Jagannath Shukla

Jagannath Shukla
File:Jagannath Shukla as Master Saheb Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo.jpg File:Jagannath Shukla as Master Saheb Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo.jpg File:Jagannath Shukla as Master Saheb Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo.jpg Jagannath Shukla as School Masterji in the first Bhojpuri film Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo
Born	Pandit Jagannath Shukla Born in 1902 Pataliputra, Bihar, British India (now in Patna, Bihar, India)
💀Died	27 January 1976 (aged 75) Patna, Bihar, India27 January 1976 (aged 75)
💼 Occupation	dramatist, playwright and poet
Family	Mr. Anant Prasad Shukla (son)

Pandit Jagannath Shukla, popularly known as Jaggi Baba (born Pataliputra, 1902–27 January 1976) was an Urdu poet, playwright, and dramatist. He came from an aristocratic Vaishnava Baidya Brahmin family. He is also known as the first Bhojpuri film actor of Bihar.

Early life

His talent as an artist began to manifest from childhood, and he was invited to sing, act, and direct on various platforms. At the age of only six years, he had attracted the attention of art lovers in the role of a devotee Prahlada. A versatile talent, Shukla Ji also received proper training in Kathak dance.

Education and career

Pt. Jagannath Shukla started his career early, soon after marriage. His first job, which did not satisfy his inner urge, was that of a watchman in one of the local mills. He did not stick to it for long and became a Katha-Vachak (storyteller in verse), and as a verse storyteller, he aroused political awareness through his melodious recitations of patriotic songs in the rural areas of South Bihar, going about from place to place. His melodious rendering on the Harmonium, accompanied by tabla and ghaal, was unique. He was considered superior to Pandit Radhey Shayam Katha-Vachak of Bareilly. This was a lucrative profession, and when he sat on the Vayas-Gaddi, listeners were spellbound. But again, the urge of the stage artist kept disturbing him. The dream of the stage became a nightmare, and despite vehement protests from family members, he gave it up to strive for higher achievements. Shukla Ji abruptly left for Calcutta to become a disciple of the greatest dramatist of the time, Agha Hashar Kashmiri, whose theatrical company was stationed there. Later, he was hired as a staff artist at the Alfred Theatre in Bombay. The role of Emperor Akbar in the play 'Durga Das' astonished not only Calcutta but also art critics across the country. He was a notable actor of the Parsi Stage. He also gained a foothold in Parsi theatre, and Master Manik Lal, distinguished as a specialist of Parsi theatre of the twentieth century, gave him his full patronage, and his work continued between Calcutta and Patna. His wish was that there should be a theater in Patna City, and social, religious, and contemporary plays should be staged in it. Finally, in 1921 AD, with the help of his artist colleagues and art lovers, the Kuncha Natya Parishad was established, in which many historical, social, and religious plays were successfully staged from time to time. In the role of Harishchandra in a theatrical presentation 'Satya Harishchandra', the acting of Pt. Jagannath Shukla is still remembered by older art lovers. Pt. Jagannath Shukla, in 1924 AD, founded another theatrical organization in the name of Patna City Union Club and staged many popular plays with the support of local artists, some of which were—Surdas, Garib Ki Duniya, Pati Bhakti, and Paap-Parinaam. Initially, the council had a complete lack of acting materials. For theatrical performances, goods were collected from many places—from somewhere bamboo, bala, sari, blouse, curtains for skirting, etc. Later on, everything became his own. In the ceremony organized by the Kucha Natya Parishad, the country's big leaders, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. Anugrah Narayan Singh, Jagat Narain Lal, Ram Dulari Sinha, Manorama Devi, Sukhdev Sharma, Jaglal Choudhary, Dr. Shri Krishna Sinha, Mahesh Prasad Singh, Virchand Patel, etc., had come. The Governor of Bihar, Dr. Madhav Shrihari Aney, also came to the council. Pt. Jagannath Shukla made an early contribution to the development of drama and theater in Bihar. Leaving the job of the Imperial Bank of India in Patna dedicated to theater and art, Pt. Jagannath Shukla, in 1935 AD, turned to the growing cinema industry in Calcutta and made his mark in the cinema world with his outstanding roles in the silent films Zaljala, Chalta Putla</ref>, Mother India, and many other motion pictures. He became friends with singer-actor K. L. Saigal because of his voice in instrumental singing. Attracted by his talent, some people called him to Patna and established a company called Avantika Cine Tone to produce motion pictures. But due to certain reasons, this experiment was unsuccessful, which upset him. Shukla Ji, in 1940 AD, went to Varanasi, where he started the work of story-reading in his melodious voice. He founded the company Indian Film and Theater. His associate was his friend Master Hafiz, who, like him, was a disciple of Agha Hashar Kashmiri. But this company, too, was closed due to famine. At this time, he was also regularly broadcasting melodious bhajans and ghazals from All India Radio Akashvani Kendra in Lucknow. An opportunity for the development of his versatility came again on 26 January 1948 AD. It was received when a radio station was established in Patna. The center was inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. From the day of the inauguration, Pt. Jagannath Shukla joined this center. He played Lord Buddha in the first radio play titled 'Pataliputra'. In 1949 AD, he was contracted as a Senior Staff Artist. In the Chaupal program of All India Radio, he made millions of listeners his fans in the role of 'Patwari', a rural broadcasting program. In the first Bhojpuri film, 'Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo', he played the role of a rural school 'teacher'. His performance as 'Masterji' is still appreciated. Be it drama, film, music, dance, or poetry conferences or Mushaira, this born artist flaunted his talent. He presented many programs on Patna All India Radio, such as Hriday Ki Gadbadi, Bal Mandali, Jagannath Shukla: Ghazal, and many other programs like "Fawware" in front of an invited audience on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Patna Kendra.

Death

He died of a heart attack around 10:15 a.m. at his Hajiganj residence in Patna City. He was 75. People from all walks of life accompanied his funeral procession. His mortal remains were consigned to the flames on the bank of the Ganga at the Khajekalan burning ghat. His only son, Mr. Anant Prasad Shukla, performed the last rites. Mr. Radhakrishna Prasad, Station Director, All India Radio, Patna, and his senior colleagues and radio artists, including the Drama Producer, Mr. Janardan Rai, went to his residence to pay their last homage. Floral wreaths were placed on the pyre on behalf of the premier social and cultural institution, the Pataliputra Parishad. He is survived by his wife, only son Mr. Anant Prasad Shukla, and two daughters.

References

This article "Jagannath Shukla" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Jagannath Shukla. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---