शेफालिका वर्मा
Among the mature modern writers of Maithili literature Dr. (Mrs.) Shefalika Verma is known as the “Mahadevi of Maithili”. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth on the 9th August’ 1943 at Bhagalpur in Bihar near the house of well known Bengali writer Sharat Chand where her father was posted as Deputy Collector in Bihar Civil Service. Her father Late Mr. Brajeshwar Mallik was himself a renowned writer of Hindi and was later on rewarded by Raj Bhasa Department of Bihar Government. He gave his first daughter a poetic name Shefalika. Among seven sisters and three brothers Shefalika is the eldest one At the age of Fifteen she was married to Mr. Lalan Kumar Verma, a student of Physics Honours in science college, Patna, who later on chose Law as his profession and rose to eminence first at Saharsa District Court and then at Patna High Court.
From her very childhood she used to contribute her poems and stories in Hindi Magazines Chandamama, Balak etc. Tremendous change came in her life after marriage as her husband Mr. Verma inspired her to write in mother tongue Maithili (Language of Mahakavi Vidypati) also. Being bestowed with a poetic name she composed poems, writes short stories, travelogue reminiscences, essays and sketches etc. with equal proficiency. She writes with equal force in Hindi and Maithili. She oftenly composes poems in English also. The natural and inherent minutest feminine sentimentally and emotions in her literary creations sweep the readers with them. In contemporary maithili literature she is one of the most forceful writers. While she looks very soft in her short stories and poems, she emits fire in her essays containing criticism on social evils.
Though she is a very kind hearted person and cannot tolerate the sad plight of people specially the women, She is a great revolutionary, perhaps due to her birth on the 9th August (Sahid Diwas). According to her, 'a Nation can not claim to be beautiful only due to its rivers, mountains, jungles and greeneries, but there is the need of educated and disciplined persons living in the state of mutual affection, amity and equality to make it worth living.
She is endowed with wonderful gift of the gab. She gives fiery speeches on problems of female-folk, specially, female education, dowry system and other social evil and educational problems. She is so much against the evil of exploitation of women that she has even revolted in her writings against the tolerance of Sita when she was banished by Ram. She says “Sita ? Why did you agree to Agnipariksha, A proposal kept by Ram? Being yourself the power, Accepted Exploitation, Banishment to Forest. Why did you create Tight-lipped Tradition to make female-life miserable and mournful ?”. She has also accused Janak for giving the birth of dowry system by giving so much dowry with Sita. She questions Janak “Why did you throw female into burning dowry-fire ?”. At times she is very mournful on the attitude of present generation when she says “Parent nourish all their children, but those children cannot maintain their parent and keep with them”.
In 1974, she was acclaimed as the Best Maithili Prose Writer and was awarded with Mahamahopadhyay Dr. Umesh Mishra Memorial Gold Medal by Maithili Academy, Allahabad, which she received from the hands of Dr. Babu Ram Saxena, Former Vice- Chancellor of Allahabad University. She was also honoured with the title of ‘KAVYA VINODINI’. While reading her collection of reminiscences ‘Smriti Rekha’ tears rolled down the chicks of famous Maithili Writer Pandit Hari Mohan Jha on the pathos and emotional feelings contained in the book. Her other books ‘Vipralabdha’ (collection of poems), ‘Ekta-Akash’ (short stories collection), ‘Yayawari’ (travelogue), ‘Bhawanjali’ (collection of devotional prose songs) and ‘Kist-Kist Jeevan’ (autobiography) have already been published. Though in prose ‘Yayawari’ has been written in a unique poetic style, it is a combination of travelogue and her Biography in parts depicting the Cultural and Social Systems prevailing in different parts of India, a unity in diversity. Her novel ‘NAGFANS’ reveals the problems of women in society. It is written in the atmosphere of Mithilanchal & England. ‘Aarthyug’ is a collection of short stories which depicts the money is the main cause of social evils. Kist-Kist Jeevan, an autobiography, throws light on writer, how she, being a women, suffered immensely due to the social evils and backwardness of the society.
She started writing in Maithili since 1961 through Maithili journals namely, Mithila Mihir, Sona Mati, Vaidehi, Aakhar, Agnipath, Vasat, Kosi–Kusum etc. Having received Ph.D. Degree in Hindi on her thesis ‘Kamayani Aur Urvashi Me Nari Chitran’ she is Reader and Head of the Department of Hindi in S.N.S.R.K.S. college , at Saharsa in Bihar. She is recently retired from the P.G. Hindi Department of A.N. College, Patna. She has also published her book ‘Thhare Hue Pal’ (collection of Hindi poems). Her several essays and poems have been published in important Hindi Magazines namely, Kadambini, Sarika, Saptahik Hindustan, Rastrabhasha Sandesh etc. Her poems in English have been published in different magazines of Madras (Chennai) and Orissa.
Her Maithili poems have been translated into English in Penguin Series, Oriya, Gujrati, Nepali, Hindi and other Indian languages.
She was the Joint Editor of Hindi child magazine ‘Chamakte-Sitare’ and Maithili journal ‘Tatka’ & at present she is also in the Editorial Board of so many magazines.
She was a Member of the Advisory Board of Mathili of Sahitya Akademi, Delhi. She is also a Trustee of Bhola Lal Das Memorial Foundation, Allahabad, which is a trust created for promoting literature and literary activities in the country.
She was the Municipal Commissioner of Saharsa Municipality for ten years continuously since its inception. She was the Member of Block Development Committee, Nauhatta, Saharsa. She was also the General Secretary of Saharsa District International Womens Committee. She was also Member of several Committees, namely, District Adult Education Committee, Red Cross Society, Peace Committee, Child Welfare Committee etc. When HH The Maharaja College for Women, Thiruvananthpuram was celebrating his CENTENARY CELEBRATINS, 1977 under the able guidance of Chief Patron Shri E.K. Nayanar, Chief Minister, Kerala asking for her articles, wrote about her, “it would be
a great boon to us and to all the women in this part of the Country to become aware of writers like you who have contributed so much to the cultural wealth of our Country”.
Dr. Mrs. Shefalika Verma is a combination of diverse qualities and is an important writer in contemporary Maithili literature since 1961. Hindi writer and critic Dr. Ram Kumar Verma of Allahabad after reading her book Vipralabdha in 1978 has been written, “The Literary insight achieved by her in such a young age is an indicator of her
future. The emotions depicted in her collection of poems ‘Vipralabdha’ is to be imitated by the poets of young generation”. Similarly Maithili writer and critic Mrs. Nirja Renu has compared her writings with those of Jane Austen. According to critics of Maithili literature she is the single poet of Chhayabad in Maithili. A historian of Maithili literature Dr. Dinesh Jha in his book “Maithili Sahityak Aalochnatmak Itihas” has called her as ‘Mahadevi of Maithili’. According to Mahavaki Arasi Prasad Singh “the burden of family makes the life of a female like a desert, but it is simply surprising as to how Shefalika creates such sentimental and emotional literature while shouldering such heavy burden of a big family”. Her article on Maithili Literature was also published in “2001 Encyclopedia : Volume–2” by Indmark Publishing Banglore. She was awarded with “Mahakavi Yatri Samman” of 2004 for her outstanding contributions in the field of Maithili literature. Her name was also recommended for “Women of The Year, 2004” by the Biographical Institute, North California. She has been honoured with the title of ‘Mithila Vibhuti’ in 2005. She also presided three days National Seminar on “Upanyasak Vikas”, organized by Sahitya Akademi, Delhi from 23/03/2007 to 25/ 03/2007 in Jamshedpur. She received “Dr. Murlidhar Srivastava Shekhar Samman, 2007” for outstanding contribution in Hindi Literature by Sri Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Bihar. Her Poem “My Village” has been translated in English by R.K. Zide of
Chicago University in Penguine Series and included in the syllabus of Board Exam. of United Kingdom (UK). At present, she is the Member of Governing Body, Maithili- Bhojpuri Akademi, Delhi (NCR)
.Recently she has attended a function as a CHIEF GUEST in LONDON of MAITHIL SAMAJ .UK.
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED & UNPUBLISHED
Published
1-Vipralabdha-----kavita sangrah 1074 2-Smriti Rekha----sansmaran sangrah 1977 3-Ek Ta Akash----katha sangrah 1988 4-Yayawari---------yatra sansmaran 1995 5-Bhawanjali------gadya geet1996 6-Aarth Yug-------katha sangrah 2003 7-Nagfans---------novel ..2004. 8-Madhugandhi Basat---kavita sangrah 2005 9-Thhare Hue Pal------Hindi kavita sangrah 1993 10-Kist Kist Jeewan---Aatmkatha sahity Akadmi awardee 2008
11-Aakhar Aakahr prit -2014-----Patratmk aatmkatha... 12..MOHPASH 2013 13 .. MONAK CHAN SURUJ 2015
Translation Work
14- Phanishwar Nath Renu 15, Ahin te kahne rahi 2018 16, Sinduri Sanjh ke Cactus , Hindi 2018 17, Kuchh Dard Saga da, Hindi 2019
Unpublished
1. Rajanigandha 2. So, I hope ( English poems ) 3 Kani Baisu ne  maithili novei 4 Lahri pr nachait King 5 Samayk Hastakshr,Dr. Shefalika verma 6, Buddh ek Sanskar
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