NEW DELHI: Noted self-help author Dr Birbal Jha, who is accredited with having created a revolution in English training in India with the slogan ‘English for all’ was conferred the Global Skills Trainer Award-2022 this year at a function here. This high-status award was presented to Dr Birbal Jha by General VK Singh, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and Road Transport & Highways at a function in Delhi-NCR.
Dr Birbal Jha (52), a highly experienced English language specialist teacher recently ranked 5th position on Top-20 Self-help Authors in the country.
The awards Dr Birbal Jha has received include the National Education Excellence Award-2010, Man of Works-2011, Person of the Year- 2014, Star of Asia Award- 2016, Great Personality of India Award-2017, Bihar Achiever Award-2017, Paagman Award-17, and the Youngest Living Legend of Mithila-2017, Corona- Warrior-21, besides many others.
Speaking as the chief guest on the day upon giving away the award to Dr Birbal Jha, General VK Singh said, “ What matters most is how we talk the talk and walk the walk” with reference to the current required soft skills which Dr Birbal Jha takes to his trainees under his social enterprise British Lingua.
Dr Jha’s multifaceted personality includes a social entrepreneur, social thinker-worker, culture activist, author, lyricist, columnist and communication skills trainer, all rolled into one.
With a mission of helping people avail themselves of the advantages of English skills, he coined the slogan ‘English for all’ British Lingua in 1993 for effecting societal change in which he succeeded greatly.
He is a Ph D and holds 2 Masters’ from Patna University where his name figures in the category of notable alumni. However, he received early and secondary education in the village. He did his matriculation from Bihar School Examination Board in 1988.
He is an acclaimed author having penned over 30 books to date on aspects of Self-help improvements, English communication skills, personal growth, instructions, parenting and culture. 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 besides many others highly appreciate Dr Jha’s magnum opus- Celebrate Your Life, he is an institution in himself considering his erudition and prolific works.
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 contact in the event.
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, and its successful completion has set the benchmark for English education in the state.
Furthermore, in collaboration with the Government, his social enterprise has been able to bring about noticeable changes to the lives of thousands of the poorest of the poor in the state.
What could be more satisfying for him than the recognition of his work? A postal stamp was issued on Mithila Paag in 2017 following the ‘Save the Paag Campaign’ launched by Mithilalok Foundation which he heads as Chairman.
As a mass communicator, he connected the masses in the belt. Since then he is regarded as Paagman of India, an award bestowed upon him in recognition of promoting Indian culture and values.
In recognition of his social, cultural and literary works Dr Jha has been bestowed 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.
As a child activist, Dr Jha has launched campaigns for children’s safety, security and well-being. In this regard, his songs are so heart-touching, moving and emotive that all and sundry get riveted. Also, he has written a book titled Child Safety. His writings and works are reflective of his being a prolific writer.
A non-fiction book titled ‘The Living legends of Mithila’ featuring the life sketch 25 leading personalities of the region was published for their social contributions, in which Dr Birbal Jha has been accorded the status of the ‘Youngest Living Legend of Mithila’.