Biography He was born on 23 September 1908, in Simariya village of Begusarai District in Bihar.[12] His father was Babu Ravi Singh and mother was Manroop Devi. As a student, his favourite subjects were history, politics and philosophy. He studied Hindi, Sanskrit, Maithili, Bengali, Urdu and English literature. Dinkar was greatly influenced by Iqbal, Rabindranath Tagore, Keats and Milton. He translated works of Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali to Hindi.[13] The poetic persona of the poet Dinkar was shaped by the pressures and counter-pressures of life during the freedom movement.[10][12] Five feet eleven, shining white complexion, long high nose, large ears, broad forehead – his appearance answered to some such description.[10][12] When he was a student of Mokama High School, it was not possible for him to stay on till school closed at four p.m.[12] He had to leave the class after lunch break so that he could catch the steamer back home.[12] He could not afford to be in the hostel which would have enabled him to attend all periods.[12] How could a student who had no shoes on his feet manage the hostel fees? His poetry shows the impact of poverty.[12] This was the environment in which Dinkar grew up and became a nationalist poet of radical views.[12] In 1920, Dinkar saw Mahatma Gandhi for the first time.[12] About this time, in the third decade of 20th century, he founded Manoranjan Library at Simariya.[12] He also edited a handwritten Pamphlet.[12] Creative Struggle When Dinkar stepped into his adolescence, the freedom movement had begun under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.[12] In 1929, when after matriculation, he entered into Patna College in the intermediate class; this movement had started becoming aggressive.[12] In 1928, Simon Commission, against which nationwide demonstrations were being held, arrived.[12] Demonstrations were held in Patna also. Dinkarji also signed the oath-paper.[12] Thousands came to the rally at Gandhi Maidan in which Dinkarji also participated.[12] During the protest against Simon Commission, the police of the British Government mercilessly lathi charged the Lion of Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai, who succumbed to the injuries.[12] The whole country was in turmoil.[12] The youthful mind of Dinkar became increasingly radical due to these agitations. His emotional nature was charged with poetic energy.[12] When a paper called Chhatra Sahodar (Brother of Students) came out again under the editorship of Narsingh Das, Dinkars first poem was published in 1924 or 1925.[12] In 1928, the peasants satyagraha under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel proved successful in Bardoli of Gujarat.[12] He wrote ten poems based on this Satyagraha which was published in a book form under the title Vijay-Sandesh (Message of Victory).[12] This composition is now available.[12] Right in front of Patna College, the office of Yuvak functioned.[12] To escape the wrath of the government, Dinkar got his poems published under the pseudonym Amitabh.[12] On 14 September 1928, a poem of his, on the martyrdom of Jatin Das, was published.[12] Around this time he wrote two small works of poetry called Birbala and Meghnad-Vadh, but neither of them is traceable now.[12] In 1930, he composed a poem called Pran-Bhang (The Breach of Vow), which was mentioned by Ramchandra Shukla in his history.[12] So the journey of his poetic career should be deemed to have begun with Vijay-Sandesh.[12] Before this his poems had become a frequent feature of the magazine Desh, published from Patna and of Pratibha, which was published from Kannauj.[12] Dinkars first collection of poems, Renuka, was published in November 1935.[12] Banarsi Das Chaturvedi, the editor of Vishal Bharat wrote that the Hindi speaking people should celebrate the publication of Renuka.[12] Around this time, Chaturvediji went to Sevagram.[12] He took with him a copy of Renuka.[12] The copy was given to Mahatma Gandhi.[12] The famous Historian Dr. Kashi Prasad Jaiswal loved him like a son and during the early days of his poetic career, helped him in every way.[12] He died on 4 August 1937, which was a great blow to the young poet.[12] Much later, he wrote in Kalpna, a magazine published from Hyderabad, It was a good thing that Jaiswalji was my first admirer. Now when I have savoured the love and encouragement of the Sun, Moon, Varun, Kuber, Indra, Brihaspati, Shachi and Brahmani, it is clear that none of them was like Jaiswalji. As I heard the news of his death, the world became a dark place for me. I did not know what to do.[12] Actually Jaiswalji was the first person to appreciate the historical sense in the poetry of Dinkar.[12] Work His works are mostly of Veer Rasa, or the brave mode, although Urvashi is an exception to this. Some of his greatest works are Rashmirathi and Parashuram ki Prateeksha. He is hailed as the greatest Hindi poet of Veer Rasa since Bhushan.[10] Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi wrote that he was very popular among people whose mother-tongue was not Hindi and he was a symbol of love for ones own mother-tongue.[14] Harivansh Rai Bachchan wrote that for his proper respect he should get four Bharatiya Jnanpith Awards – for poetry, prose, languages and for his service to Hindi.[14] Rambriksh Benipuri wrote that Dinkar is giving voice to the revolutionary movement in the country.[14] Namvar Singh wrote that he was really the sun of his age.[14] In his youth, Rajnath Singh, Home Minister of India was inspired by the genius of Dinkarji.[15] Hindi writer Rajendra Yadav, whose novel Sara Akash also carried a few lines of Dinkars poetry, has said of him He was always very inspiring to read. His poetry was about reawakening. He often delved into Hindu mythology and referred to heroes of epics such as Karna.[16] He was a poet of anti-imperialism and nationalism, says well-known Hindi writer Kashinath Singh.[16] He also wrote social and political satires[17] aimed at socio-economic inequalities and exploitation of the underprivileged.[17] A progressive and humanist poet, he chose to approach history and reality directly and his verse combined oratorical vigour with a declamatory diction The theme of Urvashi revolves round love, passion, and relationship of man and woman on a spiritual plane, distinct from their earthly relationship. His Kurukshetra is a narrative poem based on the Santi Parva of the Mahabharata.[18] It was written at a time when the memories of the Second World War were fresh in the mind of the poet.[18] Krishna Ki Chaetavani is another poem composed on events that led to the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata. His Samdheni is a collection of poems reflecting the poets social concern transcending the boundaries of the nation.[18] Sanskriti ke Char Adhyaya In his Sanskiti ke Chaar Adhyay he said that despite various cultures, languages and topography, India stands united, because however different we may be, our thoughts are one and the same.[19] Dinkar made the understanding of historical perspectives much more direct by looking at the history of Indias culture in terms of four major encounters: between the autochthons and the Aryans; between Vedic beliefs and the philosophy propounded by the Buddha, as well as by Mahavira; between Hinduism and Islam; and finally between the European civilisation and the Indian way of life and learning.[20] These encounters at different periods of history have imparted strength to Indias culture.[20] The most striking feature of Indias civilizational history has been its marked tolerance and human approach with its potential to impart a message to the world.[20] History is not merely a compilation of facts.[12] History is written from an ideological perspective.[12] The poet Dinkar wrote Sanskriti ke char adhyaya in the context of values emerging from the freedom movement.[12] The nationalist view of history, which was propounded by historians in the field of history, is propounded by Dinkar in the field of culture.[12] The values which developed in the context of freedo movement determine the perspective of this book.[12] Those values are anti-colonialism, secularism and the idea of integrated culture.[12] This book has been written around these very values. Dinkar is the nationalist historian of Indian Culture.[12] Divided into four vast chapters, in the first chapter, the form and development of the culture of India from pre-Vedic times to around the middle of the 20th century has been discussed.[12] In the second chapter the Buddhist and Jain religions which grew as a revolt against ancient Hinduism have been analysed.[12] In the third chapter, the influence of Islam on Hindu culture after its advent along with the influence of Islam on Hindu-Muslim relations, like – nature, language, art and culture has been studied.[12] In this chapter a very authentic investigation into the mutual relation between the Bhakti movement and Islam has been presented.[12] In this context, it has also been considered how the culture of India acquires an integrated form.[12] In the 4th chapter, a comprehensive account of the colonialisation of education and the clash of Christianity with Hinduism, etc., since the advent of the Europeans in India has also been given.[12] In this chapter, along with an inquiry into the Renaissance of the 19th century, the contributions of the leading leaders of Renaissance have been comprehensively discussed.[12] A leading characteristic of this chapter is also that a copious account of the Hindu Renaissance and with it of the Muslim Renaissance and its limitations have been presented.[12]
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 11:24:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015