Palamau (Jharkhand): Nilamber-Pitamber [The Heroes of 1857 in Palamau] is a revealing book from the pen of Dr. Nagendra Nath Sharan who is essentially a poet. 1857 is a memorable year for India.
This is the year when the Indians revolted against the rule of the English and made distinct efforts to gain freedom for the country. Disturbance and disquiet prevailed in the whole region of palamau.
The rise against the then rulers became evident under the two dynamic leaders of Palamau popularly know as Nilambar-Pitambar. The achievements and attainments of these two heroes of Palamau have been vividly portrayed in the long poem of Dr. Sharan.
The whole work is divided into six sections. It successfully depicts the rise and the downward trend of the whole struggle.
The six line-stanza pattern operates in the entire poem. But we cannot call the poem a sort of ‘In Memoriam’. It is something much more than that .It throws a flood of light on the brave deeds of the great heroes of this region.
Actually speaking Nilamber-Pitamber have been the ‘unsung heroes’ of 1857. we often forget the fact that they had the tremendous support of the masses who vehemently opposed the foreign rule in the country. Dr. Sharan’s book is the first massive attempt at telling the untold tale relating to Nilambar-Pitambar.
The poet has admirably tried to brush aside the dense and unwanted fogs of history. It goes without saying that this is the first impressive poem writer in English on 1857 from the state of Jharkhand in India. The poet deserves immense praise. Its publication towards the end of 2007 is highly significant.
The poet has made a place for himself while remembering what happened in Palamau in 1957.
memoriam
in memoriam
