Munshi Premchand Jayanti 2018: Remembering India's Most Famous Hindi Novelist and Story Writer
Premchand was born on 31 July 1880, at a village in Varanasi. Every year this day is celebrated as Premchand Jayanti.
Munshi Premchand, a pen name that was so famous in the Hindi-Urdu literature, was one of the most celebrated writers of India. Very prominent of his times in the 20th century, Premchand was a great novelist, dramatists and story writer. He weaved words magically and his stories evoked in the reality of his times. Premchand was born on 31 July 1880, at a village in Varanasi. Every year this day is celebrated as Premchand Jayanti. His original name was Dhanpat Rai, and was nicknamed Nawab by his uncle. Premchand's first pen name was thus 'Nawab Rai.'
From the early start, Premchand read a lot of books to enhance his knowledge and also developed a fascination for books, eventually into writing. Premchand has written more than a dozen novels and a lot more short stories. His essays and stories spoke of his reality as well. His stepmother became an important character in his works. He found a comfort from the hardships of his life into fiction. He battled the poverty situation, the hurdles in his life by putting them in stories and essays.
His first short novel was Asrar e Ma'abid (Secrets of God's Abode) in which he spoke of corruption among the priests in the temple. He also wrote on sexual exploitation of the women. Premchand wrote on politics, patriotism, and his stories were influenced by the Indian independence movement. He also wrote on social issues, addressing women's problems, widow remarriage, dowry etc. He continued writing in Hindi and Urdu and became quite a reputed writer after 1915. By 1919, he had published 4 novels.
Premchand was also dealing with financial problems but he founded his own printing press and publication in Benaras called 'Saraswati Press.' Premchand was excelling at his writing, as he was changing his formats. He also took up script writing for films for a while. His writings depicted realism of the society and he used his literature to talk about all the issues, social as well as political. On this day, let us remember the great writer who managed to create a legacy with his literature.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2018 10:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).