Dr. Jeetram Bhatt, a scholar of Hindi, Sanskrit and Garhwali languages, is not only a linguist but also a good storyteller, playwright and lyricist. You have written in all genres of literature. You are an expert in children’s stories, children’s poetry and children’s songs. After serving for a long time as the Secretary of Delhi Government’s Hindi Academy, Sanskrit Academy and Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari Academy, you are currently serving as the Director of the Delhi-based Oriental Vidya Pratishthan.
There have been discussions with Dr. Bhatt regarding literary creation for a long time. Recently, during a telephone conversation, he told that he had to go to a program in Delhi for some work, but got stuck in the traffic jam for almost two hours. Making good use of these two hours, he composed a children’s story, the name is- ear dates,
Dr. Jeetram Bhatt, through Kankhajure, has given the message to stay away from opportunistic and greedy people in the society and also to remain alert. The story has been written in a very interesting manner. Through a dialogue between grandmother and grandson ear dates The story has a big message for the youth. You also enjoy it-
Today when I saw many ear-palms peeping from the corner of the ground, I remembered some things about my grandmother’s company in my childhood. Grandmother used to say, ‘Don’t be careless, otherwise the earworm will enter the ear.’ Once I asked grandmother, ‘Grandma! What happens if an earworm enters the ear?’ Grandmother had said that it was a huge disaster. When a centipede enters the brain, it lays thousands of eggs there. Earworm babies emerge from the egg. Then in the mind of a man, earworms are earworms only. Then the man’s mind goes haywire. He starts doing what should not be done. Starts killing others. He even commits suicide.
‘Oh!’ Taking a deep breath, I asked in fear, ‘Grandma! Where does the eardrum live?’
Grandma said, ‘Where we live.’ He lives near the place where we wake up and sit.
My fear was increasing, then I asked, ‘How does a centipede happen?’
Then grandmother had told that ‘It comes in different types like small, big, brown, dark etc.’ He has a hundred legs. Some even have 150 legs.
I asked with surprise, ‘So many legs?’ Grandma, what does he do with such a leg? Only two are enough to walk.
Grandmother said, ‘He doesn’t walk like us, he keeps crawling at a gallop, sometimes here, sometimes there. Keeps looking for a place to enter.
Out of childish curiosity I had asked, ‘Grandma! Does he look for ears too?’
Grandmother said, ‘Yes, it quickly enters the ears of those who are careless.’
But the curiosity in my mind was increasing, I asked grandmother again, ‘But grandmother! I will not be careless. But if my brother or friend became careless and a millipede entered his ear and if he went crazy, he would kill me too.
Grandmother said, ‘Yes it is so.’ But you will have to identify whose ear the earworm has entered. You have to avoid those people also.
My curiosity was not satisfied so I asked, ‘But Grandma! How will we know which earworm has entered whose ear?
Grandmother had said that ‘It can be known from the eyes and body language of the person whose ears are touched.’
My curiosity increased even more after listening to grandmother’s words. Then one day, on my insistence, grandmother searched for it and showed me the ear-palm. Truly, one with many legs, a galloping crawler. Small looking, but with an exploratory nature. He was searching where to enter!
One day when I asked Grandma to show me the people affected by earworms, Grandma showed me some people with negative thoughts and whispered in my ear that ‘stay away from them.’ Looking at them, I assumed that they were affected by earworms.
Grandmother passed away when I was only seven years old. After grandmother’s departure, I was left alone in the mission to escape from the ear-palms. At that time I had decided in my mind that I would never be careless and would save my people from being careless. From then on, whenever I saw a centipede, I would remember my grandmother’s words and make up my mind not to be careless.
On many occasions in my life, I came across different types of eardrums, but I did not allow them to enter my ears. People affected by earworms were also found. They even tried to kill me, but grandmother’s teachings saved me from being careless. Today I am grateful to my grandmother that she introduced me to Khankhjuros on time.
,
Tags: Hindi Literature, Hindi Writer, Literature
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 20, 2024, 16:19 IST