Nagarjun — the pen name of Baidyanath Mishra (1911–1998), also known by his Maithili nom de plume Yatri — was the great “People’s Poet” (Jankavi) of his age, writing with equal power in Maithili and Hindi. His verse spoke for the farmer, the poor and the oppressed, and twice landed him in jail.
A restless wanderer and a fierce social conscience, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award (1969) and stands at the head of modern Maithili poetry.