Hindi Diwas 2020: Hindi Diwas is observed in India every year on September 14. It marks the significance of the day when the Constituent Assembly after Independence adopted Hindi as the official language of India.
Written in the Devanagri script, Hindi is one of the 22 scheduled languages spoken in the country and one of the official languages of the Union Government. The other is the English language.
On the occasion of Hindi Diwas 2020, here are 5 renowned poets and authors of Hindi literature:
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
Also known as ‘Rastrayakavi’, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar has been honoured by Padma Bhushan in 1959. His writings from the pre-independence era were rebellious. Being a poet of Veer Rasa (courage) style, he’s vouched in favour of the war in ‘Kurukshetra’, giving reasons that though war is destructive, the Mahabharata war was inevitable to protect the freedom. His major works are ‘Rahmi-rathi’, and ‘Parashuram Ki Pratiksha’. He died on April 24, 1974.
Maithili Sharan Gupt
Maithili Sharan Gupt was one of the first poets to use Khari Boli in poetry at a time when Brajbhasha was prevalent. He wrote in various magazines including Saraswati. In 1910, his first major work, Rang Mein Bhang was published. His magnum opus is Bharat Bharati. Most of his poems revolve around plots from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Buddhist stories.
Mahadevi Verma
Popularly known as Modern Meera, Verma contributed to the Chhayavaad genre of Hindi poetry. She was awarded Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1979, followed by the Jnanpith Award in 1982. She was the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan in 1988.
Goswami Tulsidas
Goswami Tulsidas was a disciple of Ramananda, a contemporary of Akbar and is best known for Ramcharitmanas, wrote in Awadhi as well as Brajbhasha dialects. He also composed Hanuman Chalisa and founded the Sankatmochan Temple dedicated to Hanuman in Varanasi. His Awadhi works include the Ramcharitmanas, Ramlala Nahachhu, Barvai Ramayan, Parvati Mangal, Janaki Mangal, and Ramagya Prashna and Brajbhasha works include Krishna Gitavali, Gitavali, Kavitavali, Dohavali, Vairagya Sandipani, and Vinaya Patrika.
Harivansh Rai Bachchan
The torch-bearer of the romantic generation is none other than the father of Bollywood’s most accomplished actor Amitabh Bachchan. He is known for ‘Madhushala’ – a book of verses. He worked very hard in promoting Hindi as the official language of India. During his stint at the External Affairs Ministry, he translated some of the major works into Hindi, including Othello, Macbeth, Bhagawad Gita, Rubaiyat, and the works of W.B. Yeats.
