Dharamvir Bharati (25 December 1926 – 4 September 1997) was a renowned Hindi poet, author, playwright and a social thinker of India. He was the chief editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine Dharmayug,[1] from 1960 till 1987.[2]
Dr. Dharamvir Bharati | |
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Born | Allahabad, United Provinces, British India | 25 December 1926
Died | 4 September 1997 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | (aged 70)
Occupation | Writer (essayist, novelist, poet) |
Nationality | Indian |
Education | M.A. Hindi, PhD |
Alma mater | Allahabad University |
Notable works | Gunahon Ka Devta (1949, novel) Suraj ka Satwan Ghoda (1952, novel) Andha Yug (1953, play) |
Notable awards | 1972: Padmashree 1984: Valley Turmeric Best Journalism Award 1988: Best Playwright Maharana Mewar Foundation Award 1989: Sangeet Natak Akademi Rajendra Prasad Shikhar Samman Bharat Bharati Samman 1994: Maharashtra Gaurav Kaudiya Nyas Vyasa Samman |
Spouse | Kanta Bharti (married 1954) (first wife), Pushpa Bharti (second. wife) |
Children | daughter Parmita (first wife); son Kinshuk Bharati and a daughter Pragya Bharati (second wife) |
Bharati was awarded the Padma Shree for literature in 1972 by the Government of India. His novel Gunaho Ka Devta became a classic. Bharati's Suraj ka Satwan Ghoda is considered a unique experiment in story-telling and was made into a National Film Award-winning movie by the same name in 1992 by Shyam Benegal. Andha Yug, a play set immediately after the Mahabharata war, is a classic that is frequently performed in public by drama groups[3].
He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Playwriting (Hindi) in 1988, given by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama.[3]
Dharamvir Bharati was born on 25 December 1926 in a Kayastha Family of Allahabad to Chiranji Lal and Chanda devi. The family underwent considerable financial hardships after his father died early. He had a sister, Dr. Veerbala.
He did his MA in Hindi from Allahabad University in 1946[4] and won the "Chintamani Ghosh Award" for securing highest marks in Hindi.
Dharamvir Bharati was the sub-editor for magazines Abhyudaya and Sangam during this period. He completed his PhD in 1954 under Dr. Dhirendra Verma on the topic of "Siddha Sahitya" and was appointed lecturer in Hindi at Allahabad University. The 1950s were the most creative period in Bharati's life: He wrote many novels, dramas, poems, essays, and critical works during this phase.
In 1960 he was appointed as chief-editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine Dharmayug by the Times Group and moved to Bombay. He remained the editor of Dharmayug till 1987. During this long phase the magazine became the most popular Hindi weekly of the country and reached new heights in Hindi journalism.[4] As a field reporter, Bharati personally covered the Indo-Pak war that resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh.
Dr Bharati married in 1954 and later divorced Kanta Bharati with whom he had a daughter: Parmita. A few years later he remarried and had a son Kinshuk Bharati and a daughter Pragya Bharati with Pushpa Bharati.
Bharati developed heart ailments and died after a brief illness in 1997.[4]
Kanupriya, Thanda Loha, Saat Geet Varsh, Sapana Abhi Bhi and Toota Pahiya are amongst his most popular works of poetry. Toota Pahiya tells a story of how a broken wheel helped Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata war.
Andha Yug (The Age of Blindness) is a poetic play. Structured on events in the Mahabharata, Andha Yug focuses on the last day of the Mahabharata war. It is a powerful metaphorical work. It has been directed by Ebrahim Alkazi, Raj Bisaria, M.K. Raina, Ratan Thiyam, Arvind Gaur, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Mohan Maharishi, Bhanu Bharti [Pravin kumar gunjan ]and many other Indian theatre directors.
Drow Ka gaon (र्दों का गाव), Swarg aur Prathvhi (स्वर्ग और पृथ्वी), Chand aur Tute hue Log (चाँद और टूटे हुए लोग), Band gali Ka Aakhkri Makaan (बंद गली का आखिरी मकान), Saas ki Kalam se (सास की कलम से), Samasta Kahaniya ek Saath (समस्त कहानियाँ एक साथ)
Thele par Himalayas (ठेले पर हिमालय), Pashyanti stories: Ankahi (पश्यंती कहानियाँ :अनकही), The river was thirsty (नदी प्यासी थी), Neel Lake (नील झील), Human values and literature (मानव मूल्य और साहित्य), Cold iron (ठंडा लोहा)
Dr. Bharati: documentary directed by young story writer Uday Prakash for Sahitya Akademi, Delhi, 1999