KARAKAAT (Bihar): Poet Vrajnandan Verma, widely known as the “Ashwaghosh” of modern Sanskrit, died at his home Pragya Kala Kendra in Karoop English Gram here on 13 January. He was 86. Verma was born into an OBC (Kushwaha) family in Vikram Samvat 1984 on Ashok Dhamma Vijaya Dashmi day at Giudhar-Pavni (Naasriganj). Vrajnandan Verma wrote more than 50,000 Sanskrit slokas. Among his epics were Gautam Gatha, Arjak Ved, Mauryavansham and Kushvanshyam. Buddha, Kabir, Jagdev Prasad, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Dr BR Ambedkar had an abiding influence on his personality and works. He was a staunch opponent of Manuvad and inequality. He had to pay the price for the stand he took and was neglected by his family and society. But he continued with his literary pursuits. He also wrote many essays and poems in Hindi. His articles titled Kush Kyon, Ram Nahi and Mahishraj Mein Mahishasur, published in the March 2014 issue of Yadav Shakti, won wide appreciation among the Bahujans of the Hindi belt.
ublished in the February 2015 issue of the Forward Press magazine
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