Lyricist Shailendra had a deep connection with Ara in Bihar, he/she is still not recognized in his/her own village

‘Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo…’, ‘Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega…’, ‘Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe…’, ‘Duniya Banane Wale Kya Tere Man Mein Samai…’, it has been five decades since the immortal lyricist Shailendra, who wrote hundreds of evergreen songs for Hindi cinema, left this world. Even today, the songs written by Shailendra are the favourites of the new and old generation. he/she wrote songs on every philosophy of life and every colour of life in 170 films for more than two decades. his/her 101st birth anniversary was on 30 August 2024. People are also remembering Shailendra in Bhojpur district of Bihar. he/she was a founding member of IPTA. Many people are surprised to know that even though Shailendra was born in Rawalpindi in 1923, he/she was originally associated with Akhtiyarpur village of Udwant Nagar block of Bhojpur district of Bihar. Shailendra’s father Kesari was in the Lal Army. he/she was transferred to Rawalpindi and stayed there for many years. After retirement, his/her father settled in Mathura. Shailendra died at the age of 43 on 14 December 1966 in Mumbai. Ram Vilas Sharma, a leading scholar of Hindi literature, considers lyricist Shailendra as a poet of revolutionary poems, while Namvar Singh calls him/her the first Dalit poet, who is folk-oriented as well as artistic.

Shailendra’s descendants still live in Akhtiyarpur village

Actually Shailendra was not an elite class lyricist. The descendants of lyricist Shailendra live in Akhtiyarpur village adjacent to Ara city. This information is available in Shailendra’s diary. his/her son Dinesh and daughter Amala Majumdar who live in Dubai also came to meet their descendants. Both were very happy to meet their descendants. Shailendra has fans in Ara city too. In the year 2019, an event dedicated to him/her was also held in the city, while on his/her birth anniversary in the city, local artists remembered him/her and paid tribute to him/her with his/her songs.

Shailendra had gone to Bombay for apprenticeship in railways

The father of the democratic romanticist and people’s poet lyricist Shailendra, Kesari Lal, was a resident of Ara in Bihar. he/she worked as a clerk in Rawalpindi for a few years and later became a canteen manager. Due to health reasons, Shailendra’s father came to his/her relatives in Mathura and Shailendra completed his/her schooling in Government High School, Mathura. Due to extreme poverty, he/she could not reach intermediate. In the year 1942, he/she came to Bombay for a five-year apprentice course in the railways.

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Announcements were made in the name of Shailendra, but nothing ever happened

There is a lot of anger among music lovers and city people due to such a great lyricist of their soil not getting recognition in his/her own village. Talking to presswire18 Times, the villagers said that even here in the village very few people know that Shailendra has any relation with Akhtiyarpur village. Leaders, ministers, administration, none of them took any care of him/her. Announcements were even made that his/her statue would be installed in villages and cities. But all these remained only announcements. his/her descendants are also forced to spend their lives somehow in poverty.

Shailendra’s ancestral house is in a dilapidated condition in the village

Let us tell you that when Shailendra, who was fond of Antakshari, reached Bombay, his/her inclination towards poetry increased. In the year 1941, he/she started writing in the famous magazines of that time under the pen name of Shachipati and then in 1945 under the name of Shankar Shailendra. Today, the houses of Shailendra’s ancestors in Bihar are in a dilapidated state. his/her family is forced to live a life of anonymity. In the past years, many announcements were made in the name of Shailendra from his/her village to the city, but they could not be implemented.