WRITE UP OF DR. SHEFALIKA VERMA

'........Among the mature modern writers of Maithili literature Dr. (Mrs.) Shefalika Verma is known as the “Mahadevi of Maithili”.At the age of Sixteen while Shefalika Mallik ,  after doing her Secondary examination in the First Division,  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. Her father Late Brajeshwar Mallik also resigned from Civil Service and joined Bar in Patna High Court and rose to eminence.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. 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. . 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 hascompared her writings with those of Jane Austen. Her article on Maithili Literature was also published in “2001 Encyclopedia : Volume–2” by Indmark Publishing Banglore.  She was awardedwith “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.  Her article on Maithili Literature was also published in “2001Encyclopedia : Volume–2” by Indmark Publishing Banglore.  She was awardedwith “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 withthe title of ‘Mithila Vibhuti’ in 2005.  She also presided three days National Seminaron “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).GOVT. OF DELHI.. She has also attended  the function of MAITHIL SAMAJ ,UK  AS A CHIEF GUEST  IN LONDON... lBeing 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........................................' ' from an article read  by prof. neelam jha...