Dhirendra Verma (17 May 1897 – 23 April 1973) was an Indian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

. He used to write in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and

Brij Bhasha The Braj language, ''Braj Bhasha'', also known as Vraj Bhasha or Vrij Bhasha or Braj Bhāṣā or Braji or Brij Bhasha or Braj Boli, is a Western Hindi language. Along with Awadhi (a variety of Eastern Hindi), it was one of the two predominant ...

.डॉ. धीरेंद्र वर्मा
(Dr. Dhirendra Verma) Verma holds the same prominence for introducing scientific methods to research in Hindi language and literature as does

Ramchandra Shukla Ram Chandra Shukla (4 October 1884 – 2 February 1941), better known as Acharya Shukla, was an Indian historian of Hindi literature. He is regarded as the first codifier of the history of Hindi literature in a scientific system by using wide, e ...

. On the basis of his research in Indian languages, he published the first scientific history of Indian languages in 1933. He wrote his doctoral thesis on

in French which was later translated into Hindi.

Life

Verma was born on 17 May 1897 in Bhui colony of

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India. His father, Khanchand, was a Jamindar by birth and occupation. Khanchand had deep interest in

Indian culture Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term al ...

and was influenced by the ideals of

Arya Samaj Arya Samaj ( hi, आर्य समाज, lit=Noble Society, ) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sanny ...

. Verma was significantly influenced by his father and the ideals of Arya Samaj in his formative years. Verma died on 23 April 1973.

Education

Verma was admitted to D.A.V. College,

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

in 1908. However, he soon returned to his father and took admission in Queen's College,

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

. He passed the "School Leaving Certificate Examination" with first division with special honours in Hindi. Subsequently, he went to Myor Central College,

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...

where he received his M.A. in Sanskrit (1921) from. Later, he was awarded a D. Litt degree from

Paris University , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

Teacher and researcher

Verma was appointed as the first lecturer of Hindi language at

Allahabad University , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

in 1924. Subsequently, he was promoted as a Professor and then Head of Department of Hindi department at Allahabad University, which he headed for several years. Later on, he served as the

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

Sagar University Dr. Hari Singh Gour University (Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya), formerly and more popularly known as Sagar University or University of Saugor, is a central university in the city of Sagar, the state of Madhya Pradesh or (MP), India. It wa ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

. It was his stint as a teacher and researcher that brought a lot of fame for Verma. He is recognized as the pioneer in introducing scientific methods to research in Hindi language and literature. Verma is known to have mentored many prominent writers, among them

Dharamvir Bharati 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'', from 1960 till 1987.The Illustr ...

, who edited the Hindi magazine ''

Dharmyug ''Dharmyug'' was a Hindi pictorial weekly published by The Times Group, The Times of India Group from year 1949 till 1993. History The magazine was originally published by a Dalmia Group, Dalmia press in Bombay from 1949, just after independen ...

''.

Works

Along with

Rahul Sankrityayan Rahul Sankrityayan (born Kedarnath Pandey; 9 April 1893 – 14 April 1963) was an Indian writer and a polyglot who wrote in Hindi. He played a pivotal role in giving travelogue a 'literary form'. He was one of the most widely travelled scholars ...

, Dhirendra Verma represented the spatial and temporal dimensions of Akshayat. Considered knowledgeable on

Hindi literature Hindi literature ( hi, हिन्दी साहित्य, translit=hindī sāhitya) includes literature in the various Hindi language which have writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃ� ...

, Verma has written many books. Notable among them in

are ''Hindi-Rashtra ya Suba Hindustan'' (1930) ''Hindi Bhasha ka Itihasa'' ( History of

Hindi language Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

) (1933). Notable books written by Verma in

are ''Brij Chhap''- Grammar of

, ''Ashtchhap'', ''Sursagar Saar'', etc. Also he wrote books on rural Hindi. Verma was the principal editor of the first 'हिन्दी विश्वकोश' (

Encyclopedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

). Verma maintained a diary during his student years in 1917–23 about the political events taking place in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

then. The diary entries were published in four parts called ''Meri kalej dayari'' (My College Diary). Father Kamil Bulke, the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

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, who later became famous as ''

's most famous Christian

scholar'', wrote that it was on the inspiration of Verma that he went to

in 1945 and did research in Hindi for four years.

Partial bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verma, Dhirendra 1897 births 1973 deaths People from Bareilly Poets from Uttar Pradesh Hindi-language poets Hindi-language writers 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets 20th-century Indian male writers University of Lucknow alumni Academic staff of the University of Allahabad