Rambriksh Benipuri

Ramavriksha Benipuri
रामवृक्ष बेनीपुरी
Ramavriksha Benipuri
Born 1899
Benipur Village, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, British India
Died 1968 (aged-68/69)
Occupation Writer, dramatist, essayist, novelist
Nationality Indian
Education M.A.
Notable works Ambpali, Patiton Ke Desh Mein, Shakuntala etc.

Ramavriksha Benipuri (रामवृक्ष बेनीपुरी) pronunciation , (1899–1968) was a Hindi writer. He was born in a small village named Benipur in the Indian state of Bihar. He had spent eight years in prison for fighting for India's independence.[1]

Rambriksh Benipuri hailed from Muzaffarpur in Bihar and took active part in the Indian freedom movement.[2] He was also a journalist of Hindi Literature and started several newspapers like Yuvak in 1929 and regularly contributed in various others to spread the idea of nationalism and freedom from British rule.[3]

Style and influence

Benipuri wrote mostly big stories and essays. His dramas covered mostly ancient events. For example, Amipure depicts the life of the famous courtesan Ambipure who adopted and converted to Buddhism after meeting Buddha. Likewise Netradaan (that is, Gift of Eyes), another drama, is based on a historical legend involving Ashoka and his son Kunal.

He was also a distinguished playwright.[1]

A stanza from one of his famous poems, "Shahido – tumhari yaad me" goes like this:

Hey, the Martyrs of August Revolution,

We shall forever keep the flag high

For which thy hath given thy lives;

We shall always esteem the path of martyrdom

Sanctified by the blood of thy supreme sacrifice.

[4]

The eminent Hindi writer, poet, play-wright, journalist and nationalist Rambriksh Benipuri, who spent more than eight years in prison fighting for India's independence writes of Non-co-operation movement as:[5]

"

When I recall Non-Cooperation era of 1921, the image of a storm confronts my eyes. From the time I became aware, I have witnessed numerous movements, however, I can assert that no other movement upturned the foundations of Indian society to the extent that the Non-Cooperation movement did. from the most humble huts to the high places, from villages to cities, everywhere there was a ferment, a loud echo.

Homage

In 1999, Benipuri was one of the Hindi writers depicted in a set of commemorative postal stamps released to celebrate the "Linguistic Harmony of India," marking the 50th anniversary since the Indian Union adopted Hindi as its official language.[6]

Centenary celebrations

The chief guest on the occasion of the birth centenary of Benipuri held in zonal railway training centre at Muzaffarpur, held under the auspices of railway ministry, was the former Prime Minister of India Chandra Shekhar.[7] The main speakers included litterateur Namwar Singh and journalist Prabhash Joshi.[7] Namwar Singh described Benipuri as only the second litterateur who preferred to associate his name with that of his village.[7]

Prabhash Joshi ranked Benipuri with Makhanlal Chaturvedi and Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, who were both contemporary writers and journalists as well.[7] He said '"Benipuri was not like today's journalists who work only to earn. Benipuri had a desire to create a "samtawadi samaj" and fight against imperialism."[7]

Major literary works

Memoirs and essays

-1941-45

Dramas

Editing and critical

Biography

Lalit Gadya

Collected Works

Selected Works/Anthology

Works on Rambriksha Benipuri

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rai, Ram Bachan (1995). Ramvriksh Benipuri. Sahitya Akademi. p. 66. ISBN 81-7201-974-2.
  2. ↑ "Special Postage Stamps on Linguistic Harmony of India". Latest PIB Releases. Press Information Bureau of the Government of India. September 1999. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  3. ↑ Das, Sisir Kumar (2006). A History of Indian Literature. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9.
  4. ↑ Niyogi, Sumanta (2010). Essays on Modern History (7.The 1942 Movement in Bihar – A stanza from the Hindi poem, "Shahido – tumhari yaad me", composed by Rambriksha Benipuri, the eminent Hindi poet, and an active participant in the 1942 movement, published in the Dainik Janata, Patna, 9th August 1951; translated into English by the author.). Janaki Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-907634-5-5.
  5. ↑ Biswamoy Pati (ed.), Lata Singh (2014). Colonial and Contemporary Bihar and Jharkhand (Chapter 7. Lata Singh, Nationalism in Bihar, 1921–22: Mapping Resistances quoting Suresh Sharma (ed.) Benipuri Granthavali, vol. IV, 1998, p.38). Primus Books. p. 264 (at p. 127). ISBN 978-93-80607-92-4.
  6. ↑ "Special Postage Stamps on Linguistic Harmony of India". Latest PIB Releases. Press Information Bureau of the Government of India. September 1989. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Dictatorship threatening Indian democracy: Chandrashekhar". The Times of India. 20 December 2001. Retrieved 3 April 2009.