Kashinath Singh ( hi, काशीनाथ सिंह, born 1937) is an Indian writer and scholar of

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 ...

language and known for writing novels and short stories in

. He was formerly a professor of

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� ...

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...

. He received the

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

in 2011 for his novel ''Rehan Par Ragghu'', and is considered one of the best chroniclers of the city of

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

. He has recently received 'Bharat Bharti Award', the state's highest literary award given by U.P. government.

Biography

Kashinath Singh was born in 1937 in the village of ''Jiyanpur'', in

Chandauli Chandauli is a town and a nagar panchayat in Chandauli district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Chandauli District. Geography Chandauli is located at . It has an average elevation of . It comes ...

district of north Indian state of

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 ...

in a peasant family. His early schooling was done at Jiyanpur village school. He continued his education at

from where he obtained BA, MA and PhD. He started his career as a lecturer in Banaras Hindu University in 1965 and retired from there as professor and the head of the Hindi department. Singh presently lives with his son in Varanasi in Brij Enclave on Manduadih Road. Renowned critic Dr.

Namvar Singh Namvar Singh (Hindi: ) (28 July 1926 – 19 February 2019) was an Indian literary critic, linguist, academician and theoretician. He received his doctorate degree from Banaras Hindu University where he also taught for some time. He served as a ...

is elder brother of Kashinath Singh. He was a friend and relative of

Doodhnath Singh Doodhnath Singh (17 October 1936 – 12 January 2018) was an Indian Hindi language writer, critic and poet. Born in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, Singh studied Hindi at the University of Allahabad and served as a Professor there until 1994. ...

Legacy

Kashi Ka Assi ''Kashi Ka Assi'' is a 2004 Hindi novel written by Kashi Nath Singh. A movie, '' Mohalla Assi'' was made on this novel. Kashi Ka Assi can signify to the Assi that belongs to Kashi – the city or the author. He has added real people and real co ...

, published in 2008, is considered his most significant work. It is written from an insider's portrait of life on the ''ghats'', the oddball characters and the student politicians from the 1970s. The novel is considered to be unique in its detailed portrayal of the colourful life of

.Kashinath Singh wins the Sahitya Akademi award for 'Rehan par Ragghu' , BiharDays
/ref> Kashinath Singh is also known for his unique style of writing biographies of literary personalities. His memoirs are compiled into the volume ''Yaad Ho Ki Na Yaad Ho'', which won the Sharad Joshi Award. Parts of ''Kashi ka Assi'' have been adapted to theatre by eminent director Usha Ganguly and the novel is also being adapted into a feature film,

Mohalla Assi ''Mohalla Assi'' (; ) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language satirical drama film starring Sunny Deol and Sakshi Tanwar, and directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi. The film is loosely based on Dr. Kashi Nath Singh's popular Hindi novel ''Kashi Ka ...

, by

Chandraprakash Dwivedi Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter, who is best known for directing the 1991 television epic ''Chanakya'' in which he also played the title role of the political strategist Chanakya and an inspiratio ...

. Kashinath Singh received

for his novel ''Rehan Par Ragghu'' in 2011. In recent times, ''Kashinama'', a play based on ''Kashi Ka Assi'' has been staged 125 times in India and abroad.Kashinath Singh wins the Sahitya Akademi award for 'Rehan par Ragghu' , BiharDays
/ref>

Works

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Awards and recognitions

Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

* Sharad Joshi Samman * Sahitya Bhushan * Katha Samman * Rajbhasha Samman * Bharat Bharti Award

References

External links

Interview on Gulf News
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Kashinath 1937 births Living people Indian male novelists Writers from Uttar Pradesh Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi Hindi-language writers 20th-century Indian novelists Banaras Hindu University alumni Indian male short story writers 20th-century Indian short story writers