Today is the birth anniversary of one of the most celebrated Hindi writers of the early twentieth century- Munshi Premchand. Referred to as Upanyas Samrat, Premchand wrote over three hundred short stories and fourteen novels, many essays and letters, plays and translations.
Premchand was a keen observer and chronicler of his times. He was the first Hindi and Urdu writer to write in-depth the lives of the deprived classes, communities and, especially, women. He wrote on contemporary themes of immediate social and political relevance. Many of Premchand’s works were translated into English and Russian after his death.
Life and times of Premchand
Born on July 31st, 1880, in a village near Varanasi, Dhanpat Rai alias Premchand was the quintessential upholder of the subcontinent Ganga- Jamuni Tahzeeb (composite culture). His early education was in Urdu, which was common in those days. and most of his writing was in Hindustani.
Premchand lost his mother at an early age. His father’s remarriage and stepmother behavior made him more isolated and he found solace in books. He wrote his first short novel, Devasthan Rahasya (Temple´s secret) at the age of 23. The novel though amateurish explores the story of corruption among the temple priests and their sexual exploitation of poor women.
In 1906, Premchand married a child widow. The step was considered to be revolutionary at that time, and Premchand faced a lot of social opposition. His second novel Prema, 1907, based on his own life, explores the issue of widow remarriage in the contemporary conservative society.
Premchand was influenced by nationalism and the Indian independence movement, which is reflected in his early writings. His collection of patriotic short stories, Soz-e Watan were interpreted as seditious by the British government. The book was banned and all copies were burned. This incident gave birth to the pen name “Premchand”.
In 1921, he resigned government service at the call of Gandhi during the Non-Cooperation Movement. After quitting his job, he decided to focus on his literary career. He started a press but faced huge losses. He worked as editor of Hindi journals to support his income. Till his death in 1936, he faced severe financial difficulties and chronic ill health.
Throughout his life, Premchand championed for the rights of the poor and marginalized through his writings. He used literature for the purpose of arousing public awareness about national and social issues ranging from corruption, child widowhood, prostitution, feudal system, poverty, colonialism to India’s freedom movement.
Premchand also tried his luck in the Hindi film industry in 1934 but got disillusioned soon by the commercial environment of the Bombay film industry. He wrote the script for the film mazdoor (The Labourer). The film depicted the poor conditions of the labor class. Premchand himself did a cameo as the leader of laborers in the film. But some influential businessmen managed to get a stay on its release in Bombay. The film was released in Lahore and Delhi but was banned again after it inspired the mill workers to stand up against the owners.
It is worth remembering his stories in times where language puritans are dividing Urdu as Muslim and Hindi as Hindu language, despite the fact that both languages were born in India.
Stories of Social realism
In the pre-independence era when most of the writings were of romantic nature, Premchand brought rationality and realism with heart touching stories. He single-handedly brought a high level of realistic narrative comparable to European fiction of the time. Premchand believed that social realism was the way for Hindi literature, as opposed to the “feminine quality”, tenderness and emotion of the contemporary Bengali literature. He is also credited with the distinction of creating a short story genre in Hindi and Urdu.
Credited with many titles like Shakespeare of India, Tolstoy of India, kalam ke sipahi, Premchand spent most of his life in poverty. His work did not receive the recognition compared to his contemporaries during his lifetime. But Premchand with his writings has left a treasure trove for many generations to learn from.
Some of his most famous novels and short stories–
Idgah- Story of a poor Muslim boy who lives with his grandmother. On the festival day of Eid, the other kids buy themselves candies and toys. The poor boy, thinking of his grandmother, buys a pair of tongs to help her make Rotis since she burns her hands trying to cook them bare-handed
Nirmala- Women oppression under marriage
Godan( the gift of a cow)-Considered his best novel and one of Hindi’s finest novel. The protagonist, Hori, a poor peasant, desperately longs for a cow, a symbol of wealth and prestige in rural India.
Rangabhoomi- Industrialisation and working-class oppression
Karmabhoomi- caste oppression and Hindu Muslim relations
Sadgati- The story is a vicious indictment of the Indian caste system. The story was made into a film by Satyajit Ray.
Shatranj Ke Khiladi- (The Chess Players) revolved around the decadence of nawabi Lucknow, where the obsession with a game consumes the players, making them oblivious of their responsibilities in the midst of a crisis. This was also made into a movie by Satyajit Ray.
Namak ka Daroga (Salt inspector) – An idealist becomes a police officer, and faces problems while performing his duties.
Poos ki Raat (A night in the month of Winter)- A poor farmer stays out with his dog to protect his field on an extremely cold December night.
Kafan – The story depicts the tussle between two classes and the plight of poor father-son laborers, who are caught in the crossfire. The story is a tragicomedy. The novel was made into a Telugu film Oka Oori Katha in 1977.
Gaban- The novel depicts the falling moral values among lower-middle-class Indian youth in the era of British India. It was made into a Hindi film in 1966.
Seva Sadan- An unhappy housewife first becomes a courtesan, and then manages an orphanage for the young daughters of the courtesans. The novel was made into a Telugu movie- Sevasadanam with M.S. Subbulakshmi in the lead role.
