Harivansh Rai Bachchan

Harivanshrai "Bachchan" Srivastav (हरिवंशराय बच्चन श्रीवास्तव) (November 27, 1907 - January 18, 2003) was a distinguished Hindi poet of Chhayavaad literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is Chhayavaad ( Hindi: छायावाद ( Shadowism) refers to the era of Neo-romanticism in Hindi literature particularly Hindi poetry 1917-1938 Hindi literature, is broadly divided into four prominent forms or styles being Bhakti (devotional - Kabir Raskhan Shringar (beauty - Keshav He best known for his early work Madhushala (मधुशाला) ^[1]. Madhushala ( Hindi: मधुशाला ( The Tavern/The House of Wine) is a book of 135 " Quatrains quot verses of four lines (" Ruba'i He is also the father of Bollywood film superstar, Amitabh Bachchan. Bollywood (बॉलीवूड بالی وڈ is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai -based Hindi-language Film industry in India

Biography

He was born as Harivanshrai Srivastav into a U.P. Kayasth family on November 27, 1907, at a small village (of Patti, in district of Pratapgarh, U. Kāyastha or Kayasth ( Hindi: कायस्थ meaning Scribe or Administrator) is an upper caste of India Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year This article is about the city and district in Uttar Pradesh. P. ) near Allahabad in the United Provinces (modern Uttar Pradesh). Allahabad ( Hindi: इलाहाबाद Urdu: الہ آباد Ilāhābād) is a city in the north Indian state of Uttar The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, more commonly the United Provinces, was a Province of British India, which existed from 1902 to 1947 Uttar Pradesh (उत्तर प्रदेश اتر پردیش pronounced, Translation: Northern Province) referred to as '''U He was called "bachchan" (meaning 'child') at home. He received his formal schooling in a municipal school and followed the family tradition of attending Kayasth Paathshaalas (कायस्थ पाठशाला) to learn Urdu as the first step to a career in law. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised He later studied at the Allahabad University and Banaras Hindu University. History The University of Allahabad is the fourth modern University established in India on 23 September 1887 Banaras Hindu University (BHU Hindi: काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय is a premier Central University and a world class educational In this period, he came under the influence of the independence movement, then under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. The term " Indian independence movement " is diffuse incorporating various national and regional campaigns agitations and efforts of both Nonviolent and Militant Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January

In 1926, at the age of 19, Bachchan married his first wife, Shyama, who was then 14 years old. However she died ten years later in 1936 after a long spell of TB at just 24 years of age. Bachchan married his second wife, Teji Suri, a Sikh, in 1941. Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The marriage produced two sons, Amitabh and Ajitabh.

From 1941 to 1952 he taught English at Allahabad University and then spent two years at Cambridge University, at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England There he studied with the famous English literature don, Thomas Rice Henn, and received a doctorate in English Literature for his work on the Irish poet W.B. Yeats. Thomas Rice Henn (1901-1974 was a literary critic He became Professor of English at the University of Cambridge. The term English literature refers to Literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by Writers not necessarily from It was then that he used 'Bachchan' as his last name instead of Srivastav. Bachchan was the second Indian to get his doctorate in English literature from Cambridge University. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the

Returning to India, he taught briefly and then worked as a producer for All India Radio, Allahabad. All India Radio (abbreviated as AIR) officially known as Akashvani ( Devanagari: आकाशवाणी ākāshavānī ( Urdu: اکاشوانی In 1955, Harivanshrai moved to Delhi to join the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India and there he was closely involved with the evolution of Hindi as the official language of the nation. Delhi (दिल्ली ਦਿੱਲੀ دلی d̪ɪlːiː sometimes referred to as Dilli) is the second largest metropolis of India, with a population A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the Foreign policy of a sovereign nation Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is

Bachchan used to introduce himself as Mitti ka tan, masti ka man, kshan-bhar jivan — mera parichay. (मिट्टी का तन, मस्ती का मन, क्षण भर जीवन, मेरा परिचय) (A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment’s life - that is me).

Harivanshrai Bachchan died on January 18, 2003, at the age of 95, as a result of various respiratory ailments. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. His widow Teji Bachchan died three years later in 2007, at the age of 93.

Work

He is best known for his early lyric poems Madhushala (मधुशाला) (The House of Wine), first published in 1935, which was later translated into English and many regional Indian languages including Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam. Madhushala ( Hindi: मधुशाला ( The Tavern/The House of Wine) is a book of 135 " Quatrains quot verses of four lines (" Ruba'i Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Marathi (mr मराठी Marāṭhī) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of what is considered western India. Not to be confused with the Malay language. Malayalam (മലയാളം malayāḷaṁ) is a Dravidian language used It forms part of a trilogy, along with Madhubala (मधुबाला) (1936) and Madhukalash (मधुकलश)(1937) ^[2]. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Bachchan published about 30 volumes of poetry. He translated Shakespeare's Macbeth and Othello, Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat, the Bhagavad Gita (भगवत गीता) and W. William Shakespeare ( baptised Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between For the Thoroughbred racehorse see Omar Khayyam (horse Ghiyās od-Dīn Abol-Fath Omār ibn Ebrāhīm Khayyām Neyshābūri (غیاث الدین Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ( Persian: رباعیات عمر خیام The Rubáiyát ( Arabic: رباعیات is a collection of Poems B. Yeats into Hindi. His works include Nisha Nimantran (निशा निमंत्रण), Khadi Ke Phool (खादी के फूल), Ekant Sangeet (एकांत संगीत) and Satrangini (सतरंगिनी). In November, 1984, he wrote his last poem Ek November 1984 on Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī) ( Née: Nehru (19 November 1917 - 31 October 1984 was the Prime Minister of the Though not officially, he is considered in literary circles in India as the last Rashtriya Kavi (National Poet). His rendition of Madhushala was broadcast on All India Radio is still available.

His autobiography, consisting of four volumes namely Kya bhooloon kya yaad karoon (क्या भूलूं क्या याद करूं), Need ka nirmaan fir (नीड़ का निर्माण फिर), Basere se door (बसेरे से दूर) and Dashdwaar se sopaan tak (दशद्वार से सोपान तक) (abridged and translated into English as In the Afternoon of Time) was chosen for the Saraswati Samman (सरस्वती सम्मान). The Saraswati Samman (सरस्वती सम्मान is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any Indian language.

Honors

Bachchan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament in 1966, and received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1969. The Rajya Sabha (meaning the "Council of States" is the Upper house of the Parliament of India. The Sahitya Akademi Award (साहित्य अकादमी पुरूस्कार is a literary honour in India. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1976, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan and the Saraswati Samman for his contribution to Hindi literature. The Padma Bhushan award is an Indian civilian decoration established on January 2, 1954 by the President of India. The Saraswati Samman (सरस्वती सम्मान is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any Indian language. In 1994, he was conferred with the "Yash Bharati" Samman by the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh (उत्तर प्रदेश اتر پردیش pronounced, Translation: Northern Province) referred to as '''U [1] He is a recipient of the Soviet Land Nehru Award and the Lotus Award of the Afro-Asian writers conference. In 2003, an Indian postage stamp was released in his memory. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services

Other Informations

• At present, more people may know Bachchan as being father to India's best-known film actor, Amitabh Bachchan, than know his reputation as a poet.

• The creator of the great collection 'Madhushala (मधुशाला)' is often thought to be a great admirer of wonder solutions himself. It is wrongly believed that the creator of one of the most famous poems on wine (Madhushala) never drank liquor. In reality, he had never drank liquor till the time he completed Madhushala. He did drink, although sparingly, later in his life, a fact that he admits to in his autobiography.

Agneepath - the poem

One of his inspirational poems, "agneepath" was used as the title and the theme for the 1991 blockbuster movie Agneepath (translates: path of fire) featuring his superstar son Amitabh Bachchan as a ruthless mafia don. For the TV series see here. Agneepath is a National Award -winning Hindi film produced in Bollywood, Mumbai's This movie was a massive success earning Amitabh Bachchan a National Award for his performance. You can see Amitabh narrating the poem through out the movie.

The poem describes the entire gamut of sufferings that the human race had gone through and is going through.

Here is the actual poem - Agneepath:

Vriksh ho bhale ghane, ho ghane ho bade, Ek pat chhav ki mang mat, mang mat, Agneepath Agneepath Agneepath.

Tu na thakega kabhi, tu na thamega kabhi, tu na mudega kabhi, Kar shapath, kar shapath, kar shapath, Agneepath, Agneepath, Agneepath.

Ye mahaan drishya hai, chal raha manushya hai, Ashru swed raqt se lathpath, lathpath, lathpath, Agneepath, Agneepath, Agneepath.

Complete list of Works

Poems (काव्य)

• Tera haar (तेरा हार) (1932)
• Madhushala (मधुशाला) (1935)
• Madhubala (मधुबाला) (1936)
• Madhukalash (मधुकलश) (1937)
• Nisha Nimantran (निशा निमंत्रण) (1938)
• Ekaant Sangeet (एकांत संगीत) (1939)
• Aakul Antar (आकुल अंतर) (1943)
• Satarangini (सतरंगिनी) (1945)
• Halaahal (हलाहल) (1946)
• Bengal ka Kaavya (बंगाल का काव्य) (1946)
• Khaadi ke Phool (खादी के फूल) (1948)
• Soot ki Maala (सूत की माला) (1948)
• Milan Yamini (मिलन यामिनी) (1950)
• Pranay Patrika (प्रणय पत्रिका) (1955)
• Dhaar ke idhar udhar (धार के इधर उधर) (1957)
• Aarti aur Angaare (आरती और अंगारे) (1958)
• Buddha aur Naachghar (बुद्ध और नाचघर) (1958)
• Tribhangima (त्रिभंगिमा) (1961)
• Chaar kheme Chaunsath khoonte (चार खेमे चौंसठ खूंटे) (1962)
• Do Chattane (दो चट्टानें) (1965)
• Bahut din beete (बहुत दिन बीते) (1967)
• Kat-ti pratimaaon ki awaaz (कटती प्रतिमाओं की आवाज़) (1968)
• Ubharte pratimaano ke roop (उभरते प्रतिमानों के रूप) (1969)
• Jaal sameta (जाल समेटा) (1973)

Miscellaneous (विविध)

• Bachpan ke saath kshan bhar (बचपन के साथ क्षण भर) (1934)
• Khaiyyam ki madhushala (खय्याम की मधुशाला) (1938)
• Sopaan (सोपान) (1953)
• Mcbeth (1957)
• Jangeet (जनगीता) (1958)
• Othello (1959)
• Omar Khaiyyam ki rubaaiyan (उमर खय्याम की रुबाइयाँ) (1959)
• Kaviyon ke saumya sant: Pant (कवियों के सौम्य संत: पंत) (1960)
• Aaj ke lokpriya hindi kavi: Sumitranandan Pant (आज के लोकप्रिय हिन्दी कवि: सुमित्रानंदन पंत) (1960)
• Aadhunik kavi: 7 (आधुनिक कवि: ७) (1961)
• Nehru: Raajnaitik jeevanchitra (नेहरू: राजनैतिक जीवनचित्र) (1961)
• Naye puraane jharokhe (नये पुराने झरोखे) (1962)
• Abhinav sopaan (अभिनव सोपान) (1964)
• Chausath roosi kavitaayein (चौसठ रूसी कवितायें) (1964)
• W. B. Yeats and Occultism (1968)
• Markat dweep ka swar (मरकट द्वीप का स्वर) (1968)
• Naagar geet (नागर गीत) (1966)
• Bachpan ke lokpriya geet (बचपन के लोकप्रिय गीत) (1967)
• Hamlet (1969)
• Bhaasha apni bhaav paraaye (भाषा अपनी भाव पराये) (1970)
• Pant ke sau patra (पंत के सौ पत्र) (1970)
• Pravaas ki diary (प्रवास की डायरी) (1971)
• King Lear (1972)
• Tooti Chooti kadiyan (टूटी छूटी कड़ियां) (1973)
• Meri kavitaayi ki aadhi sadi (मेरी कविताई की आधी सदी) (1981)
• So-ham hans (सोहं हंस) (1981)
• Aathve dashak ki pratinidhi shreshth kavitaayein (आठवें दशक की प्रतिनिधी श्रेष्ठ कवितायें) (1982)
• Meri shreshth kavitaayein (मेरी श्रेष्ठ कवितायें) (1984)
• Jo beet gai so Bat gai

Autobiography / Rachanavali (आत्मकथा / रचनावली)

• Kya bhooloon kya yaad karoon (क्या भूलूं क्या याद करूं) (1969)
• Need ka nirmaan fir (नीड़ का निर्माण फिर) (1970)
• Basere se door (बसेरे से दूर) (1977)
• Dashdwaar se sopaan tak (दशद्वार से सोपान तक) (1965), In the Afternoon of Time [2]
• Bachchan rachanavali ke nau khand (बच्चन रचनावली के नौ खण्ड) (1983)

References

1. ^ Harivanshrai Bachchan, 1907-2003 Obituary, Frontline, (The Hindu), February 01 - 14, 2003. The Hindu is a single-edition English-language Indian newspaper
2. ^ Madhushala indianetzone. com.

• Obituary at Rediff web portal.
• news report of Bachchan's death on BBC news.
• Sharma, Rajendra (2003) "Obituary: The romantic rebel: Harivanshrai Bachchan, 1907-2003" Frontline, India's National Magazine 20(3): February 01-14, 2003.
• Harivansh Rai Bachchan's profile on the Hindi Wikipedia

External links

• Harivanshrai Bachchan at Kavita Kosh (Hindi)
• Madhushala in Hindi (Hindi)
• Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan - A comprehensive resource of information about the great Hindi poet (Hindi)
• Madhushala (displayed as images on HTML page) (Hindi)
• Madhushala in PDF format (Hindi)
• Hindi Madhushala (Hindi)
• Birth Centenary Celebration of Dr. Harivanshrai Bachchan