by Arun Pathak
Bokaro/Patna: Celebrated Maithili literary luminary Buddhinath Jha is set to receive the prestigious Yatri Chetna Award 2025 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to literature. The award, instituted by Chetna Samiti, Patna, honors exceptional Maithili writers annually in memory of the renowned Maithili poet Vaidyanath Mishra ‘Yatri’.
The award will be presented during the 72nd Vidyapati Memorial Festival on November 3, 2025, at Vidyapati Bhawan, Patna. As part of the honor, Jha will receive a citation, a ceremonial robe, and a cash prize of ₹51,000. Chetna Samiti Secretary Jaydev Mishra formally conveyed the award to Mr. Jha, inviting him to the ceremony.
The announcement has sparked celebrations across the Maithili literary community, including Bokaro, with numerous literary figures congratulating him. Among those expressing their admiration were Kumar Manish Arvind, Hitnath Jha, Sukh Nandan Singh Saday, Girija Nand Jha ‘Ardhanarishwar’, Vijay Shankar Mallick, and leaders of Mithila cultural organizations such as J P Chaudhary and Neeraj Chaudhary.
Buddhinath Jha, a native of Nagdah village, Madhubani district, Bihar, and a resident of Bokaro, is a multifaceted talent: poet, writer, stage actor, and national stage director. He has previously been recognized by various literary bodies and is a founding member of Bokaro’s Sahityalok, a premier Maithili literary organization.
Among his notable works is “Om Mahabharata”, a monumental historical epic in Maithili, published in 2019 in three volumes spanning nearly 1,800 pages. The epic earned academic acclaim when Professor Praveen Kumar Prabhanjan, Head of the Maithili Department at UR College, Rosera, Samastipur, Bihar, was awarded a PhD by Lalit Narayan Mithila University on February 1, 2025, for his research on this magnum opus.
The Yatri Chetna Award 2025 further cements Buddhinath Jha’s stature as a towering figure in Maithili literature, celebrating his lifelong dedication to the art of writing and cultural enrichment.
