai. The number of Bhojpuri writers is small compared to the number of speakers. Some other notable Bhojpuri personalities are legendary freedom fighter Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, first president of India Rajendra Prasad, Manoj Bajpai, and former Indian prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Chandra Shekhar. Bihar Kokila Padma Shri Sharda Sinha is a famous Bhojpuri folk singer.

Image via Wikipedia - Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan

Number of speakers

Image via Wikipedia - Map of South America

According to an article published in Times of India, a total of 150 million people in India speak Bhojpuri. An estimated 70 million people in Uttar Pradesh and 80 million people in Bihar speak Bhojpuri as their first or second language. There are 6 million Bhojpuri speakers living outside of Bihar and Purvanchal. These areas include Nepal, especially Birgunj, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Uganda, Singapore, Trinidad & Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Great Britain, Canada and the United States. This makes the total Bhojpuri speaking population in the world close to 90 million.  However, the official figures of the 2001 Indian Census are much lower, showing 33 million speakers of the Bhojpuri dialect under the Hindi language sub-family.

Image via Wikipedia - Map of Indo-Aryan Languages

Bhojpuri dialects, varieties, and creoles are also spoken in various parts of the world, including Brazil, Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, South Africa, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, many colonizers faced labor shortages and were unable to obtain slaves from Africa due to the abolition of slavery; thus, they imported many Indians as indentured servants to labor on plantations. Today, many Indians in the West Indies, Oceania, and South America still speak Bhojpuri as a native or second language.

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The Bhojpuri language has been heavily influenced by other languages in many parts of the world. Mauritian Bhojpuri includes many Creole and English words, while the language spoken in Trinidad and Tobago includes Caribbean and English words.

The Sunday Indian, Bhojpuri Association of India and Global Bhojpuri Movement has launched a worldwide movement for the Recognition, Promotion and Preservation of Bhojpuri Language, Art, Culture, Literature and society.

http://www.bhojpurimovement.ning.com http://www.bhojpuriindia.org. http://www.thesundayindian.com

[ This not my original writing. Major portions of this blog are taken from various sources on the internet. I am indebted and express my gratitude. This cut - paste was done for the readers , who are not net-savvy but they want to know about Bhojpuri and also for the future reference of myself. ]

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Bhojpuri Cinema Down the Years

Ashok Kumar & Devika Rani : Achhut Kanya

As is known, ” Raja Harishchandra ” , the first Indian film was made in 1913. ” Alam Ara ” , the first Indian talkie was made in 1931. Films in other major Indian languages followed soon. But Bhojpuri, though a major dialect of Hindi belt of India , waited till 1961, almost 48 long years after the first Indian film. This in spite of the fact that almost all the major hits of early Indian Cinema had rural north Indian theme . Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani’s ” Achhut Kanya” is the most glaring example of this fact. It was released in 1936. Dilip Kumar‘s ” Ganga Jumna ” was made in Awadhi , a major dialect of Uttar Pradesh . It was released in 1960. Bhojpuri  Cinema had to wait for one more year, in spite of the fact that ” Ganga Jumna ” was a golden jubilee hit of its time. In the above mentioned films Ashok Kumar and Dilip Kumar played rural , rustic characters of Uttar Pradesh. Both the films were major hits. Ashok Kumar and Dilip Kumar were gigantic stars of their times , but in spite of this fact, there were no breakthrough in Bhojpuri films.

Dilip Kumar & Vyjayanti Mala :in First Awadhi Film - Ganga Jumna

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First Indian Film - Raja Harishchandra [1913

Image via Wikipedia - First Indian Talkie _ Alam Ara - 1931

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First Marathi Talkie - Ayodhyecha Raja [1932

 

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First Bengali Talkie - Dena Paona [1931

First Assamiya Talkie - Joymati - 1935

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Asim Kumar & Kumkum in First Bhojpuri Film - Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibon [1961

Bhojpuri cinema history begins in 1961 with the well-received film “ Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo ” , which was directed by Kundan Kumar.Asim Kumar and Kumkum were the stars of this super hit film. Its music was  provided by Chitragupt, was extremely popular. Lyrics were written by Shailendra and songs were sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhonsale. Its hit music is remembered even today. Throughout the following decades, films were produced only in fits and starts. Films such as  ” Laagi Nahi Chhute Ram “, ” Bidesiya ” (1963, directed by S. N. Tripathi) , “ Loha Singh ” and ” Ganga  ” (1965, directed by Kundan Kumar) were profitable and popular, but in general Bhojpuri films were not commonly produced in the 1960s and 1970s. 

In the 1980s, enough Bhojpuri films were produced to tentatively make up an industry. Films such as ” Mai ” (1989, directed by Rajkumar Sharma) and ” Hamar Bhauji ” (1983, directed by Kalpataru) continued to have at least sporadic success at the box office. “ Nadiya Ke Paar ” is a 1982 Hindi-Bhojpuri blockbuster directed by Govind Moonis and starring Sachin, Sadhana Singh, Inder Thakur, Leela Mishra and Soni Rathod.The film ran houseful for years in a movie theatre in Allahabad. However, this trend faded out by the end of the decade, and by 1990, the nascent industry seemed to be completely finished 

Ravi Kissan

The industry took off again in 2001 with the “Silver Jubilee” hit ” Saiyyan Hamar ” ( directed by Mohan Prasad), which shot the hero of that film, Ravi Kissan, to superstardom.This success was quickly followed by several other remarkably successful films, including ” Panditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoi ” (2005, directed by Mohan Prasad) and ” Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ” (2005). In a measure of the Bhojpuri film industry‘s rise, both of these did much better business in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar than mainstream Bollywood hits at the time, and both films, made on extremely tight budgets, earned back more than ten times their production costs. ” Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ” also introduced Manoj Tiwari, formerly a well-loved folk singer, to the wider audiences of Bhojpuri cinema. In 2010, he and Ravi Kissan are still the leading actors of Bhojpuri films, along with Nirahua and Pawan Singh.  The extremely rapid success of their films has led to dramatic increases in Bhojpuri cinema’s visibility, and the industry now supports an awards show and a trade magazine,  ” Bhojpuri City ” ,which chronicles the production and release of what are now over one hundred films per year. Many of the major stars of mainstream Bollywood cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan, have also recently worked in Bhojpuri films. Mithun Chakraborty’s Bhojpuri debut ” Bhole Shankar ” , released in 2008, is considered as the biggest Bhojpuri hit of all time.Also in 2008, a 21-minute diploma film Bhojpuri film by Siddharth Sinha, ” Udedh Bun ” was selected for world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival,later it won the National Film Award for Best Short fiction Film.

Once upon a time writer-filmmaker Kamal Anand dubbed Namak Halal into Bhojpuri , after sitting on its copyright for eight years, as there was no market for films in that dialect. “But today the situation has changed.The new version is called ” Babua Khiladi Dadua Anadi ” with Amitabh as ‘Babua’. The film’s memorable songs such as Jawani Jaaneman, Raat Baki Baat Baki and Pag Ghungaroo Baandh Meera Nachi Thi have been peppered in Bhojpuri.The new cinema has attracted producers like Subhash Ghai, Rajshri, Nitin Manmohan and Tinu Verma. Actors Govinda, Juhi Chawla and Nagma are already taking lessons in the language. Even Columbia Tristar briefly toyed with the idea of getting one of its films dubbed.

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“It makes good business sense as these films sell in Bihar, UP, and parts of Punjab and Maharashtra,”says producer-director Ranjan Kumar Singh. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh agrees. “Most Bhojpuri films are made in small budgets, usually Rs 20-30 lakh, and they fetch Rs 1-2 crore.”Several of these films are grossing 10 times their production costs. A good film can even make a profit of Rs 10-12 crore.

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A few years ago, this wasn’t the case. While Gujarati, Marathi and Punjabi films got their due at the box office, Bhojpuri films didn’t really recapture the supersuccess of the 1982 blockbuster ” Nadiya Ke Paar” , which starred Sachin and Sadhna Singh, and was made under the respectable banner of Rajshri Productions.

Twenty two years hence, the tide finally turned. In 2005, Manoj, a struggling singer, debuted in sex comedy ” Sasura Bada Paisewala.”  The film ran for more than 50 weeks in Varanasi and Kanpur in UP and for 25 weeks elsewhere. ” Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ” made with a modest budget of Rs 30 lakh, grossed a stupendous Rs 15 crore. Manoj’s other films such as ” Daroga Babu I Love You ” then went on to do a business of Rs 4 crore and ” Bandhan Tutey Na ” has already made Rs 3 crore..

The Bhojpuri Industry has learned to talk in crores and has budgeted Rs 1-1.25 crore for an action film ” Dharti Putra ” , also starring who else but Manoj. Industry sources say that Manoj has made the most of the prosperity. He was paid Rs 2 lakh earlier. Now he charges Rs 50 lakh a film. He admits that his films are raking in big money in UP and Bihar. ” Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ”   played to full houses in Bihar and had surpassed Hindi films in the region, except for Gadar, for now. Even Hindi heavyweights like ” Mangal Pandey, The Rising “, are said to have fallen behind ” Sasura Bada Paisa Wala ”  in Bihar and MP . Manoj is very busy these days.  ” Pyar Ke Bandhan ” , ” Dharti Kahey Pukar Ke ” with Ajay Devgan followed by a film with Jackie Shroff. ” Damadji ” ,  followed by Tinu Varma’s Dharti Putra.”Meanwhile Hindi filmsinger Udit Narayan, a Bihari, has debuted as a producer with ” Kab Hui Gauna Hamar.”  The film ran to packed theatres for two months in Punjab and Delhi and its success had encouraged Narayan to produce another film, to be shot in London. The film goes back 150 years and depicts the plight of Biharis in Mauritius..  

Distributors attribute the success to cleaner content. “Gone are double-meaning dialogues, lack of a coherent storyline and poor technical quality. The films are slicker, “says Manoj. Bhojpuri films are also heading to countries which have a Bhojpuri-speaking population such as Mauritius, Fiji, Surinam and Nepal.  We started selling ” Daroga Babu I Love You ” overseas and then  looked at possibilities for ” Sasura Bada Paisa Wala. The returns have taken film shootings out of grimy studios to exotic locations. ” Babul Pyare ” with Raj Babbar, Arun Govil, Ravi Kishan and Hrishita Bhatt completed a shooting spell in London . Kishan, who also starred in ” Saiyan Hamar” , says that Bhojpuri films have saved single-screen cinema halls in Bihar and UP, which would have otherwise been converted into malls.

New moral standards are guarding Bhojpuri films. In ” Firangi Dulhania ” , a story about a village boy from Bihar who goes to study in London and returns with a foreign bride, director Ranjan Kumar Singh, has got the exciting services of an Ukrainian actress, Tanya (what else..)

Actors

Diwakar Pandey, Sujeet Kumar, Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kishan, Nazir Hussain, Rakesh Pandey, Jai Tilak, Dinesh Lal Yadav, Bhushan Tiwari, Kunal, Ram Singh, Anand Rai, J.Mohan, Vinod Tiwari, Asim Kumar, Hari shukla, Brij Kishore, Vijai Khare, Kewal Krishna, Lalitesh, Dinesh Kaushik, Manoj Verma, Devendra Podwal, Kiran Kumar, and JeevanSushil Singh,Vinod,Vinay, Brijesh Tripathi Laxman Chaturvedi, Rajendra Karn, Mukesh Kumar Barnwal, Mrityunjay Sharma, Pawan singh, parbesh lal yadav, amit kumar yadav, Saagara Nageena Tripathy, Trinath

Actresses

• Padma Khanna, Nagma, Rani Chatterjee, Madhuri Mishra, Madhu Mishra, Meera Madhuri, Prema Narayan, Heena Kausar, Rekha Sahai, Leela Mishra, Sheela David, Kalpana Iyer, Jayshree T., Sima Naaj, Bandini Mishra,Gauri Khurana, Tina Ghai, Jai Prabha, Sunayana, Rambha, and Helen.Aruna Irani,

Naaz, Shweta Tiwari parul yadav

Producers

Bihar Films and Devi Padmavati Films, Kamasar Films

• Vishwanath Prasad Shahabadi, Ramayan Tiwari, V K Aadarsh, Shakti Samanta, Bachchoo Bhai, Ashok Chand Jain, Lalji Gupta, Dilip Bose, Kanhaiya Singh, Gyanendra Srivastava, Jagdish SinghEla Rai, Mukti Narayan Pathak, Jawahar Jha, V P Vishwakarma,Jeetendra SinghVijay Trived, Vishnu Jain, Sita Ram, Lal Ji Yadav, Paras Aarya, and Deepa Narayan Jha, Aarati BhattacharyaVijay Khare, [udaisenapati]

Directors

Nazir Hussain, Ranjeet singh , Kundan Kumar, Rajkumar Sharma, Prakash Jha, Siddharth Sinha, Abhishek Chhadha, Ashok Jain, Lalji Gupta, and Kalpataru.Ram Nath Rai,[Udaisenapati][Aslam Sheque][Raj Kumar]

Music directors

Vinay Bihari, Rajesh Rajneesh [Madhuker Anand]

Famous films

Main article: List of Bhojpuri Film

Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo (1962)  • Laagi Nahi Chhute Ram (1963)  • Ganga (1965)  • Bidesiya (1963)  • Bhouji (1965)  • Loha Singh (1966)  • Dher Chalaki Jinkara (1971)  • Daku Rani Ganga (1976/II)  • Amar Suhagin (1978)  • Balam Pardesia(1979)  • Chanwa Ke Take Chakor (1981)  • Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein (1981)  • Saiyan Tore Karan (1981)  • Hamar Bhauji (1983)  • Chukti Bhar Senur (1983)  • Dulha Ganga Paar Ke (1986)  •  ;’Jug Jug Jiya More Lal‘Roos Gailen Saiyen Hamaar(1988)  • • Ganga (2006)

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Bhojpuri cinema is also watched in many parts of the world, where Indian diasporahas settled, including Brazil, Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, South Africa, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many colonizers faced labor shortages due to the abolition of slavery; thus, they imported many Indians, many from Bhojpuri-speaking regions. Today, some 200 million people in the West Indies, Oceania, and South America speak Bhojpuri as a native or second language^[1] and they also watch Bhojpuri films.

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