The man, synonymous with English training in India is no
other than Dr Birbal Jha, who evolved a unique Structural-cum-Interactive
Method for a quick and easy grasp of the English language, which has been
endorsed by various international schools of thoughts on the subject.
At the age of 21, Dr Birbal, who otherwise may have gone for
any administrative jobs, came up with the start-up of his social venture-
British Lingua which has been able to fairly sharpen the skills and improve the
lifestyles of lacs of students who were initially deprived of English education
and opportunities demanding such a skill.
“What we simply do at Lingua Family is to add linguistic
value to those learners who come to us by way of training them in the required
skills. Frankly speaking, we simply and
methodologically enhance the net-worth of a person by multiple times in a specific time frame by equipping them
with the English communication skills which enhances their scope of employability,
personality and prosperity in today’s world.”, says Lingua Managing Director Dr
Jha, who has championed the cause of English training in India over years.
Interestingly, Dr Jha, who coined the slogan ‘English for
all’ for an ideal social setting is often quoted as saying “the advantage of
the English language must percolate down
even to the lowest strata of Indian society so much so that even the
deprived section of society should gain unfettered access to various
opportunities including employment and intellectual development.” However, he
feels strongly about Indian culture, values and ethos which are very reflective
in his lectures and practice in his personal life.
With globalization taking root in early ‘90, Dr Jha’s
training journey began in 1993 on the bank of the Ganges in Patna and gradually
gained traction in different parts of the country. Since then there has seen no looking back in
pursuit of meeting the very purpose of social needs.
To his literary
credit, ‘Spoken English Kit is one of his million-copy bestseller books among
his 24 odd books. His latest paperback is ‘English for Social Justice in India’
wherein he has brilliantly demonstrated how a fair knowledge of English is
instrumental in ensuring justice in the multilingual society like India.
Remarkably, he received a lot of acclaim for his weekly columns ‘Seekhen Sahi
Angreji’ in Dainik Jagran and ‘Jano English’ in Hindustan, both national
dailies. With Oxford University Professor Elizabeth Schoel beside many others
highly appreciating Dr Jha’s magnum opus- Celebrate Your Life, he is an
institution in himself considering his erudition and prolific works.
As an editor, he brought out ‘Lingua Bulletin’ for a decade
which has rendered tremendous help to the language learners. Thanks to his
sincerity, integrity, dedication and professional commitments, today he is an
established name in the field of English communication and soft skills training
in the country.
The youth icon Dr Jha was accorded as the status of “The
Youngest Living Legend of Mithila” where he was born on 22 January 1972 in a
remote village of Sijoul falling in the district of Madhubani in Bihar.
In collaboration with the Government of Bihar, his social
enterprise has been able to bring about noticeable changes in the lives of
thousands of Mahadalit, the poorest of the poor in the state.
In the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, he headed the
training team of British Lingua which imparted the first-ever training in
Spoken English and Behavior Skills to those who were the first points of
contacts and received a tremendous response and appreciation.
Dr Jha’s continued research has become one of his greatest
assets; it has a clear correlation with his teaching methods and reflects the
needs of the people in contemporary society.
Recognizing his expertise
and scholarship, the Government of Bihar entrusted him with implementing the
first-ever ‘Spoken English and Capacity Building’ training project for
Government High School-teachers in 2009, its successful completion has set the
benchmark for English education in the state.
As the Chairman of
Mithilalok Foundation, he launched ‘Save the Paag Campaign’, following which
the government of India historically issued Postal Stamp on Mithila Paag in
2017 as a landmark.
In recognition of his
social, cultural and literary works Dr Jha has been bestowed upon several
awards and citations matching his towering personality. He holds the view of an
egalitarian society where everybody should get an opportunity of living a
decent life. He is a social worker in every true sense of the word.
Really Dr Jha is a man of versatile personality.
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