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अपने लिए जिए तो क्या जिए…

Greatness is not reliant on fame. Greatness is not about being covered by Media. Greatness is simple. Greatness is about winning hearts and souls. Greatness is about being immortal, not just in the memories of your near and dear ones…but in the memories of everyone you came into contact with. Greatness is about bagging a place in History.

The story of greatness which I am going to narrate has never been told before. And it may take two subsequent posts, to complete it. Although, I am not of any stature to comment anything about the great soul – Amta Prasad, yet I would like to tell you all about how he lived…and will be living forever.

Amta Prasad

Amta Prasad incarnated in a very poor peasant family of a very unknown village Bhagar, of the then Saran District of Bihar, on the day of ‘Bhai Duj’ in the year 1945(Officially his D.O.B. is 30^th August 1947). His father, although owner of a very small piece of land, was known in the entire village for his will power and radical thoughts. This got magnified several folds and passed on into Amta Prasad, known as Niranjan in his early days. With 3 sisters and 4 brothers to look after, he grew up as an idol to them. He never bought books, during his primary and secondary schooling…simply because he did not have money to buy them. Instead he used to copy down the entire books with his own hand. To save some extra money, he used to write on the note books with pencil first and then used to rub them all and reuse the same notebook. He did all this while helping out his father in all the farm related works like cutting grass to feed the oxen, cleaning up the barn, watching the fields when the crop was ready. By the time he reached standard eighth he had become an idol for all the kids in the village. He was also called upon by most of the Munshis of the village to do accounting for them.

Then in Standard Eighth he was introduced to an alien language – English. He learnt the alphabet for the first time. His mastery over all the subjects taught grew and his name started spreading around in the neighbouring villages too…as a Child Prodigy. All the literates and educated men had started telling stories about him to their children already. In the year 1961, the District Chhapra, which was carved out of earlier Saran District, came into some limelight as a 16 year old had written a very small yet one of the introductory chapters of its History. Amta Prasad from the District of Chhapra had stood 5^th in the Matriculation Exams of Bihar, Bengal and Orissa Combined Board. His copies of the ‘Sent-up’ examinations held in his school ‘Hare Ram Brahmchari Ucch Vidyalay’, Gangpur, Siswan, are still preserved and demonstrated to the students as an inspiration. During those times the NTSE Scholarships were given out on the basis of the marks obtained, and he started receiving Rs 125 per month. This came as a huge relief for him and his father. The fees and expenditures of Patna Science College where he joined for his Intermediate (10+1 at that time) studies was just Rs 80 and he could spare the extra Rs 45 for the studies of all his younger siblings. Joining Patna Science College was another big achievement. Nobody from the peasant’s family of Tahsil Siswan had ever been there. His Father was suppressed a lot by the Big Shots of the Tahsil, from abstaining of his admissions there due to which he reached late. Yet, he was admitted considering his marks.

He never knew what Engineering meant till he started his classes at Patna Science College. He was told that if he obtains first class marks in the college he will be given a direct admission into Bihar College of Engineer, Patna (Now known as NIT, Patna). It had a regal charm in those days. Also, during his stay at the hostels of Patna Science College, he encountered a wash basin and toilet pan for the first time and got to wear shoes and full pants.

And it was not that he was a book worm. There’s an old saying which you all must be knowing “Bhagwaan jab deta hai…to chappar phaad ke deta hai” (When Lord showers his blessings…He blows the roof top with them). It holds true for him too….when it comes about talent and not money. Money never lured him. He became an ace Badminton Player in that one year… was into Football, NCC, Students Union and even mischief. When his shoes got stolen at Hanuman Mandir, Patna he stole somebody else’s shoes and wore them back to his hostel. He loved watching movies too…and remembered which movie he had watched on what date in which hall even after 40 years. Well he got a good scolding too once when he was caught by his father. And then for almost a year he didn’t go for the movies in repent. He had memorized Ramayan by heart, and by the time he completed his Intermediate, he had an equal mastery over Hindi, English, Sanskrit and Bhojpuri.

He passed out of Patna Science College with flying colours too. He was one among the 2 students who got first class marks that year. He was heading towards another golden chapter of his life…Engineering. Bihar College of Engineering added many facets to his already vast baggage of talents. He got into poetry, politics, research and above all became an emphatic Mechanical Engineer. A solution to all the problems of everyone.

…to be continued

Filed under: Commemoration, Famous, Great, Inspiration, Love, People, Personal Tagged: | Immortality, In Loving Memory, Rmemembering