श्री रामावतार बाबू

Bhimnath Jha recalls passing matriculation from his village school in 1958 and joining R.K. College, where Ramavatar Yadav was a classmate. Of about two thousand students that year only a handful scored a first division, and Yadav was among them. He describes the confusion of choosing subjects, and an uncle who took him to the principal’s house to get him admitted.भीमनाथ झा स्मरण करैत छथि जे 1958 मे गामक स्कूलसँ मैट्रिक कऽ ओ आर.के. कालेज एलाह, जतय रामावतार यादव हुनक सहपाठी रहथि। ओहि साल करीब दू हजार छात्रमे मुट्ठीभर पहिल डिविजनमे आयल, तकरा मध्य यादव सेहो रहथि। विषय चुनबाक असमंजस, आ एक पीसा जे हुनका प्राचार्यक आवास लऽ जा कऽ नाम लिखौलनि, तकर चर्च अछि।

The rest follows Yadav’s career: his specialisation in linguistics, a series of research books, and a name known abroad as a scholar of Maithili. They met again at a Maithili literary event in Delhi on 8–9 December 2018, where Yadav gave him a signed copy of his book Maithili Alekh Sanchayan. In June 2023 the writer visited Janakpur, and Yadav sent him a facsimile edition of a Maithili play, Parasuramopakhyana. The memoir ends on a play of words worth savouring (see the excerpt).शेष अंश यादवजीक यात्रा अछि: भाषाविज्ञानमे विशेषज्ञता, शोध-ग्रन्थक शृंखला, आ मैथिलीक विद्वान्क रूपमे विदेशमे ख्याति। 8-9 दिसम्बर 2018 केँ दिल्लीक मैथिली साहित्यिक आयोजनमे दुनू फेर भेँट भेला, जतय यादवजी अपन पोथी ‘मैथिली आलेख संचयन’ हस्ताक्षर कऽ देलनि। जून 2023 मे लेखक जनकपुर गेला, आ यादवजी मैथिली नाटक ‘परशुरामोपाख्यान’क शाही संस्करण पठौलनि। संस्मरणक अन्त एक आस्वाद्य शब्द-क्रीड़ासँ होइत अछि (उद्धरण देखू)।