Seeta Sheel: सीता-शील

Mr. Khadga Ballabh Das (1909-1999) completed authoring the poetic “Seeta Sheel” over several years following his voluntary retirement from the Government Press in Gulzarbagh Patna. Although not formally educated, Mr. Das was a mathematician, a poet and a war veteran. During the second World War he served in the British Army as an automobile technician; but developed a deep appreciation for the Indian freedom movement soon after. An excellent story teller, Mr. Das was known for his dynamic cultural skills (such as conducting mathematics shows), social work, scientific experiments and, of course, literary works. Some of this dynamism is also reflected in the supplements to “Seeta Sheel” as book appendices. He devotes a page on depicting the god names in terms of numbers; and another on showcasing how a full poem could be written without using any “matras” (vowels) in Devanagri script.

During latter years of his life, Mr. Das built a Shri Krishna temple in Imadpatti (Madhubani), his ancestral village. He enjoyed full support for his dynamic endeavors from his wife Mrs. Indramaya Devi (1912-1992), sons Mr. Lakshman Das (1934-1993) and Mr. Ramakant Das and daughter Mrs. Vidya Devi and their spouses and families.