Published By: Sayan Paul

World Hindi Day: From ​Munshi Premchand To Mahadevi Verma - The Icons Of Hindi Literature

World Hindi Day - January 10 every year - is celebrated to present Hindi as an international language.

Hindi is, as Kamalapati Tripathi put it, "the soul of Indian culture". And as far as Hindi literature is concerned, it reflects India's cultural evolution spanning centuries. Written in the Devanagari script, this literature consists of various genres - prose, poetry, drama, etc. - and has countless tales that resonate with people across regions.

Today, on World Hindi Day, let's celebrate some of the biggest icons of Hindi literature.

Munshi Premchand

Hailed as the Upanyas Samrat, Munshi Premchand is one of Hindi literature's most celebrated writers of all time. As a novelist and short story writer, he explored the socio-economic struggles of common Indians in his work. Also, he advocated for social reforms throughout his life. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he never romanticized poverty and instead questioned everything from caste discrimination to corruption to inequality. And thanks to the simplicity of his language, his works are accessible to the masses.

(Credit: Daak)

Premchand's most notable works include 'Godan', 'Karmabhoomi', 'Idgah', 'Gaban', and 'Mansarovar'.

Dharamvir Bharati

Dharamvir Bharati was a renowned poet and playwright, whose works are celebrated for their lyrical beauty. Through his work, he critiqued India's socio-political turmoil in his time and also showed the path to reforms. And he advocated for a bridge between traditional Indian philosophy and modern sensibilities.

A recipient of the Padma Shree, Bharati had a deep understanding of the psychological complexities of humans. His characters struggle with conflicts, inner dilemmas, and societal pressure. Themes like love, betrayal, and faith are common in his works.

(Credit: Grin News)

His most popular creation is 'Gunaho Ka Devta', which is widely considered a classic. Besides, 'Suraj ka Satwan Ghoda' is also quite popular - which was made into a National Film Award-winning film by the same name by Shyam Benegal.

Harivansh Rai Bachchan

A pioneer of the Nayi Kavita literary movement of the early 20th century, Harivansh Rai Bachchan explored various complex themes in his work, mostly focusing on philosophical introspection. His poetry feels deeply personal and touches upon themes like love, longing, and heartbreak among others.

(Credit: indianhistorypics)

His most iconic creation, 'Madhushala', is a highly metaphorical work, and is popular for its Vedantic and Sufi incantations and philosophical undertones. Besides, his other notable works include 'Nisha Nimantran', 'Dashdwaar Sopaan Tak', and 'Milan Yamini'.

Mahadevi Varma

Mahadevi Varma was described by poet Nirala as the "Saraswati in the vast temple of Hindi Literature". She was an exceptional poet whose works reflected the condition of India's women. Through all her work, she critiqued the patriarchal system and advocated for women's empowerment.

Varma was one of the four major pillars of the Chhayawadi (neo-romanticism) era in Hindi literature. Themes like love, spirituality, and human suffering are recurring in her work - rooted in Indian culture, but having a universal appeal. Besides poetry, she was well-versed in music as well.

(Credit: The Logical Indian)

Some of her notable works are 'Nihar', 'Rashmi', 'Sandhyageet', 'Saptaparna', etc.

Hindi literature is so vast that it's impossible to include all its important writers in one article. Besides the above-mentioned names, the list also includes Mallika, ​Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, ​Makhanlal Chaturvedi, ​Jaishankar Prasad, ​Dushyant Kumar, and Gulzar among others.